SBS Mauritius 2010 (Harvey Nichols exclusive)

ABV: 53.5%

Country: Mauritius

Age: 12 years

Cask: French Oak and Moscatel Cask

Still: Column

Price: £110

Distillery: Gray’s Distillery

Having previously tried another SBS bottling of Mauritius (exclusive to The Whisky Exchange) and enjoying I knew that when I saw this rum with a similar (but not identical) cask finish it was a no brainer! It also didn’t hurt that this came very highly recommended by friends.

If you’ve come across SBS before they are an an independent bottler who focus on “single barrel selections. As a result each of these releases are limited in nature (usually between 100-400 bottles)

Nose

This immediately transports me to an old wooden ship and the old, wet and weathered planks full of stories. There’s rich fortified red wine, some dark chocolate (think 90%) that is bitter yet still sweet, and there is a hint of some dried fruit and baking spices.

Palate

This is a thick, chewy rum with a luscious, rich mouthfeel. It packs a fair bits of heat that is offset well by a pleasant sweetness. Peppery spices and baking spices join forces with plums and red fruits to give hints of a mulled wine. There’s some smoke which disappeared almost as quickly as I identified it.

The finish is balanced beautifully with a tart bitterness that carries on for ages.

8/10 – very well deserving of a high score.. it’s a really exciting and complex rum that borders on challenging (the good side!)