The New King of Rum at an Absolutely Stupendous Price

The Probitas Rum brand is the single most interesting thing coming out of the Caribbean right now. The simple truth about the rum industry is that a huge amount of the apparatus involved in producing rum exists outside its primary region of origin. There are undoubtedly economic reasons for dispersing the production network, especially given the cost of importing raw materials and equipment to islands far from the markets where these products are most popular. Still, there is something deeply unusual about the fact that spirits distilled in the Caribbean, but aged and bottled in Europe, can continue to be considered Caribbean rum. The Scots would certainly never allow something so ridiculous. Yet the decentralized nature of the industry is also a huge part of its success, and there seems to be little hope of changing the broader systemic issues surrounding rum production. The best we can hope for is that great producers, like the wonderful Foursquare Distillery in Barbados, create products that reshape the marketplace and challenge the status quo. Richard Seale, already an iconoclastic force in the industry, seems poised to do just that.

I have always said that the rum industry follows the leader, and without a leader willing to challenge accepted norms, we will never see rum break out in the way it should. While the category may still be led in volume and dollars by the large multinational brands, its spiritual and intellectual leader is clearly Mr. Seale. His powerful vision for what rum, and Bajan rum in particular, should be offers a model for every quality producer to follow. It gives us hope that a better industry and better rum can take center stage in a true renaissance for the category. This product represents one huge step in that direction. Challenging the dogmatic anti-additive brigade to do a little soul-searching, Richard has created a blended dark rum using traditional methods that simply outperforms nearly everything in the category at an absolutely stupendous price. By carefully curating every element, they have created the new king of dark rum. From the selection of barrels and the precision of the blending to the coloring performed in-house, every detail feels perfectly proportioned.

Here we go! The color is a stunning burnt umber (1.7). The nose begins with a beautiful combination of sweet woody caramel, dense baking spice, and tense rum funk, although at a considerably lower intensity than the Probitas White. Further aeration brings out burnt butter, raisiny dark fruit, and old leather. On the palate, it is powerful and rich, balanced by a lip-smacking juiciness that gives it a profoundly moreish quality. The funk takes a back seat to beautifully developed sweet fruit and honeyed character. Sipping it neat is perfectly enjoyable and makes its obvious quality immediately apparent, but there is no question that this rum was intended to be mixed. It succeeds everywhere the Probitas White occasionally fell slightly flat. I love that product in a funky Daiquiri, but it can sometimes feel muddled in a Mai Tai. This absolutely demolishes the competition as a base for that kind of drink. If you are ever considering mixing a rum-based cocktail and have not already grabbed one of these, you are clearly not maximizing your bar game. It is okay. You still have time!

— David Othenin-Girard, K&L Spirits Buyer