Admiral Rodney HMS Formidable

Tasted in Drinks By The Dram - The Rum Advent Calendar (2019 Edition)

Traditionally strong, a navy rum to respect. Smooth and very drinkable. However the sweetness makes it only tolerable for a glass or two

it reminds me of Appleton 21y, but with deep molasses in the nose. It has bitter aftertaste, which subtracts a point or two.

Tasting notes: dark chocolate, ginger, clove, oak' and vanilla
Nose: toffee, medicinal quality, leather, chocolate

Well balanced. If this rum had a higher cask strength, it would be a 10.

If you like oak you are going to love this. Like the Princessa this is smooth as a widows kiss. From start to finish it is pure pleasure. A little less bite than Princessa, but I like bite. Great balance. Lots of wood with dark fruit notes. Very good, medium complexity. Great sipper. I like the Princessa just a little better. I give this 8.3. Princessa 8.5. Another great rum from a GREAT DISTILLERY.

This one was quite difficult to rate since I had tried their other two that are now available in the USA. I thought that there would be even more oak flavor to this rum than their Royal Oak, but somehow it is kept in check. I still prefer their Princessa, which also happens to be their cheapest with less aging and less oak.

Sitting in a rocking chair on the rear verandah of a classic old St Lucia hotel 20+ some years ago sipping Admiral Rodney neat. So I had to find another bottle today, it is rich and somewhat complex especially for my pallet at that time. Does quite not hold its own today, one of the St Lucia distilleries brand like Chairman’s reserve. Medium dark in the glass initial taste flat lacking depth lends to slightly sweet burn. Goes down easy but not enough lingering depth in this price point.

I had heard of the prospect of "selective extraction" when distilling rum in a reflux column though hadn't heard of any distilleries practicing it until I discovered Admiral Rodney. The claim on the label is that only rum extracted from the lower plates of the column are used, which is aged and then blended for this release.

Such a strategy for collecting this rum dramatically reduces the heady and rough character associated with the heads and foreshots (ethyl acetate, acetaldehyde, etc.). These high-boiling fractions are often loaded with pleasant oil character, which is showcased very well in this rum. It is easily the smoothest and most pleasant rum that I've ever tasted. It is also without any sugaring or violation with additives, which makes me very happy. Aroma is quite good.

This should be drunk neat or with just a drop of water, as it is quite delicate. This rum fills a niche that is practically non-existent in the current rum market, which can be described as "ultra-fine light rum".

It is a good rum, but nothing special. The other 2 are better than this one. I rate it a 6,5 cause it isn't that bad either.