Barrum The Classic Barrum Dark Rum 2018

The Classic Barrum is a Mauritian dark rum built on molasses, vintage-dated 2018, distinct from the island's cane-juice agricole tradition. It is a molasses-based rum bottled at 40%, and its draw is the gap between how it smells and how it tastes.

The nose promises a sweet, easy pour, with caramel, vanilla and maple, but the palate swings hard into smoke, peat, bacon and umami, a savoury, almost whisky-like character that recalls central American rums for some drinkers. The finish stays smoky. Listed with sweetness unknown, it reads more dry and savoury than sugary in the glass. This is an idiosyncratic rum that will divide opinion, one for drinkers who enjoy a smoky, meaty edge rather than a clean caramel sipper.