We still get a few releases from this magnificent batch of Rum from time to time and even have some older bottlings around. And I must say that they did indeed reach a beautiful level of maturity!

Milano Rum Festival & Barmetro Bellevue (Damoiseau) 1998 21YO (57%): It is funny that I only managed to score a sample of this at a Whisky fair, isn’t it!? Nose: Dark and heavy, with wood, olive brine, different kinds of herbs, actual olives, a hint of tar, bamboo perhaps and slightly smoky and medical notes. We’ve found the latter in some but definitely not all of the Rums of this batch. Palate: Very smooth and even though the Rum may have been reduced it is clearly not watery. Herbs paired with molasses dominate the profile, while tar, bamboo and burnt charcoal mingle in the back. A nice twist on this familiar profile. Finish: Fresher, minty notes join the party and stick around for quite a while. They pair very nicely with the notes of tobacco, molasses and jackfruit. A nice and fun Rum, that doesn’t manage to reach the greatness of some of its sister casks. (87/100)

Nobilis Bellevue (Damoiseau) 1998 23YO (55,2%): Nobilis love old and woody stuff. Nose: And yes, this is old and woody, with different sorts of antique wood and furniture, moss and related scents from a humid forest, wild herbs, chestnut, fresh soil and some bitter wood polish. After a while I can also find molasses and caramel. All in all this is a very dry, dark and wooody nose. Palate: Different sorts of wood are once again my first associations, meaning that the Rum is indeed very woody, but in a complex way (does that makes sense to you?). Then wood and shoe polish, almost burnt caramel sauce, beet syrup, salty licorice, dark chocolate and soil. Later slightly smoke notes resembling tobacco. It is good, but I think I prefer the less woody and less “dark” expressions. Finish: Cocoa and chocolate, espresso, wood and tobacco stay around for a while and delivery a decent amount of bitterness. I do believe that this is one of those barrels that should have been bottled a year or two earlier than this. (86/100)

The Rum Cask Bellevue (Damoiseau) 1998 25YO (56,6%): Nose: Much, much more intense than today’s competitors. I get rich and thick forest honey, lots of orange, lemon, bamboo, muscovado sugar, herbs such as thyme and oregano, licorice and more. It is a very complex Rum that really rewards you if you give it the time it needs and deserves. Palate: Oh sweet ladybug. An explosion of a different flavours immediately puts a smile on my face but overwhelms me at the very same time. There is simply so much going on here: Ripe orange and orange peel, sweet citrus, thick caramel, rich honey, a wide array of herbs, different sorts of wood, salty licorice, something between cocoa and tobacco and I feel like we could go on and on… I love it! Finish: Exactly the length you’d expect, rich and lovely. It is almost as if it gives you a very brief reminder of all the different nuances you have been tasting before. An excellent barrel, but once again I am not 100% sure if it did indeed gain anything over the last couple of years. Then again, an age statement of 25 is quite something, isn’t it!? (91/100)

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