This is the second part of the Adevent Calendar 2017 Blind Tasting. Below you can find an overview of the other parts.

• Advent Calendar 2017 Blind Tasting Part I (Door 1-6)
• Advent Calendar 2017 Blind Tasting Part II (Door 7-12)
• Advent Calendar 2017 Blind Tasting Part III (Door 13-18)
• Advent Calendar 2017 Blind Tasting Part IV (Door (19-24)

Clairin World Championship 2016 (Haiti, 46%): The only white/ unaged rum in this blind tasting. Nose: Acetone, a potpourri of red and dark berries and mandarin-like scents. I have an idea already but I am not completely sure. The first sip reveals an intensity and diversity of flavours which we do not know from most agricole blancs. We get the aromas from the nose plus tons of other new impressions, such as lime, sugar cane, cardamom, lemon grass and many more. The acetone reminds me of the Clairin Casimir, the berries of the Clairin Sajous, which had a lot of raspberries. Might this be the World Championship Clairin? Finish: Long and rich where the flavours come and go as they like. If this really is the Clairin mentioned above than I am surprised by how well this blend works. I must say that I like the two single estate Clairins I know a bit more though. Maybe I should stock up again. 6/10

Botucal 2002 (Venezuela, 43%): I detect sweet(ened) notes of leather and caramel in the nose. Call me judgemental or biased but for me these kind of rums really don’t offer that much more. After a while some fresh herbal notes slightly reminiscent of cress. The first sip reveals more of the same and confirms my impression of the cress. This is not your standard O&O kind of rum. Plantation perhaps? But that means it could be about anything… Finish? Sweet nada. Oh my, who produces stuff like this? I mean, somewhere someone has to think that this is a rum the world needs. It is not even absolutely trash but seriously, who needs this!? RTN 2/10

Velier Caroni (Kirsch Whisky) 1996 20YO (Trinidad, 62,4%): Yes, this is my kind of rum. Even from the sample bottle it’s clear that this is a Caroni and everything is in there. We get a mix of gas station and roadwork aromas, paired with sweet fruity notes of papayas and fresh mangos. The nose is quite complex but not extremely intense. The palate is a totally different story. Even for Caroni this is rather bitter and tannic, with different herbs, burnt rubber and inner tube. Also coffee and other roasting flavours can be found but there are almost no signs of the fruits anymore. This is not your standard Caroni. I love it! The finish is incredibly long with tar, tannins and nougat. Wild herbs appear here and there. RTN 9/10

Compagnie des Indes Travellers 2005 11YO (Belize, 66,2%): A vapour of alcohol penetrates the nostrils. Behind that we can find the typical aromas of Spanish style rums: caramel, chocolate, crystalised sugar and toffee perhaps. At the palate the alcohol makes its presence felt but it is not too harsh. I get chocolate, toffee, pines and resin. I have a pretty good idea about the origin of this one, just not of the exact bottling. The finish is medium long with resin and pines. It’s no secret that Belize’s Travellers Distillery makes some of my favorite rums in the Spanish style and this is no exception. RTN 6/10

Nine Leaves Encrypted (Japan, 58%): Uh, is this the Chamarel again? Oat, barley and cereal are all over the place. It has a lot of similarities with some Whiskies. I guess this has to be either another Chamarel I don’t know, another exotic rum or a finished one. Deeper in the glass I can also detect notes of chocolate and citrus fruits, but not that much more. At the palate this is a rather weird one. Again we get barley, citrus and cereal but there’s more. The freshness of bubblegum and mouthwash as well as the sweetness of wild berries. There’s some smokiness in there as well. The finish is relatively long with the mouthwash and plenty of oat and barley. I don’t know what to make out of this. I don’t like the nose at all, the taste is interesting and a bit better, but not great in my opinion. It is a 2YO at cask strength by the way. 3/10

Mount Gay XO Cask Strength (Barbados, 63%): Yet another weirdo. This one seems familiar yet so alien. On the one hand it’s a standard rum as we’ve had it time and again, on the other hand it has some weird, almost gross elements in it. The nose is very thin and I cannot find much, besides a note of vomit that wants to crawl out of the background here and there. A complete failure. The taste is so much better. Slightly sweet, the rum might have received a fortified-wine finish. I get caramel, toffee, speculoos and spice cake. It’s not exciting but I can see why some people might like it. I kinda do. The finish is rather forgettable with a lot of brine. My guess was Foursquare just below 60%, so we came close at least. Tastewise, this is a solid rum. Just don’t make the mistake and sniff too much. 3/10