Fanoe Skibsrom Kaptajnen

Fanoe Skibsrom takes its name from the seafaring island of Fanoe off Denmark's west coast, and the Kaptajnen is its twelve year old expression, a molasses rum raised in the maritime style that Danish rum houses have long built around imported Caribbean spirit. Distilled on a column still, it sits in the gentler, more accessible camp rather than the high ester heavy hitters, though tasters pick up a thread of light tropical funk running underneath.

Maturation in ex-bourbon wood lends the vanilla and caramel that frame the nose, while the fruit shows as ripe pineapple and a general sweetness that carries onto the palate. The finish turns woody and a touch oily, holding that fruit a little longer. Bottled at 43% without added strength, it drinks soft and unhurried, the kind of column still rum made for relaxed sipping rather than dissection, with just enough funk to keep it interesting.