TBRC Secret Distillery #5

That Boutique-y Rum Company is the playful, honest UK bottler curated by Peter Holland, known for no-additive single casks under hand-drawn labels, and this Secret Distillery number 5 is a seven year old Dominican kept deliberately mysterious about its source. Bottled at cask strength, it shows what a young Dominican can do at full proof and without dosage.

Column-distilled from molasses and matured in ex-bourbon wood, the fifty three point two percent strength drives a lively, dry profile, dried fruit, spice and a roasted note on the nose, then burnt sugar, tropical fruit and coconut on the palate with a spiced, leathery finish. There is a hint of Barbados or aged agricole character in the mix, giving it an interesting twist for the region. This is a characterful, undiluted sipper for those who like their rum dry, punchy and free of added sweetness.