Ruotkers GmbH Ron Johan Old Plum Rum

Ruotkers distils this Ron Johan Old Plum Rum in Austria, an eleven year old pot still molasses rum bottled at 41%. Distilled and matured far from the tropics, it carries a continental, fruit brandy character that sets it apart from Caribbean styles, the plum note giving the bottle its name.

Pot distillation and ex-bourbon ageing frame a nose of plum, prunes and candied fruit that edges toward fruit schnapps, with plum, molasses, oak and fruit on the palate and a fruity, slightly syrupy close. Continental maturation keeps the oak gentle rather than deep. Sugar is undeclared, and some find an artificial sweetness alongside fresh citrus, with the spirit reading a touch light. It works as an easygoing, fruit driven sipper for those drawn to its distinctly central European cast.