Rum-Bar White Overproof

Nose: caramelized banana out the wazoo, green olive, rubber, fresh sugar cane, unique smell I can’t place like Cherry scented acetone, faint blackberry cobbler

Palate: warm blackberry cobbler, pineapple, tart cherries, lemon juice, banana, blackberry creaminess, salted caramel

Finish: [chlorine pool water]*, sour apples, salt water, blackberry ice cream, raw sugar, guava, guayabana

I have been looking forward to trying this for quite some time as it is the original Overproof from my favorite Jamaican distillery. Reviews on it seem to be extremely polarized and after trying it I can easily see why. This rum was also a unique experience for me in that there is a titanic difference between its notes straight compared to slightly diluted. Like night and day difference. Drank straight this rum is very muted, not very expressive, and the notes it does play I didn’t find all that pleasant. However with dilution down to about 50% ABV the palate on this rum explodes into complex and delightful tropical fruit flavors. Therefore my very strong advice for those trying this for the first time is to try it both ways but withhold judgement until you dilute this down to about 50% ABV and allow the flavors to open up. So let’s get into the craziness of this experience.

On the nose, even straight this rum is quite expressive. From literally 2 feet away when I poured it into the snifter my nostrils were overwhelmed by caramelized banana. Leaning in more closely though reveals a bevy of more complex notes some of which remind me much more of an Agricole Blanc: green olive, rubber, grassy fresh sugar cane. Faintly behind that I get a note that I am really struggling to place which I guess can be best summarized as cherry scented acetone followed by blackberry cobbler. Interestingly, and quite unexpectedly, I get blackberry cobbler through all three phases of this experience.

Taking a sip straight I get warm blackberry cobbler, pineapple, tart sour cherries, and lemon juice. Diluting it with water brings out an impressive combination of banana, blackberry cream, and salted caramel. Straight, the rum is tart and extremely hot. With dilution the heat and tart dissipate and explode into all of the above flavors at once in magnificence. With dilution this rum is quite impressive.

The finish is another aspect where there is a titanic difference being the rum straight and diluted. Drank straight the finish is rather muted and I only get a chlorinated pool water taste* in my mouth. After diluting it down the finish on the rum once flourishes with an abundance of delightful notes: sour apple, brine, then blackberry ice cream with faint notes of raw cane sugar crystals and guava. After some time Guayabana (Cuban Custard Apple) appears. This is just fantastic and unique.

After drinking this rum straight I was prepared to give it a 3 as it was muted, hot, and frankly unpleasant. With water the complexity exploded into a multitude of delightful notes to the extent that I will rate it a solid 7.5. It’s clear to me that this rum simply needs to be diluted down to around 50% to allow it to truly shine…and shine it will. This is probably the perfect example of what Scott was referring to in his video about adding water to high Abv spirits to open up the flavors because man oh man is that evident here.

Nose: 7
Palate: 8
Aftertaste: 8
Smoothness: 5
Versatility: 8
Price: 10

Total: 7.6