Mezan XO Jamaica

Only tried a quick sample of this, but had a nice smooth and complex taste but not overpowering.

Jamaican funk, dry finish and some years in wood. Relatively new in the market but great quality overall. Pot still notes and great complexity, full of depth and character

Lots of ripe banana and just a hint of grassyness. Smells like maybe overripe pineapple or banana skin. No added color, no Carmel, more rums need to be honest about the real color from aging and added color.

Ok I feel really mean giving this a 4 as others really loved it and it does have some plus point, ie no detectable added sugar and only a small amount of added E150. The thing is even with all that, I didn't like it and here's why - that overripe stewed banana taste. Now don't get me wrong, I like bananas but not the banana that’s in this. You can taste other things too, it gives complex oaky tobacco and I'm guessing it's been aged in American and the finish is fairly long but.. it's not for me. Sorry all the folks at Mezan and thanks for trying to really cut down on additives too.

This is an elegant masterpiece, smooth yet full of overripe fruit, pot still funk, freshly sawed sandalwood and a touch of allspice. Not nearly as intense as more traditional Jamaicans (Hamilton, Smith & Cross, Wray & Nephew), this is a more nuanced and refined rum which deserves to be enjoyed neat. It's wonderful.

Mezan calls itself "The Untouched Rum" which means no added sugar, no added colouring (like caramel) and only a light filtering. The Jamaican XO is the only rum that's currently permanently in their portfolio (others are single years vintages). It's a blend of selected casks from different Jamaican distilleries aged between 4 and 23 years and reaged after blending until deemed ready for bottling. Mezan do not put an age statement on their rums and rightly so. It's about creating a consistent flavor profile year in year out, in order to achieve this the actual age fluctuates. I wish more rums would abandon age statements, seeing as they are often misleading and little more than a marketing thing. Taste is what matters, not numbers. And this is tasty! Smelly too. Lots of overripe banana, as can be expected from a Jamaican pot still rum. Some caramel scent too, giving the impression of bannofee pie. Taste is less sweet than expected based on the aroma. Very light body, very smooth, no burn. Quite a lot of oak, you can taste this has some age. Finish is quite dry and medium long. All in all I'd have preferred a slightly fuller body and some bolder flavours, but this is a very pleasant effort nonetheless by an sympathetic brand.

With his 'untouched' caracter, this Mezan has a nice light gold color. On the nose , as annouced the banana is well present. Smooth and a little too short in mouth.
It was quite a suprise and a like the idea of honest rum which do not try to change what it is by adding extra ingredient.

Pretty clear gold color. Floral and fruity notes and the oak stay discreet. Lot of banana flavor. The taste is sweet with a short dry finish . First rum from this company. Nice discovery .

I think I may have come across another brand to really enjoy to go along with Plantation and Clement.

According to the label, this rum (and I assume based upon their website all Mezan rums) is "unblended, unsweetened, uncolored, and only lightly filtered".

In the bottle and in my snifter this rum is a light yellow hue reminding me of something I dare not mention here (TMI). It has a very nice aroma and good legs. This is small batch rum with only 5000 bottles produced. One they are gone, they are gone for good. My bottle is labeled as coming from batch number 008146.

According to online sources this rum is a blend from two distilleries in Jamaica: Monymusk and Hampden. Then the rum blend is re-aged (whatever that is) in used bourbon barrels.

The flavor is quite interesting. There is an initial sweetness to it that is subtle but the aging in bourbon barrels bring about a noticeable oakiness to it. I get some vanilla and banana (?) mixed in. There is a nice warmth to it...not really a burn. And the finish is somewhat dry with the oak tannins present.

No two ways about it...this is a sipping rum par excellence. It would be a crime to use this in mixed drinks. Maybe a little water on one cube of ice to bring out the subtleties but that's it. This is a very smooth rum.

Good taste, not very bitter and I like this types.