Although to not the purpose of biased and unwise disregard for different liquor merchandise, I’ve all the time had a fascination with impartial bottlings.
Back in late 2019, just a few months after I began getting taken with whisky, I took the chance to search out out what impartial bottlings (IBs) had been like, so I blindly purchased a bottle of Compass Field’s Spice Tree from an area off-trade. Whereas it wasn’t troublesome to be blown away by the whisky, it was the method of studying about IBs that enthralled me with that aspect of the whisky business.
Having an e mail dialog with Jill Boyd, one in every of Compass Field’s whiskymakers, was the one of many first impetuses. She accommodated my questions in regards to the bottle that I had purchased and shared with me the recipe for that particular mix. Although granted that Compass Field is considerably distinct in its outspoken advocacy for transparency, the quantity of data launched me into studying about IBs and the way they in comparison with authentic bottlings (OBs).
At present, a lot of that attract has calmed down. Angus MacRaild, a drinks author who had additionally began his personal Scotch IB model, explains that there’s an “ocean of dullness” amongst right this moment’s whiskies and that the IB sector is experiencing a painful and disheartening difficulty of rising costs that make it all of the harder to launch thrilling bottlings at cheaper price factors. These components, together with different small moments of disillusionment associated to high quality, have tamed my enthusiasm for whisky. Don’t get me mistaken; I nonetheless very a lot take pleasure in this valuable interest of mine, however I’ve been studying to higher acknowledge the nuances of its luster.
Rum, nevertheless, has gotten me to expertise a renaissance, particularly due to the upper quality-price ratio that I’ve come to appreciate many rums have. Whereas now may not be one of the best time to additional element the context of this (slight) change in path, I’m certain you may think about how I have to’ve felt after I first had the chance to check out IBs of rum.
Enter: Transcontinental Rum Line (TCRL). Launched in 2016 to rejoice the 60th anniversary of La Maison du Whisky (LMDW), TCRL is one in every of LMDW’s IB manufacturers and is particularly targeted on sourcing and releasing rum. TCRL goals to primarily showcase rum’s selection and the extent of high quality in these variations, a aim that conveys their academic ethos.
I lately had the pleasure of privilege of talking with Johann Jobello, the present product supervisor of TCRL. Throughout out chat, Johann offered a wealth of data and insights on TCRL’s manufacturing course of, so I’d wish to share that dialog with you. Much like a earlier set of articles I’ve written, as an alternative of abbreviating his solutions, I’ll current everything of our discuss in three components, every with a evaluation of a TCRL bottling. This piece constitutes the primary half.
Malt: What function do you’ve in relation to Transcontinental Rum Line (TCRL), and what features come from that function?
Johann: As of January 2021, I’ve been the model supervisor of TCRL, which signifies that I handle each step of product improvement. Earlier than taking on the model, I used to be already liable for the rum sourcing for this vary, and now, I additionally handle the packaging improvement, the bottling, and the advertising and marketing instruments improvement. I’m there at each step.
Malt: I listened to a podcast that interviewed you as their visitor, and in that podcast, you defined that one in every of TCRL’s targets is to showcase the number of rum. Inform me about TCRL has been performing towards that aim; how would you consider your progress to this point?
Johann: The motto of TCRL is that it’s been developed to point out to the individuals the good range that may be discovered world wide of rum. Our single casks signify one of the best of our choice.
I took over the vary a yr and a half in the past; earlier than that, Arthur Morbois used to handle this model – he created the model in 2016 to rejoice the 60th anniversary of La Maison du Whisky (LMDW). Since LMDW was actually recognized for his or her single malt Scotch bottlings, like these launched in our Artist Collective vary, the thought was to have the identical sort of choice for rum.
At the moment, Arthur began to bottle rum from Jamaica, Barbados, and even Belize, too. The concept was to launch a variety stuffed with various kinds of rum from totally different areas or areas and made utilizing totally different uncooked supplies, distillation methods, barrels, and ageing circumstances.
We’ve achieved fairly effectively to this point. We needed to have everlasting SKUs (stock-keeping items), and some years in the past, we’ve secured rum from nations like Panama, Jamaica, and Australia. I lately added West Indies rum as a result of I actually needed the vary to have an agricole rum. We additionally added rums from Barbados and Mauritius.
With regards to single cask, it’s much more thrilling as a result of I’ve been capable of supply from many locations. This yr, I used to be capable of purchase a rum cask from Cambodia. After all, there are basic rums from rum-producing nations like these within the Caribbean and South America, however relating to Asia or Oceana – locations that folks don’t bear in mind when speaking about rum – we’re blissful to say that we plan to launch rums from them within the close to future.
Keep tuned for components two and three of this sequence of items on Transcontinental Rum Line.
This launch is a molasses-based single conventional rum (utilizing the Gargano classification) or a single conventional column rum (utilizing The Whisky Trade’s classification) distilled in 2006 by Angostura Distillery, in Trinidad and Tobago. Bottled from a fourth batch of casks, this was first aged for seven years in Trinidad and Tobago earlier than aged in Liverpool, UK, for underneath 5 years. It’s bottled at 56.5% ABV power.
Transcontinental Rum Line Trinidad 2006 – Evaluation
Colour: Soiled copper.
On the nostril: A refreshingly novel first impression of almonds and suppose peanut sauce used to cook dinner kare-kare, a sort of Filipino stew. Mocha sneaks in, bringing with it cacao nibs, toasted entire wheat pandesal, and candy tonkatsu sauce combined with toasted sesame seeds. Temporary highlights of sesame oil. There are additionally elusive touches of cumin, eucalyptus, and oak. Nevertheless, these totally different aromas don’t leap out that simply.
Within the mouth: Mocha and tira-tira, chewy Filipino sweet akin to honeycomb. The development is gradual, shifting into the identical tonkatsu sauce, chocolate-covered peanuts, and touches of nutmeg. Medium-roasted liberica espresso beans. General, the palate is certainly extra homogeneous than the nostril. The end is medium in size and has a well-recognized delicate nuttiness… a reasonably plain ending.
Conclusions:
The pretty distinctive first impression was a pleasant shock. It’s all the time a plus when liquor so simply jogs my memory of my tradition’s delicacies. Nevertheless, I do want the flavour improvement adopted by means of additional; I really feel that I might’ve loved this extra if it the striation amongst its flavors was just a little extra distinct and if the end had extra than simply the nuttiness. I purchased this bottle for round $84, and I feel I’ll be superb with not shopping for one other bottle of this one. With that mentioned, I fairly simply went by means of this bottle, and whereas that may point out that it isn’t a type of very particular rums that I wish to drink slowly to be able to savor it through the years, it’s definitely a rum that, in a pinch, is an efficient and regular selection to succeed in for. It’s value making an attempt in case you’re taken with giving rum IBs a attempt, too.
