Chairman’s Reserve Spiced Original

Chairman's Reserve Spiced Original comes from Saint Lucia Distillers, built on a base of pot and column still molasses rum and then spiced and sweetened. It sits a clear step above the most basic spiced rums in quality, but it is honestly a flavoured, sweetened product rather than a dry aged sipper, and the copy treats it as such.

The spicing is orange-led, with orange peel, cinnamon and clove dominating the nose and palate over a sweet body, finishing on citrus, clove and a bitter-orange edge. It reads like Christmas dessert in a glass, easy and aromatic at 40%. The real rum underneath shows just enough to keep it from feeling artificial. This is one for mixing and easy drinking rather than serious neat study: it shines with cola, in an Old Fashioned style serve, or over ice. Drinkers who enjoy sweet, orange-heavy spiced rums will find it a cut above the supermarket norm.