Clarkes Court Old Grog

I always need any excuse to return to the Florida panhandle beaches and also stock up on old favorite rums that are not available where I live. So a few days ago, I found three rums that I had never tried and were all worth the $25-$30 risk, along with 15 old favorites. This was one of the new ones. The other two were from Hamilton.

I saw this one on the shelf and it brought back recent memories from the discussions thanks to Stefan Persson. Had it not been for his recommendations, I would have mistakenly left it on the shelf along with that bottle of Don Papa Small Batch.

The aroma is like no other $25 bottle of spiced rum. It reminded me of walking through the fragrant tropical floral streets in the Old Town part of Key West. Normally the aroma and taste usually blend in harmony for rums. Not so in this case! The taste is pungent and totally opposite of the aroma, but somehow in a good way. Talk about vast contrast! I cannot even tell what bizarre spices were used to make this rum, as Grenada is known as the Spice Island. I spent one day on that island about 28 years ago and it's memory still lingers. This rum certainly helps to maintain these memories. Thanks Stefan!

Update May 27, 2021: This bottle has been long gone, but I found out yesterday that this rum contains "bois bande", a Kreyol term meaning "erect wood". This is also the reason for the pungent taste that I first mentioned. Bounty Spiced Rum from St. Lucia to the north also uses this tree bark.

This rum is produced by Grenada Distillers Ltd, but when it started up in 1937 they was just a part of the Grenada Sugar Factory established in 1936. The business was established at the Woodlands Estate which includes Clarke’s Court Bay.
Around 1959 they stopped producing sugar, cause it wasn’t economically viable anymore. Around 1960 became Clarke’s Court the name of the rum.
Over the years they have used a mix of own cane syrup and molasses and bought molasses. Initially they used molasses from Guyana, nowadays they buy their molasses from Panama.
After the hurricane Ivan in 2004 they was forced to relay on only bought molasses if they should go on producing rum, cause Ivan destroyed most of the sugar cane fields in the island.
After 3-4 days of fermentation they distill it in a twin-column Coffey still. Thereafter it’s aged in ex-bourbon oak barrels before blended and bottled. The blend consists of rum aged between four and ten years.
I think the label in itself makes this rum earning its place at my rum shelf, but I also really like it. It’s a very good everyday rum to bring to the table with lots of bananas, citrus, nutmeg and other spices in nose and taste as well as during the finish.
It’s nice with the nutmeg and the other spices cause it comes from the island of spices.
Overall it’s very special and the only rum I can remember with somewhat similar tastes is the Six Saints, also distilled by GDL.
Grenada rum is unfortunately more or less impossible to find in Sweden, so I have bought my bottles from the UK.
About the name GROG, it’s an abbreviation for Georgius Rex Old Grenada in order to identify it as His Majesty’s George III of England rum.
Pictures: My Grenada shelf & My bar display with my Spanish styled Ron and some English styled in the front.

Truly the fruitless rum I've ever tasted. Can be difficult to find but well worth picking it up if you can. Very unique from other rums. One of the lightest I've experienced as well.

Jeg har lige været på cruise og der var vi blandt andet på Grenada hvor vi var på besøg på Clarks Court destilleriet.
En af de rom vi kunne smage var denne rom, men for mig som europæer er den frygtelig skarp, den virker ikke færdig, den er så skarp at man ikke kan smage noget.

Had à tour at the distillery when visiting grenada. Picked up a small bottle of this one, should have took a big one!
Very wel balanced & smooth, overclasses a lot of more aged rums i had.
If you can get it, pick it up and try it

Too sweet in my opinion so as to prevent one from drinking quickly or in great quantity. Flavour like butterscotch. Not bad but not great.

This rum is very nice; light bite with good flavor. I cannot tell exactly what's going on with certain tasting notes, but it is good.

N- Blackforest banana mousse cake garnished with strawberry and berry compote with drizzles of rich molasses, cotton candy floss sweetened hot coffee to go with it too. Sounds sweet? Indeed, but is not just sugar despite the rather intense cola sweetness. Whiff of strong nutmeg and chinese herb oilmen to keep it fresh. (85/19)

P- Not as fresh and charm as the aroma, thin over smoky oak, herb oilmen still presents and keep it quite comfort on palate. But then soapy and menthol gum emerge that feel rather artificial. (82/17)

F- Short, diluted oak juice, soft, harmless with lingering red fruits. (83/18)

B/B- 83/18

Weighted Rate- 72pt
— at The Rum Bar KL.

Nez présent avec des arômes d’épices. Raffiné pour le prix et assez doux en bouche. Pas trop sucré, belle découverte

je me laisse encore du temps pour l évaluer... a venir