It kinda feels like the market is being flooded with Belize’s Travellers Distillers Rums lately and I must say that I don’t mind it. Even though these releases are of vastly different quality, the best ones can easily keep up with some good Demerara column still Rums if you ask me. Alas, let’s see what we have. We start with a drinking strength, followed by an unaged one and end with a DOK finish. The ones in between will be more or less at random.

Plantation Belize 2015 8YO “Cherry Liquer Cask” (44,8%): Not sure how much good a cherry liquer cask can do… Nose: Plenty of chocolate and cherry, Mon Chérie anyone!? Next to that nougat, coconut and extremely soft pumpernickel. This is extremely odd, and not any good, I am afraid, but let’s taste first. Palate: Very flat and still rather alcoholic at the same time. This tastes like a reduction that has been done to quickly – I am not sure that is the case, but it is the impression I am getting. Flavourwise, the finish didn’t take over entirely. I get notes of coconut, orange, cherry, chocolate and fresh oak but that’s all just not enough. In some weird sense, it could have used even more of the cherry liquer I guess. Ouch. Finish: Very short and forgettable, with chocolate, cherry, orange and wood. Well, let’s just call it the “calibration Rum” for today. (68/100)

Rom Deluxe Belize 2022 No. 2 Draw 5 (60%): For science! Nose: Wow, I never thought that this distillate is this fresh, rich and aromatic. This is large column par excellence! I get lots and lots of pear, lemon and related citrus fruits. Deeper in the glass a whiff of chocolate and esters. This could also be an excellent pear eau-de-vie. Palate: Very nice. The alcohol is extremely tame. The flavour profile is now closer to pomelo and pear with more herbal notes in the back. Way to go Travellers. I think this should produce some excellent aged Rums down the way. Also kudos to Rom Deluxe for releasing this. (78/100)

Compagnie des Indes Travellers 2005 8YO (64%): I believe this vintage was my first exposure to Travellers. Nose: Surpsingly sweet and concentrated, I didn’t expect that. Overripe pineapple is by far the most dominant note here. In fact, it makes it hard to smell anything else. At best I can detect some coconut chips and wood, but end the end of the day it is always turning back to that overripe and dried pineapple. Palate: Much closer to the Travellers profile I typically have in mind, i.e. notes of fir cone and resin, but also red fruits/ berries. Now where did that pineapple go? Crazy… Finish: Medium long and woody, with fir cone/ resin, oak and even slightly salty notes. An interesting Rum that hints at what Travellers is capable of, but it clearly isn’t there yet. On a related note: Compagnie des Indes‘ label have come a long way, don’t you think!? (77/100)

Rumclub Belize (Travellers) 2008 15YO (66,3%): Nose: Oh yeah. I wrote something about Demerara in the intro, this is an absolute glue monster that comes with light stone fruits such as apricot and heavier, dark notes such as roasted coffee and cocoa. Here and there I find a hint of citrus but that glue note is mesmerizing. Oh my. Palate: Still very gluey, with coconut, pepper, oak, a hint of pineapple perhaps, almonds and more coconut. I still get some coffee notes, but it is much closer to this delicate second wave coffee that has been made for filter machines. Finish: Medium long with coconut, coffee, some pineapple and forest honey. All in all it is a relatively simplistic Rum that just does an extremely good job at what it is designed to do. Nicely chosen, my friends! (88/100)

Compagnie des Indes Travellers 2008 14YO (61,3%): Another 2008 with similar numbers. Nose: (Obviously) similar to the Rumclub 2008 with glue, corn syrup, molasses, wood roasting aromas but in comparison definitely fewer fruity notes. After a while I get a mix of spices and gingerbread, as well as nougat. It is too bad that the glue isn’t as pronounced here. Palate: Not too sharp. The attack starts with notes of chocolate and cocoa, as well as coffee, nougat and the gingerbread again. With the second sip also spices such as pepper and cloves. I must say that it doesn’t really come close to that beauty by Rumclub, even though this is still good! Finish: Short to medium long with gingerbread, corn syrup, wood, nougat and spices. Some milk coffee perhaps. Another good Rum, but nothing earth-shattering. (81/100)

Rum Artesanal Travellers 2007 13YO (58,9%): Nose: Let me start by saying that this one needs time, or put differently, it rewards you if you let it breathe for a moment. I get dry coconut, saltwater or salted caramel, papaya and what I would call just the right amount of wood. I wouldn’t say it is extremely complex, but boy, it is freaking great. Palate: Just what you expect after the nose; lots of coconut, many different salty notes, subtle oak and vanilla, overripe papaya and drinking fresh coconut juice at the beach, perhaps after a wave has added a bit of salt water. All this is paired with a light astringency which is extremely fitting. Finish: Salty coconut, oak and a hint of tobacco stay for quite a while. A great bottling by Rum Artesanal. (86/100)

The Rum Cask Belize 2006 16YO (62,3%): 2006 was always the vintage that has thought has a lot of potential but that frequently got bottled a bit too early. That said the best barrels typically get bottled first, so let’s see. Nose: Already quite woody indeed, with a nice balance between roasting aromas (cocoa, coffee) and red fruits and berries. Deeper in the glass I can also find some glue, coconut and that fir cone note. Let’s say it is Demeraraesque. Palate: Incredibly soft and smooth at first, but then somewhat sharp and warming after a few seconds. We get the red fruits and berries again, as well as chocolate and milk coffee. It kinda feels like a more mellow version of the nose in terms of flavours, but the integration of the alcohol isn’t perfect. It is crazy how this one is playing tricks on you. Finish: Medium long and extremely ‘rough’, with corn syrup, wood, spices, nougat and cocoa. The nose was really good, the rest not so much. (78/100)

Transcontinental Rum Line Travellers 2006 14YO (65,5%): An another 2006, this time by Transcontinental Rum Line. I am still undecided if I should love or hate their labels by the way. Warm and soapy, with additional notes of vanilla and coconut, but the soap really does set it apart. Deeper in the glass I can also find cocoa, nougat, spices and oak, but all in all it is rather dull, despite the soap. Palate: I must say that it tastes a lot younger than fourteen years. It really reminds me of these first, much younger Travellers releases. Oak, conifer and fir cone, cocoa a nougat are my main associations here but it isn’t really exciting or very good at all. Finish: Rather short and not very memorable, with cocoa, oak, coffee and burnt caramel. Definitely not a favorite of mine but hey, not all Rum can be winners. (73/100)

Rumclub Belize (Travellers) 2014 7YO “DOK-finish” (65,7%): I feel like DOK finishes have become the “Islay-finishes” of Rum, but hey, who can blame them!? Nose: What’s up, Dok!? With its exotic fruits and esters, the Rum is closer to Hampden than to Travellers, at least in the nose. A mix of pineapple, mango and passion fruits makes the start, but we can also find some coconut chips and chocolate deeper in the background. I wonder what motivated them to add this type of finish. In most cases it is because the Rum simply wasn’t any good, but it might also have been done out of curiosity and because that cask was available. Who knows (now we could ask, but that would be lame, eh!?). Palate: Closer to a symbiosis than the nose but I’d say Hampden still dominates. The problem I have is that the finish added a certain acidity that I feel doesn’t belong here. I don’t mind it with DOK, but here it just isn’t fitting. For the record, pineapple and chocolate are the most dominant notes. Finish: More of the same notes, which stick around for a long time. I think it was worth the experiment, but I don’t think that type of finish is necessary with a good Travellers. (80/100)