Banks 5-Island

Heavily (and enthusiastically) marketed in the US, this filtered white rum is actually a blend of aged and unaged expressions from up to 21 sources on 5 islands. It is an interesting blend as such, and has more body and flavor than most white rums that run the grain-alcohol gamut of distillate flavor. It's OK neat, and even better subbed into cocktails calling for lightly aged rums, especially when you are trying not to "brown" down the coloring of a bright tiki cocktail.

This is a pure, dry, flavourful white rum blend with complexity, an odd character of fruits like overripe banana. The rum is similar to Banks 7 but charcoal filtered to remove the pale colour but retain its aroma and flavours. Easily sipped after getting past the first sip/smell but not for me, I prefer an aged rum.

Ok. Rating this an 8 is perhaps unfair to a good, single pot still rum with the same rating. But I try to follow a principle where the scale is subdivided into the specific style or category the rum belongs in, and in the category “decently priced, white blended rums” this is my new favourite. My only objection is that filtering brown/golden rum to make it white takes away some of its character, and that is exactly what has been done here. On the other hand, this is only a valid objection when you know what you lose — which I don’t, of course.

Nose: A hint of funky wild yeast; overripe banana and floral cane. Also a hint of boiling rice that remains pleasant — not metallic or chemical.

Palate: An unexpected fruit explosion of banana , pineapple and green apple distinguished with some mint and caramel. There is also a faint taste of fresh oak, quite subdued by filtration I expect.

Aftertaste: At first disappointing but a return of estery fruit and oak is revealed after a few seconds.

This is certainly my new first choice of staple rum for daiquiris, punch and mojitos.

Hätte nie gedacht, dass ein weißer Rum so gut schmecken kann. Zum Mixen eigentlich schon viel zu schade. Kann man wirklich selbst bei Zimmertemperatur schnabulieren...

It's a blanco so it tastes as harsh as it is. Probably a good mixer.

A 4.5 on my scale. The Golden Age was a 4.5 to 5. Too much of an afterburn straight. Better mixed, but not getting much flavor one way or another.

I’m very fond of this white rum as it brings the hogo it also a wide array of complex rum notes that totally surprised me for a white! Sippable on its own which is kind of crazy, but it’s punchy depth shines in cocktails, though oddly as a daiquiri its a bit underwhelming... requires a complex drink to truly shine

43% ABV. Pleasant, slightly harsh nose. Hint of Jamaican funk. This follows into the palate. There's also a good amount of brine. Nice and dry. Shortish finish.

Nice balance of harshness and flavor. Tasty enough neat, and excellent for cocktails.

It may be an 8-, but I'm docking it for price (it's very good, but not a very good value) and misleading label. What the heck does that big 5 mean, anyway? (Presumably it's the number of islands/countries represented—though the label only lists 4—but the average consumer would be forgiven for assuming it was an age statement. Buyer beware.) Here's hoping future iterations will be a little stronger, cheaper, or offer more transparency.

7+

This rum is a culmination of rums from 5 Caribbean islands(Trinidad, Jamaica, Guyana, Barbados and Java), hence the name! A smooth and balanced rum that offers attributes, characteristic of each distinct island.
Molasses, tropical fruit, pepper, oak, and some heat on the back end with Jamaican rum being the most pronounced with its pot still technology using black strap molasses.
This makes for a versatile rum that can upgrade your mixed drink as well as let your taste buds receive a nice splash of flavors that can be enjoyed neat.

The nose is amazing sweet, but the taste is nuanced, delicate and well balanced. It's an ideal mixer for delicate cocktails, where the rum is not being overwhelmed with tons of citrus. The higher price ensures I only use it to its best advantage.