Chairman’s Reserve The Forgotten Cask 6-11 Years

Forgotten cask, is it a good marketing or is it a fact?
A forgotten barrel, how can that be? In 2007 there was a fire and most of the storage rooms were destroyed. Some rum barrels were therefore relocated and then forgotten. Many years later these were apparently rediscovered and now we have these barrels
The standard bottling is 3 to 5 years, this must be about 8 years. It is a blend of column and pot still. I would expect some dirty and dark flavors.
We have a dilution to 40% here, possibly the mass market should be addressed with this bottling.

Smell: I perceive dried fruits, orange zest and wood. That already reminds me of CR 2005.
Grapes and grape seeds stand out. Light bourbon wood with vanilla is in the background. The rum seems old but not particularly complex. It has old wood aromas, but there are no leather notes or wood lack aromas.

Taste: The rum starts very thin. I take a few sips to get used to it. Light vanilla sweetness can be found with white oak from bourbon wood. Bitter tannins rises as the rum gets warmer, I now notice grape seeds and some dried fruits. There is the light wood again. Towards the end the rum increases in spiciness. The orange zest appear in the finish as the mouth gets drier and the tannins subside. Overall, there is a lot of wood and a lot of dried fruit.

Aftertaste: wood, tannins, grape seeds

Conclusion: The first rum from Chairman's Reserve that I'm a little disappointed with. I cannot understand the dilution to 40%. The rum shows potential in the middle and in the finish. At least 43% would be good, although I would prefer 46%. The dilution was less noticeable in the nose.
The forgotten barrels were actually not bad. The rum goes very much in the direction of Mount Gay XO, but does not reach its intensity due to the 3% less abv.

Overall rating: 69 points

Sweetness: 1.5 / 5
Fruit: 2.5 / 5
Spice: 2.5 / 5
Complexity: 2/5
Price (34 €): 2/5