TBRC Zuidam Flying Dutchman Rum

The Flying Dutchman is Zuidam's pot still rum, distilled in the Netherlands from molasses and chosen as a single cask by That Boutique-y Rum Company, a curator with a reputation for honest, no-additive bottlings. Drawn at a natural cask strength of 53% from ex-bourbon wood, it is a young rum at four years but one with plenty to say.

The nose offers brown sugar, cinnamon, cardamom and a fruity lift, while the palate turns more wiry and spirit-forward with a coppery, baking-spice character and a grappa-like edge. The finish is where it gets interesting, salty and mentholated with orange peel and eucalyptus. Drinkers note that the influence of a PX cask has added a useful extra layer without overwhelming the spirit, the mark of a well-judged finish. It is not a polished, refined rum, but as a characterful, full-proof curiosity from an unexpected origin it offers real interest neat.