La Confrérie du Rhum Stade’s Rum JAWS 2022

Stade's Rum JAWS 2022 is a curious outlier from Barbados, selected by La Confrerie du Rhum and built on young pot still distillate rather than the island's usual pot and column blend. Where most Bajan rum lands round and balanced, this one chases the high ester end of the spectrum, closer in spirit to Long Pond or a Clairin than to a polished Foursquare.

Distilled from molasses on a pot still and left at a punchy 56%, it leads with pineapple, candied tropical fruit and an ester driven funk, threaded with citrus, orange peel and a touch of smoke and salinity. The fruit tips toward overripe on the finish, where lemon and bitter orange meet a late note of vanilla. It rewards drinkers testing their comfort with funk, and the strength makes it equally at home in a Daiquiri as it is sipped neat.