Transcontinental Rum Line 2014 Fiji 4-Year

El color no es nada prometedor, mas bien muy opaco, probablemente por el corto tiempo de añejamiento.
En nariz el barniz predomina como también el ahumado e incluso fruta caramelizada. En boca, el barniz es aún mas acentuado, al igual que el ahumado y la fruta malograda.
Me recuerda mucho a los rones jamaicanos no manipulados. Mucho ésteres, además es un por still, sabroso, aunque a muchos probablemente no les guste. Extraordinario!

Mooie complexe rum. Krachtige geur met mooie kruidige tinten. Mooie complexe smaak. Kruiden en zilt staan centraal.

Perfektní aroma po ovoci, čokoládě, vanilce. V chuti hodně kořeni, karamel.

Just started on the TCRL line and have to say this is one of my favourites in the range so far. Rich, mouth coating, high ester, fruity, definitely almost perfect for me. Love it!

Thanks a lot, Vomi, for sharing a sample with me!

I opened the sample and poured some rum into the glass, then took a photo. Before I even began formal evaluation of this spirit, I've already sensed distinct fruity aromas. The main theme is banana, followed by pineapple and mango. These fruits seem long overripe, the nose is pretty sweet. Then it turns out that, while the sweet aromas are high above the glass, drawing the nose near reveals quite the opposite: grassy and sour notes with nail polish remover and chemical acidity. Ultimately I sensed raisins, as a sort of agreement between these two categories.

This rum is warming up from the first sip. It is naturally sweet with yellow fruits; especially banana and coconut. Then some milky notes appear, which add up to sensations of coconut milk, vanilla, cream and pudding, accompanied by the creamy texture of rum mixed with saliva.

After a transition moment of bitter orange and grapefruit, we smoothly enter the finish composed of dark chocolate, dry cocoa, smoke and wood.

I definitely expected less from this immature rum. It's flavors and tastes tell a consistent tropical story, with moderate complexity and natural sweetness.

taste - 8.5/10
smell - 8/10
sweetness - 7/10
price/value rating - 7.5/10

I ordered a glass of this at my local rum bar, never having had one from Fiji before. A little research shows that the source of this rum, South Pacific Distillery, is a big (the only?) distillery on the island, making beer, "ready to drink" alcopops, and a whole line of other spirits. So, snobbily, I would not have expected a quality rum.

Well... I haven't tried their other products, but if nothing else, Transcontinental must have found some fine casks and treated them right. (Their schtick seems to be taking something aged for a while at origin, then aging them in Europe for a while. Which is a whole other rabbit hole to discuss...)

High esters, low sweetness... get yourself a bottle of this Jamaican-like (one glass isn't enough) and take your time with it. My initial impressions were banana, cinammon, apricot, spice... I need to give this thing time in the right glass to see what it reveals, experiment with a little water... this is a good proof for the flavor, but the burn is a little challenging, and I feel certain I could dig up more complexities. Especially since there seem to be no additives getting in the way.

It'll take some experimentation to get there, but I think it'll be a pleasant trip.

This Fijian rum is aged quite shortly, about 2 years in the tropics and 1 year in Europe. It is distilled in pot stills from fermented molasses.
This rum is extremely fragrant in the nose. Aromas of freshly mowed grass and blooming flowers. Unlike other rums, it is not sweet at all in the nose, so it definitely stands out in comparison to other rums. Altough this rum contains 48% of alcohol, it doesn't taste like that. The taste start mildly sweet, with some acidity that reminds of grapefruit. After that some dried tropical fruits take over with a punch of herbs and some bitters. It is very complex. The aftertaste is a combination of the bitterness of a good espresso and the herbal touch of South African Rooibos tea. All in all, this rum is completely different than I have ever had before, and that is a compliment.

There is a nice funky bouqet of aromas on the nose.
On the palate, I find it nicely savory / umami.
I liked sipping this rum!

Nose : heavy, "dirty" (remember the glue for children ? with typical benzaldéhyde "almonds" flavour ahah), slighthy acid fruits and zesty. Somewhat reminiscent of big jamaican rums but not a copycat, these Fiji rums seems to have their own character. Behind these typical potstill features there is a more rounded part too which develops slowly. The first 5-10mn are a bit "too much", it deserves to breathe for some time to enjoy the deep aromas. Mouth : same league. Heavy rum, thick texture, slighty acid, more zests. Tons of aromas. Alcohol is well integrated and 48° seems a good choice.
Very good rum if you are into this style but you'll find it a bit harsh if you only know heavily sugared light rons from South America. For well informed audience, I may say.