A.H. Riise Non Plus Ultra Black Edition Rum

A.H. Riise Non Plus Ultra Black Edition carries a 25 year age statement and a molasses base aged in ex-bourbon oak, bottled at a soft 42%. The honest framing matters here, this is a sweetened rum and makes no secret of drinking like dessert rather than a dry sipper. For drinkers who enjoy the rounded, syrupy Diplomatico school of rum, it takes that idea further still.

The nose is rich with caramel, vanilla, toffee and brown sugar, leading into a creamy palate, closer to a liqueur than a spirit, of chocolate, dried plum, raisin and warm cinnamon. The finish is sweet and syrupy with more chocolate. Added sugar does a lot of the heavy lifting, smoothing the spirit into something silky and easy at the expense of the spicier, drier notes a long tropical maturation might otherwise show. Best understood as a confectionery pour for the sweet toothed, served in small measures after a meal.