Burdekin, Vintage Cane Spirit
One of my highlight picks from the Rum Show last month, Burdekin very kindly sent me a bottle of their Vintage cane spirit bottling to spend some time with in a quieter setting and with a fresh palate.
As long-time readers of the blog will know I’m typically not a fan of cane juice rums… that being said I always try to make an effort to challenge that opinion at shows and I’m glad I did, otherwise I wouldn’t have come across this bottle.
One thing of note here that I think is interesting and deserves it’s own mention is that this rum is aged solely in ex Pedro Ximenez barrels, as opposed to the more common process of finishing in PX.
Facts & Figures.
ABV: 40%
Country: Australia
Age: 2 years
Cask: Pedro Ximenez
Still: Pot still
Price: £45
Distillery: Burdekin
On the nose.
Heaps of thick toffee with very rich/intense baking spices (cinnamon, nutmeg, anise) like opening a spice drawer but the overarching flavour here is sticky, brown, ginger syrup. Plenty of vanilla bean adds a hint of sweetness and balance. The young wood adds depth and counterbalances the toffee and vanilla preventing this becoming a sweet rum.
On the palate.
Super sticky ginger cake with figs and raisins is the leading profile here with a decent amount of vanilla oak underneath. The PX is much more subtle than is typical, subtly shifting the flavour profile rather than dominating it, coming across as exceptionally well integrated.
There’s some dried cranberries and mango that offer a slightly fruity feel with the sugar cane base making itself known in freshness rather than the slightly sharp/acidic format I have come to expect.
Towards the finish I get some manuka honey, a touch of nuttiness (pecan maybe? or macadamia?) before the ginger comes back to round things off. The finish is exceptionally long and continues to build and develop, resulting in a very moreish rum.
9/10 – Outstanding really is the only word that comes to mind, especially considering the price point and that this is sugar cane.
My scoring system, explained
- 10: Exceptional. This is best in class and a firm favourite of mine.
- 9: Outstanding. Near perfection, a bottle I would be sad to finish (and very happy to restock!)
- 8: Excellent. An evening spent sipping this would be a very good one.
- 7: Great. Add to cart, no questions asked.
- 6: Very good. At the right price I would definitely buy a bottle.
- 5: Good. If someone poured me a glass you wouldn’t hear me complain.
- 4: Above average. Not quite good but better than some.
- 3: Average. Average at best, this isn’t offensive but equally not exciting either.
- 2: Not for me. This simply means it’s not a profile I find enjoyable; rather than a reflection of quality.
- 1: Not the spirit. This is a poor representation of the spirit.
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