Dead Reckoning Fiji 20 years 68° C

This 20-year-old Dead Reckoning rum was produced and aged in the tropics of the Fiji Islands. Australian Justin Boseley is behind this independent bottling brand. Justin embarked on this adventure after 10 years of criss-crossing the Caribbean to import the best rum expressions to Australia.

This cuvée was distilled in a John Dore double-twisted pot still. The rum then spent 20 years in an ex-bourbon barrel. The distillery had apparently forgotten about this barrel in the cellar, and such a long ageing period was not originally planned.
The angels' share is around 73%.

This rum is brut de fût, unfiltered and with no additives. It was bottled in 2022 in 220 numbered bottles.

Nico's tasting notes

The nose of this very old rum needs a few minutes to open up, even though we can already make out a rather typically coppery, deeply fruity profile at this stage. The aromatic concentration is first expressed by an intense resinous side, on juniper berries, with an almost medicinal accent.

With aeration, the resin gives off a great freshness that then binds with lively fruit pits and seeds. This sticky, complex sap also carries something tarry, taking us surprisingly towards raspberry, carambola, then, with time, towards roasted nuts.

On the palate, after a lively, coppery attack, all the rum's complexity unfolds and develops. The woody tannins are very present, but also very mellow, bringing a liveliness without being astringent. The pine resin becomes creamier and more pastry-like, leading to prune and cherry pits. The greediness of toasted oak spreads out into toasted nut paste, with hints of cereal and sweet spices.

The finish is roasted like coffee and black like licorice, with scorched spices building in length.

"A complex, muscular rum that has exhausted and polished all the aromas of its barrel... "