Admiral Rodney HMS Formidable Rum

Product of: Saint Lucia

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Launched in August 1777, HMS Formidable was Admiral Rodney's flagship in the Battle of the Saints. Formidable was in the centre of the British fleet and took advantage of a sudden change of wind to "break the line" and sail into the French fleet unleashing her 98 guns on Admiral de Grasse's ships.

Part of The Battle Of The Saints range of Admiral Rodney Saint Lucian rums, HMS Formidable is a blend of rums aged a minimum of 9 to 12 years in American white oak bourbon casks.

Admiral G. Rodney was a brilliant naval strategist who broke the French line at the Battle of the Saints thus ensuring British domination of the Caribbean. The eponymously named series of rums celebrates this famous naval battle. All were distilled at St. Lucia Distillers using a 45 plate Coffey still commissioned in 1984 and the distillates extracted from the bottom plates of this still. They were then aged for prolonged periods in the tropical heat of the distillery's own aging warehouses.

Review and Tasting

Sampled on 06/08/2018

Appearance:

Clear, deep golden.

Aroma:

Honeycomb, vinous prune, cigar leaf, piney oak and spice (cinnamon, nutmeg and pepper) with tar chocolate ice-cream and vanilla.

Taste:

Medium to full-bodied. Warming Christmassy and pepper spice. Maple syrup-like richness balances wood tannins rather than sweetening (this is a dry rum) with honeycomb, cacao, spiritious red wine, caramel and vanilla.

Aftertaste:

Cacao butter, dry oak, vinous spiritous notes and nutmeg spice. Very faint smokiness.

Overall:

Spicy and oaky - perhaps a tad too woody. Oak tannins are balanced by some maple syrup, caramel, vanilla and honeycomb richness but overall this is a dry and very characterful rum that would be great enjoyed with an equally full cigar.