Jamaican "HMPDN" 2011 Rum, Swell de Spirits, 500ml

W d nt nd vwls, d w? The marque here was 'H', which means this is some high-ester rum (<H> means +/- 1000 g/hlpa esters at Hmpdn, which is terrifyingly huge). Colour: gold. Nose: it is like peat, the feelings are not proportional to the, well, to the proportions (well done S.) and I find this relatively gentle, well in the same category as the Fijian, that is to say full of olives, diesel oil, tar and rubber, but with some welcome roundness (vanilla, fudge, marmalade). In fact, this is unexpectedly civilised. With water: fig wine, really? Mouth (neat): no, it is extreme on the palate. Reminds me of the Baiju you could buy for US €1 a litre in the 1980s… And they would give you back some change. Salty, fermentary, bacterial, deviant, on loads of tar, coal, and just a whole bag of indistinguishable rotten fruits. Very crazy spirit on the palate. With water: why did I mention baiju? All I'm getting now is.. baiju. That'll teach me. Notes of strawberries too, did you even notice that the biggest, most extreme spirits could display notes of strawberries? Finish: back to Jamaica, for a long time. More on olives liquorice, brine and tar. Phew. Comments: love this kind of crazy spirit that'll really make you travel. And not to Craigellachie, mind you…

SGP:663 - 90 points