Perola Bellamy‘s Reserve High Ester Cask Finish 10th Anniversary Edition

Perola bottles this Bellamy's Reserve, a 10th Anniversary high ester cask finish blending rums from Barbados, Jamaica and the Dominican Republic, twelve years old at 47.3%. It is openly sweetened, so the Jamaican ester character here is softened and rounded rather than left raw, a relaxed take on funk.

The blend is pot and column distilled from molasses and aged in ex-bourbon oak. Esters lift a tropical nose of pineapple, papaya and custard, but the palate turns creamy and sweet with brown sugar, and the finish carries pastry, more sweetness and a final ester echo. Drinkers note the added sugar masks much of the base and an alcoholic edge lingers, making for an easy Jamaican tinged sipper that stays simple. Those expecting a dry high ester rum should be ready for clear sweetness instead.