A.H. Riise XO 175 Anniversary Rum

A.H. Riise carries a long Caribbean trading name and bottles this anniversary rum from molasses spirit aged in ex bourbon wood. The age on the label is generous, yet the defining feature here is not the years in oak but the sweetness, which is pronounced enough to reshape the whole experience.

The nose is vanilla, caramel, toffee and sweet fruit, and the palate follows the same dessert script, soft and rich at 42 percent with little of the dry, savoury depth a high age might suggest. To be honest about it, this reads as a sweetened, liqueur style rum rather than a classic dry sipper, and that is exactly what its admirers want. Pour it after dinner, or for drinkers who already enjoy the sweeter end of the shelf, and skip it if you prefer your aged rum lean and oak driven.