Denizen Merchant's Reserve 8 Year Rum

A burnished chestnut color that's unquestionably fake. Per the bottle, it says it's 80% plummer-style Jamaican rum and 20% grand arome from Martinique aged 8 years. It's an American product, made by a Dutch blender, and imported into San Francisco. Aromas of overripe banana, banana peel, tall grass, caramelized pineapple, caramel candy, vanilla, marzipan, leather, petrol, tobacco leaf, oak and mahogany. It's a very enticing nose that's both funky and friendly. On the palate it's oily and sweet with flavors of ripe banana flan, caramel, orange liqueur, diesel, and white pepper. There are also some chemical aspartame, plasticky, imitation vanilla notes on a short spicy finish that reiterates its fruitiness. This was apparently designed as a replacement for the 17-year-old Wray and Nephew used in the original Trader Vic's Mai Tai recipe. It definitely compliments the curacao and orgeat elements, and any lime or ginger cuts off the more unpleasant aspects of the finish. Very easy to drink, but definitely creeping up into overpriced territory given what's available in the rum world. If it lost the caramel coloring, it would probably have more freshness.

Neat in a glencairn. More yellow than brown, a toasty golden hue. Thin body but produces decadent, oily legs. A punchy, agricole vieux nose. Spice tickles the nostrils, but won't force you out. Butterscotch. Cream soda. Baked pears. Turbinado sugar. A viscous, creamy palate. Raw sugar, edging towards brown. Pineapple. Marjoram. Thank you reviewer: I would have never suggested sweet potato but it totally makes sense. Perhaps a relative of the cooked carrots I have started associating with aged agricoles. A vein of oaky vanilla. Candied walnuts. A very pleasant balance of sweet, tart, funky, and bitter. Highly sippable, with lots of sweetness and character. Really enjoying this. Excited to try in an a mai tai.

Undeniably good, but it also left me a little in the lurch - as in, I continuously felt I’d rather be drinking a Jamaican rum or Agricole rum. And I prefer the Jamaican/Agricole mix for my Mai Tais to the straight substitution of this bottle. So, it’s somewhat redundant for what I prefer to have in the cabinet, but it’s still a good dram.

OK I worked many months in Puerto Rico and without fail every visiting colleague had me take him or her to Bacardi. So this is by far the best I’ve ever had... earthy, funky, subtle sweet caramel with a spicy long finish that rivals the finest scotch. Delightful at $42 in Lynnwood WA

Collaboration with M. Cates of Smugglers Cove to recreate a flavor profile similar to J Wrey 17 for Mai Tai's. Cut short the work of combining a Aged agricole with a good jamaican. Its their house Mai Tai rum

This is a FANTASTIC blended Rum/Rhum. Will make a superior Mai Tai and all around great funky Tiki cocktails