This Bristol Reserve Rum of Belize was column distilled by Travellers in 2005, and bottled in England after 11 years of ageing.
Nico's tasting notes
The nose is dense and abundant, like an armful of nuts roasting in a copper pot. They begin to cook and soften, forming a thick, grainy, gourmet paste. Coconut and vanilla are also present in this nougatine or praline in the making.
Aeration reveals a lighter, more ethereal side, more marked by roasting and nuts. The edges of the pot have toasted nicely, but the heart continues to bubble and purr gently, letting out a few bubbles of concentrated, vanilla coconut milk.
The palate is sticky and charming, without being sweet. The rum is dense and spreads to every corner of the palate, intensely but never aggressively. Balance is the order of the day, even if the aromas of toasted wood, spices and tobacco are rather frank. The latter are contained in a vanilla bean from which honey flows, rolling gently over the taste buds.
The finish is gourmand and vanilla, with mellow American oak (coconut, tobacco).
"Belize certainly offers the most roundly wooded rums in the English tradition..."
