Flensburg Rum Company Captain Cane XO Reserve

Flensburg Rum Company Captain Cane XO Reserve is an island blend bottled at 40% by Oldman Spirits in Germany, built from Guatemalan stock in the soft, sweetened style. There is no point dressing it up as a dry sipper, it is a heavily sugared rum closer to a honey rum dessert drink than to a spirit forward pour.

The nose and palate are dominated by sweetness, vanilla, caramel, honey and baked pastry notes piling up over a thick, syrupy texture, with coconut adding to the dessert effect. The finish is sweet with caramel and a touch of spice. For those who enjoy sugary, honey led drinks it slips down easily, but its richness reads as cloying and artificial to anyone after dry rum character. It is best treated for what it is, a sweet mixer, a dessert serve or a spoonful to sweeten coffee, rather than a rum to study neat.