Chairman's Reserve

Nothing extraordinary. Decent rum for the price, but too boring.

This rum looks and tastes great in a flask and that is where you will find me enjoying it. On cold days when racing a single man dinghy, this rum will help keep me warm and reside in my PFD. My friends will come by and ask to partake and when we all come in, the flask will be dry.

Bottle: The label is interesting looking and a good representation of its birth home but the bottle fails to impress after that. Very little detail about the distillery, no syn-cork that says it is a better product, the bottle bottom notes indicates that it is not a cheap bottle. Presentation could be better.
Color: A very nice golden brown, it looks the part of a great rum.
Bottle Aroma: A heavy ethanol odor hits the nose first but the rum does come through.
Glass Aroma: The ethanol smell has dissipated and a light oak, easy drinking rum smell fills the nose.
Taste: The rum starts out light which surprises after the bottle nose, a good start of flavor hits and the caramel begins, then the oils leave the tongue and the heat comes back. This is another rum that I'll pack into a flask for cold days when the backbone needs strengthening, but this is not the rum I will chose in front of the fire.

This rum is a bit uneven but I do not dislike this trait in rums. Rums should not be 20 year old bourbons or 30 year old cognacs, they should bite a little and when they fail to do so, I tend to get bored. Some may find this rum a little harsh, but like my personality, I find the harshness true to character and enjoy the company.

Though my bottle has the new label ('original') I want to rate it in the 'real' thread as the rum hasn't changed. Saint Lucia has only one distillery and the rums are a bit Bajan-like but with a stronger pot still influence (Jamaican-funk-Saint-Lucia-style).

My first impression of the Chairman's Reserve (CR) was that it was a little unbalanced. On the nose there is a smokey oak, raisins and some pot still funk with napalm-orange. On the palate a lot of things seem to happen independant of each other; at first some dried fruits, vanilla and alcohol, then the pot still part with funky orange comes rushing in very sweet, followed by tobacco, chocolate and very dry and smokey oak. It ran in all directions and didn't seem to care what I thought of it.

Half a bottle later (in multiple sessions....) it became to make some sense and I understood that this is exactly how CR should be; rather complex, not easy and with a pleasant dissonant. This is not a rum you serve when you introduce your friends to fine rums, or after a nice dinner (except a smokey BBQ maybe) . This is the rum you want to drink when the rain hits your windows and you feel like playing a Tom Waits album.

I never want to be without anymore.

Not bad stuff. Bit rough to drink neat, nice with a mixer. Can't really give it a 7.

View: Pours golden brown.

Nose: A ton of honey on the nose with some char.

Initial Tasting: One of the smoothest rums I've tasted. No bite whatsoever. Raisin and spice.

Body: Drinks like a bourbon. Spice and oak.

Fade: Smoother than a baby's behind.

Neat its a quite warm sip.better than when mixed with coke. I preferred it with a little breathing time. In other words I let it sit for a while. I'm not going to rush out and replace this bottle but not because i didn't like it. It's just very similar to other stuff and there's so many more to try.

commentaire a venir

I drank about 20 or so glasses neat in St. Lucia. This is the way to go. This needs time to breath in the glass. As this sits for a while it really opens up. Nice strong spice and totally smooth with a nice amount of pot still rum. Picked up a 1L bottle in St. Lucia for 16 US. It has a strong alcohol when poured that needs time to rest to open a spicy enjoyable nose.

Great nose that's slightly sweet and floral. First taste is overpowering with oily sour molasses. Long spicy finish that doesn't go down very well. Just not too many flavors cone through over a pretty substantial burn.

Quality mid range rum. Quite ok to sip straight, and with enough taste to be distinctive in mixed drinks. Pity there isn't a premium aged version available.