Outlaw Rum Co-Founder Jim Ashley (Interview)
Published by The Rumlab ago
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Posted
1 year ago
If you’re a fan of the ester and funk
Mild and balanced but straight dessert like.
There’s a strong smell but it grows on you.
I don’t know what to pinpoint for the flavors.. no main things, very complex yet balanced
Posted
1 year ago
Like the gold version, quite funky on the nose (rotten fruit and vegetable), and taste is totally different. A bit of that funk carries over in a light-medium bodied juice, with some nice, light fruitiness, that same mild bitterness, semi-dry, less molasses on the finish, and a tad of phenol, but still with nothing too off-putting. Apparently the same as the Gold version, but with more caramel coloring - but they do not taste the same, not to me. Close, but not an exact match. I did buy this for mixing, and look forward to trying it out in cocktails calling for a dark Jamaican - might be back for an update after that.
Posted
over 1 year ago
If you like Jamaican funk, you’ll love this. The nose is of banana, and you get a lot of overripe bananas in the palate too. I’m not a Jamaica rum person, but I can’t fault the rum for that.
Posted
over 1 year ago
Bottle purchased in Wichita. Pours dark brown sepia color. Roll around in the hay loft aroma of Jamaican funk. Incredible. Metallic like sucking on a copper penny. But spices galore. Ginger and raisins and baking chocolate. The aroma sells this. I’m going to put this in tiki recipes that call for Myers’ Dark.
Posted
over 1 year ago
I do like this. I don't love it, but I definitely don't hate it. The funk is unique and complex. I appreciate that. There is oak and molasses. I think it might grow on me more. I would not recommend it for everyone. Was very good in Jungle Bird as recommended on rear label. Although I think the flavor would work best for mixing, I did enjoy examining the flavor neat.
Cheers!
Posted
over 1 year ago
Just stepping into the Jamaican funk side of rum and I love this. Estery, earthy nose and flavor that works on its own or in a cocktail.
Posted
over 1 year ago
Another great rum by Hamilton. Rich, and flavorful - lots of baking spices, tropical fruits, and a well-balanced amount of Jamaican unctuous-ness. Similar profile to Coruba, which is much harder to find around here and similarly priced. Some key differences; Hamilton has a mich more present Hogo than Coruba, and Coruba has a stronger molasses note, but otherwise bear many of the same qualities across the palate otherwise. Not a stellar sip on its own (slightly harsher imo than Coruba), but an excellent backbone for many tiki drinks
Posted
almost 2 years ago
This is great rum. I’d almost say it tastes more like “the real deal” sort of Jamaican rum than some others. Fantastic mixer, and easily sipped as well. All around great.
Color-very dark
Full, bold, no apologies
Can understand why some might not like it.
This rum is definitely not for everyone but if you like the Jamaican style you will love this.
Nose is straight rotten bananas and fruit. To the point I let it air in the room for a moment and the whole room smelled like banana. Hits you right in the face.
Up front taste is that fruit smell, slightly sweet, but definitely Jamaican funky town. Leading into the part that took me a minute to get used to. The palate was weird to me at first. It’s funky musty and almost rotten. I expected a dryer Hampden like funk but this is different and thought this was the caramel coloring taste that makes it a black rum. Regardless as you sip it opens up and becomes much more complex funky spice. The funk and oak spice meld together and trail off to make a nice finish.
Overall enjoyable sipper at a great price (under 30 bucks in the Carolinas). Plan to always have one of these around especially to show new rum fans the complexity of Jamaican rum.
Edit: this rum makes the best rum and coke I’ve ever had. Take that Coca Cola to Funky Town!
Published by The Rumlab ago
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Nose: Overripe Banana, Roasted Apples, Grilled Pineapple, Floral Bouquet, Burnt Sugar, faint Tiramisu
Palate: Oak, Cognac, Hard Apple Cider, Apple Brandy, Vanilla, Rosewater, Brown Sugar, Caramelized Plantain, faint dark orange chocolate builds up after a while
Aftertaste: Short, Burned Marshmallow, Sangria, Roasted Apples
This was my first experience with a rum from the Worthy Park distillery and I had no idea what to expect with this rum. Jamaican big hogo rums are always hit or miss with me. I tend to either absolutely love them or dislike them altogether. However, here is the verdict here: I absolutely love this rum. It is everything that I had hoped it would be from the numerous and various descriptions I have read. It is one of the smoothest and most pleasant funk bombs I have yet to experience on my palate. Big nose, smooth funky palate, soft and complex finish.
The nose is not quite as strong as some other Jamaican funk rums like Smith & Cross or Wray & Nephew...but it is still pretty strong and funky. I would put it up there next to Hampden 46 on the pure strength of the nose, but its attributes are far more pleasant to me than that of Hampden 46. On the nose I get the classic overripe banana of the famous Jamaican rums plus Roasted Apples, Grilled Pineapple, some type of floral bouquet, burnt sugar, and just a faint hint of Tiramisu. From the empty jigger I used to measure the rum out I could smell burnt rubber but I did not get that from the snifter, so maybe this nose changes according to the amount you pour and the type of glass you use.
Here is my personal take on Jamaican rums and why they can be polarizing for me. Almost all Jamaican rums promise that heavy dose of grilled fruit glory on the nose. Almost all Jamaican rums have absolutely amazing aromas. However, the difference, in my expereicne is that not all of them can translate that to the palate. But this one does and in spades. And it is awesome. Further unlike some rums where the palate comes at you in phases, Hamilton Jamaican Black gobsmacks you in the mouth with an incredible overload of flavors all at once and you have to slowly sort them out. It's kind of fun actually. So here is what exploded in my mouth all at once: Oak, Cognac, Hard Apple Cider, Apple Brandy, Vanilla, Rosewater, Brown Sugar, and faint Maduros (caramelized plantains). After sipping on it a while a dark orange chocolate note starts to slowly build up faintly in your mouth. And let me tell you: I am so here for it. Permeating all of it is kind of a burnt sugar note like that of burnt marshmallow. That might be polarizing to some but personally I love it because it reminds me of sitting around a campfire toasting marshmallows as a kid and occasionally them catching on fire.
The finish is almost equally fantastic, though not quite as long as I wanted it to be. I do wish it were longer. The finish is a strange but altogether pleasant combination of burnt marshmallow, sangria, and roasted apples. it has a nice sweetness to it even though this rum has 0 additives.
This is definitely one of the very best Jamaican rums I have ever had, and maybe the best big hogo Jamaican sipping rum of them all I have had thus far (Smith & Cross is pretty amazing but its strength makes it hard to be a pleasant sipper; Appleton 12 is a fantastic sipper but it doesn't bring the funk like this rum does).
I have heard that this is one of the very best Jamaican mixing rums you can find, and I can definitely see that. In fact I will absolutely try this in a Mai Tai..but frankly I am more than content to pour this bad boy over an iceball straight and take it in in all its glory without the mixers. Finally, I have also heard that Worthy Park rums share this profile, and if so I think it is time I go hunt down some top shelf Worthy Park to add to my sipping cabinet. In the meantime, this will do just fine.
(Oh and what do you know...yet another Ed Hamilton masterpiece. I am beginning to think this guy knows his rum.)
Country of Origin: Jamaica
Distillery: Worthy Park
ABV: 46.5%
Nose: 8
Palate: 10
Aftertaste: 10
Smoothness: 9
Versatility: 10
Price: 10
Total: 9.5