By The Dutch Batavia Arrack 8-Year

Tested just a sample so it’s just a first impression, but I won’t dig deeper into it.
Molasses is used in this Indonesian rum and it’s distilled in pot stills. A special thing is that they are using some red rice in the yeast.
After distillation it’s aged in teak barrels for some years before transported to the Netherlands where it’s transferred to oak barrels.
The final blend consists of spirits aged 8 months, 3, 5 and 8 years, and bottled at 48% ABV.
From nose via palate to the finish, which is medium long mostly depending on on the alcohol content, I can recognize fruits, bananas and some notes of spices and arrack. I was expecting a lot more flavor of arrack.
Overall I think that everything is much too weak to catch my interest.

Ve vůni se mi zdálo, že cítím trochu medu. Čekal jsem tedy jemnější chuť, ovšem to jsem se přepočítal. Zpočátku po napití je především ostrý s převládající hořkostí. Postupně však ustoupí a přejde do zemité chuti, která není zas tak nepříjemná. Něco na té Mary je :) Od indonézského rumu jsem čekal horší zážitek :)

It is a lot of arrack and vanilla in this, could have been a little bit more body but a positive surprise.

Being from the Netherlands arrack (or arak overhere) is not a strange phenomenon; every well stocked liquer store will have a few bottles. I had different bottles in the past without knowing it was part of rums; I thought it stood on its own. Knowing better now I couldn't resist to give it one more go.

On the nose it really stands apart from other rums as there is hardly any fudge or vanilla there. Spices (ginger, cloves), fermented rice (it reminds a bit of sake), sweet flowers and passion fruit come to mind. On the palate it is remarkable mellow despite it has an ABV of 48%. The fermented rice becomes more prominent while the sweet flowers and fruit change a bit towards oranges with cloves. It has a lot of flavour but remains rather light and crisp at the same time. It is in between a sipper and a shot with a prolonged aftertaste of salty grasses.

Interesting and pleasant change of flavours compared to the average rum (as such a rum even excists) and while this will not become my daily glass it is definitely worth to give it a try.

Krachtige kruidige rum met een sterke afronk. Sterke geur en sterke krachtige smaak.

- vůně květiny a med, částečně připomíná agricole
- chuť zpočátku jemná, nastupuje voltáž 48%, hořkost, květiny a med, závěr hořký, dochuť částečně agricole.
Panák, max dva bych zvládl, ale nákup láhve v žádném případě a to agricole mám rád

First, I must admit I am not very experienced with arracks, so before I state “typical arrack” I must admit I would not know what I am comparing with.

Nose: Classic smell of aged molasses rum, with a touch more grass and herb, and a sweet smell you could be fooled into associating with spontaneous fermentation.

But on the palate it is very distinct, with subdued funk, and reveals the effect of the addition of rice in complex, pleasant notes of fresh yeast- a bit like boiling, red rice from Thailand but elegant and discrete.

The aftertaste is absolutely not bad for youngish rum. A clear 8, it feels easily like having the sophistication and wisdom of far older rums, yet the little rebellious je-me-sais-quoi from the rice component is certainly present.

Sally jak być shabby uścisk on tak bardzo shabby od shabby

Light yellow color , high alcohol, sweet aroma and taste