Killowen Peated Cask Dark Rum

Rating: 12/23 N: It has that extreme hogo funkiness of something like Pusser's Gunpowder Proof. Kind of a blackstrap syrupiness mixed with tropical fruits (pineapple, vanilla, lime), a touch of olive brine, some sort of rich minerality, and of course plenty of smokiness. Am I getting peatiness? Well, it's hard to pick out the bitter vegetal and light herbal notes from all of the hogo. This is actually substantially sweeter than the Pusser's is, with...less mustard and more olive brine? P: Oh, I get peat now. The palate isn't as viscous or full of rum flavor as I'd expected, but a big wave of herbal peat hits, with a cloak of smoke and some substantial olive brine brining up the rear. The minerality is very substantial and it does seem to thin this out a bit, but as a flavor it does fit well. There is certainly some hogo molasses flavor, but it's lighter than expected and not as sweet either, though there is a faint hint of grade A maple syrup to it. I also get faint green banana out of it, and maybe some lime. There's unfortunately a bit of harshness coming out of the heat. I want to say that there's a spiciness to it, but I can't pick out any particular flavor. This is very interesting - it's turning a rum-finished scotch on its head. F: Olive brine, minerality, herbal bitterness, smoke, and some molasses sweetness. It's sort of a light and aromatic finish, surprisingly. When I really dig, I can get some banana, lime, and pineapple. - Conclusion - This is a great concept, but the execution tastes like peat is being used to cover for a kind of underwhelming rum. I'd love to try either an elegant version of this made with a more mature rum or a decadent version made with a more syrupy rum. It's a very interesting combination of rum, scotch, and, oddly, tequila/mezcal flavors that isn't quite hitting the mark for me. I find that despite its heat, Pusser's Gunpowder Proof (15/23) is a smoother and more coherent product. I don't think that this rises to the level of the Pusser's. I wish I still had some Copper Fox Rye (14/23), because this reminds me a bit of that with all of its surprising Islay funk.. This is another great demonstration of potential from Killowen, that relies on a spirit that is unfortunately a bit too young. This is surprisingly less infused with rum sweetness than my unbearably spicy bottle of Ry3 (9/23), but this also burns far less. Were it not for the incredible burn in the Ry3, I might give it the win here. So I'm thinking that this is a 13. It's a 15 like the Pusser's, but then minus a point for the harshness and minus another point for the lightness and minerality. But then having it side by side with the Ry3, I think that the harshness here should bring this down to a 12. There's a lot to love here, but the spirit used it unfortunately just too young. The Pusser's burns a lot and the Ry3 burns an extraordinary amount, and this is in the middle somewhere. Thanks to @PBMichiganWolverine for sharing this very interesting dram!