Admiral Rodney HMS Formidable

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.

Slightly sweet with a simple rum finish. Good burn and smooth finish.

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.

12/29/21 revisited while sampling other Admiral Rodney rums. This is the oldest batch 10-15 years and now has fancier wooden stopper with gold adornments. Noticeably darker color than Princessa & Royal Oak. Sampling side by side 3 AR rums I prefer the Royal Oak best. This one is a bit dryer like Princessa I think a solid 7-8 for my taste.

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.

Had at distillery. Smoother than the normal Admiral Rodney, now called the Royal Oak, and superior to the Princessa. Nice balance, good on ice or neat.

Great rum, solid flavors, nice from start to finish. Worth the money spent..

This rum needs some more time in the glas. I recommend at least 20min.
Quite itensive smell for 40% with dark and bright flavors like molasses, vanilla, young wood.
The nose suggests a quite intensive taste.
But then I got surprised of the weak intensity on the palet. It starts watery with bright and fresh aromas. The dilution was too high, it lost the most of it's intensity. The flavors are still there but it's not enough for a good rating.

It's almost an 8, but because of the impresion of watery taste I must give it a 7.
If it had at least 46% we could speak about a rating between 8 and 9 I think.

Smell: vanilla, young wood, dry fruits (plum), fruit (like orange), some molasses, caramel, chocolate
Taste: the start is a little bit watery, light sweetness with cocoa, fresh wood, vanilla, fruits are on the palate (pear), followed by spice
Finish: middle long, with spice, followed by some orange and apples (very nice)

Sweetness: 2/5
Spice: 3/5
Fruit: 2.5/5
Mildness: 3.5/5
Value (55€): 2.5/5

Well rounded. Good barrel notes. Very nice age with lots of vanilla and macerated berries. I think the rum guys have been hiring whiskey master distillers... This is as nice as a lot of recent bourbons. Very very nice rum. Lovely bottle too.