HOW are you sniffing your rum these days? I only ask, because if you’re anything like me, you’ve been doing it completely wrong. That’s if it even gets sniffed at all. It usually goes something like this; pour rum, pour coke, squeeze lime, drink quickly. Or maybe if your Grandad was in the Navy, you’ll have had a tot of Pusser’s when the sun reaches the yard arm.
If the Chairman’s was an aphrodisiac, I’m in danger of losing the mood
I’m upstairs in San Carlo Fumo where 'Drinks Enthusiast' Dave Marsland is telling me to take my nose out of the glass. He is showcasing a selection of premium rums that Fumo has to offer in something that is more akin to a wine tasting. I’m told to nestle the glass in my chest, below my nose. I can pick up the more delicate lighter notes this way, slowly lifting the glass towards my nose to reveal the heavier, deeper, richer tones.
The first I’m sniffing is a 38% three-year-old Ron Cubay Carta Blanca white rum. It’s from the same Cuban producers as Havana Club but is an entirely different experience. The lighter notes are toffee and sweet and the deeper a bit spicier. My sniff lift turns into a sip lift. Do not guzzle these rums. A taste reveals a warmth and pepperiness but citrus fruits are present also. It’s fresh and light. I’ve not drunk much white rum neat before. I didn’t think I liked it, but I really enjoyed this. Perfect in a Daiquiri too as I find out later.
A rum old time at Spirit SessionsSecond up is the more commonly known 40% Havana Club. It’s been aged for at least seven years in old Jack Daniels barrels. It’s soft vanilla to the nose, and again heats the mouth when drinking. It really gets the glands going. Warm and rich, a toffee flavour comes through. It’s spicy but smooth and easy to drink neat.
Pink Pigeon is the first of two spiced rums tonight. It’s a single estate 40% from Mauritius, and much like the rare birds it is named after, it’s exclusive to the island. The ingredients are local and they give it a unique flavour. The predominant smell and flavour is vanilla, it is infused with the natural Bourbon pods grown on the neighbouring islands. The initial hit is followed by a floral flavour and orange after tones. It’s very different to the normal spiced rums you see on the market, but that’s no bad thing.
The next offering is 40% Chairman’s Reserve spiced from St Lucia. This one is almost festive. It’s a deep orangey colour and gives a punch of spice to the nose. It is warm and explodes with those Christmas flavours, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg. These are joined by citrus after taste which makes for a smooth but strong flavour. Again this rum takes advantage of local ingredients and includes Bois Bande, a local tree bark renowned locally for being an aphrodisiac. It might be the Bois Bande, or the fact that I’ve had four rums, but I’m feeling good.
San Carlo FumoIf the Chairman’s was an aphrodisiac, I’m in danger of losing the mood. Next up is the 50% Rhum St Barth Agricole and it’s definitely an acquired taste. As an agricole rum it’s made from sugar cane rather than molasses and it is not aged in barrels at all, and as such it is crystal clear. It doesn’t look or smell like a rum. It has a very organic, oily, almost earthy smell which is further experienced with a sip. It has flavours that I can’t quite get to grips with, and even though it’s potent and strange, I can’t help sipping more to try and explore them.
It could be argued that with rum, you don’t quite get the same variety and breadth of flavours as you would at a wine tasting, but each of these, while they have their similarities, are completely unique and complex characters of their own. Characters that I hope to meet again soon.
Robert Byron attended 'Spirit Session' at San Carlo Fumo on 4 November. Tickets cost £20 a head for the whisky tasting on November 18 and tickets for the luxury tasting on December 9 cost £75. To book your place, call 0161 236 7344
