Old Saint Croix XO Reserve 175 Years Anniversary was released to commemorate the 175th anniversary of the AH Riise pharmacy, established in 1838 in Charlotte Amalie, U.S. Virgin Islands (formerly the Danish West Indies). This limited edition is a blend of some of the oldest and most successful casks in the cellar.
Two of the rums used in this blend have been aged in old Pedro Ximenez and Oloroso sherry casks, which add complexity with notes of nuts, caramel, vanilla and forest fruits.
Note: Old Saint Croix is the new name for the AH Riise brand . The rum remains exactly the same!
Nico's tasting notes
In brief: exotic woody - spicy - vanilla - sweet - candy - very spicy on the palate
On the nose, there's a certain heaviness of very ripe fruit at first. But the profile soon becomes rather light, though gently spicy. Exotic wood and vanilla show signs of opening up and amplitude, then the rum reveals all its love of confectionery, with fruity bubble-gum and marshmallow.
With aeration, the woodiness now seems sweet, but still exotic because it's also spicy. The rum is tart and powdery, like those little necklaces of delicate, melting candy.
On the palate, the rum is thick and syrupy, with a slightly creamy vanilla/strawberry sweetness. The spices, which have been discreet until now, suddenly heat up the palate to the point of stinging the tongue. Caramel then takes the edge off.
On the finish, there's a sweet little lemon candy and a slight burnt touch, like a memory of that spicy phase on the palate.
