Denizen Merchants Reserve 8-Year

I've completely revised my opinion of this rum after learning it's pedigree. For strict traditionalists, nothing will ever replace the 17 yr old J. Wray and Nephew rum used by Vic Bergeron for the original Mai Tai. After exhausting supplies of 17 and later 15 yr old, Vic experimented blending his own rums to approximate the flavor of the original rum. He settled on a blend of Jamaican and Martinique rums. One word of correction to some reviews here. The Martinique rum Vic used was not the strict AOC Agricole, but an aged molasses based rum. Denizen sought to recreate this blend, and has done so admirably. This is the closest you will get to the original Mai Tai flavor.

This is a rum I continue to revisit. The mix of Jamaican and agricole is finely tuned if unspecific in both categories. Vanilla bean and just a hint of mint and parilla. Lovely stuff.

I love this stuff. It makes perfect Mai Tais as intended.

Mr Cate did a good job with this one.
Makes a great mai tai (and any number of other classics) and is easier (for me) to track down a bottle of than some it’s would-be competitors.

I was actually hoping for it to be a bit more intense than it actually is.. The funk is there, but not at the dramatic levels I was expecting from the description. It is, however, a classy rum that deserves a great deal of respect - It is the closest imitation for the legendary W&N 17yr.
Initial nosing is of caramelized ripe banana. It has a very pleasant velvety mouthfeel, and a nuttiness that I assume comes from the Grand Arome. Some tropical fruits mix in as it progresses to a very smooth, warm finish. I would love to see what this would showcase at a higher strength...
Its a go-to rum for Maita'is. Though I would argue a superior drink can be had by blending Smith & Cross with an aged agricole.

I recently learned that this rum was produced in collaboration with Martin Cate and is the house Mai Tai rum at Smugglers Cove. Being a total fanboy, I drove over an hour to the closest store that had some and bought three bottles.
Happy to say it lives up to the hype. I’m very satisfied with how it works in a Mai Tai, and I will be testing it in other recipes that call for an aged Jamaican rum. Yes, I know it’s not entirely Jamaican, but the Martinique Rhum Traditionnel (molasses based, med-high ester) portion of the blend is similar to Jamaican rum from what I’ve read.

This is not a sipping rum review. The Martinique grand arome and Jamaican pot still rums in here up the hogo and general funk in a way that features best in a Mai Tai or grog-style tiki cocktail. Much like Smith & Cross, this is best if used as intended!

Got this as my catch-all Mai Tai rum and have been very pleased, as have all of my friends who have tried it. A few of us know what a real Mai Tai is and with the proper technique and proportions (homemade orgeat helps too) I have developed what we consider the best Mai Tai we've had with it. There is some real funk and depth to this rum that comes through just the right amount in a Mai Tai without challenging the pleasant nuttiness and dry orange flavor.

Bought it for the Mai tais thanks to Martin cate. Turns out to be a lovely blend of argicole (which I generally dislike) and demerara. A perfect blend I guess because I love the grassy medicinal notes of the Agricole with the proper burnt vanilla molasses of demerara rum. This stuff is fantastic neat, rocks, and makes a damn fine cocktail. Lovely value. I keep several bottles around at all times.

On the nose it’s smells like brown sugar and over ripe bananas which I love. The flavor is well balanced between nutty Jamaican funk and smooth. I went out of my way to find this and was not disappointed.