158: The Ultimate Blind Rum Tasting: 6 Incredibly Old & Rare Single Casks from Caroni, Hampden, DDL, and Beyond
You can watch the video version of this episode on YouTube.
This is an episode that's been months in the making. After our Rumcast Reserve project, Main Rum Company put together a mystery box of old and rare cask samples that they promised would wow us. Thanks to U.S. customs, it took nearly a year for us to actually get our hands on the samples, but once we finally did we can definitively say they did not disappoint. They were some of the finest rums we've ever tasted.
For an extra bit of fun, we decided to try our luck at guessing their origins. This episode shows you how we did, all in real time, followed by a ranking of our personal favorites at the end. Here's a look ahead at what we tasted:
1992 Pampero aged for 34 years in ex-bourbon and ex-Scotch malt whisky casks, 42.3% ABV
1989 (or 1991?) Caroni aged 34-37 years in an ex-rum cask, 45.4% ABV, TMC8 mark
1983 blend of various Hampden and Long Pond marks (including DOK, HGML, C<>H, <>H, HLCF, LPS, and STC♥E), full aging details not revealed, 48.6% ABV, listen for more details
Blend of Barbados, Jamaica, and Guyana rums with an average vintage of 1990, though rums from '82, '83, '86, and '89 are also in the blend, 48.9% ABV
1989 Guyana (Uitvlugt Port Mourant) aged for 37 years in ex-bourbon and ex-Scotch malt whisky casks, 56.7% ABV
1984 Clarendon (MMW mark) aged for 42 years (including 34 at origin) in an ex-rum cask, 59.7% ABV
These were all cask samples from Main Rum Company, so everything is cask strength and single cask. Have a listen, and see how wrong we were!
P.S. As a reminder, Rumcast Reserve bottles are officially available in stores and shipping from our online retailer! You can grab your bottles here.
