Official tasting notes.
A nose and palate evoking a sense of Mare Nostrum, that Mediterranean surrounded by the Roman empire…. Dried figs, dates, linden honey, alcohol-pickled fruit, then fruits firmed up by sun and caramel, candied apricot, sweet spices, saffron… a long list of sugary associations. Equally opulent, balanced, fascinating, virile, generous and expressive.
Samaroli 2022 ‘SPQR’ Third Edition Blended Rum 700ml 48%
Out of Stock
A blend of vintage rums from Jamaica and Mauritius that yielded 1560 bottles.
Details
700ml: 48%alc
Region: Jamaica and Mauritius
Type: Distilled molasses and cane juice blend
Cask: Refill Bourbon
Bottler: Coilltean Int. Co.
Still type: Mix of Column and Pot
Distilled: 30th of December 2015
Bottled in Scotland: 2022
Release Date: February 2023 (AU)
Individually numbered
Description
This blended rum is Italian independent bottler, Samaroli’s tribute to their roots and the philosophy of ancient Rome. SPQR is an abbreviation for ‘Senātus Populusque Rōmānus’ meaning the Roman Senate and People.
Samaroli comments;
“Certainly, the Roman evolution that our company has had cannot fail to have influenced the choice of the name for our SPQR line of rums. We said we want to create a Rum that can explain our philosophy at all latitudes and on all battlefields, here is the reference to imperial Rome, a rum that allows the best bar tender to have a strange unusual ingredient. A rum to drink first pure and then mixed to appreciate the depth of its evolutions and possible variations”.
The blend consists of 5 parts. Firstly, 2 parcels from Mauritius, both distilled from cane juice on the 30th of December 2015, both filled into ex-sherry, ex-whisky casks and aged for 16 months. Then the rum was shipped to Scotland in December 2017 and filled into refill bourbon casks.
Samaroli also purchased 3 batches of fresh rum distilled from molasses from Jamaica that was shipped to Europe where it was then shipped to UK in 2017 and re-racked into refill Bourbon Casks and stored for further maturation for 5 years as well. Eventually the 5 parcels were carefully blended by Samaroli and bottled in Scotland at 48% ABV.
The difference between Cane Juice and Molasses in Rum.
Explained by Master Distiller, Quentin Brival from huskdistillers.com
“To start with, fresh cane juice and molasses look and taste very different, so naturally produce different tasting rums. Both styles begin with the fermentation of the base ingredient before being distilled. However, the cane juice itself is full of indigenous yeast strains and bacteria, whereas molasses has gone through an industrial process. It’s gone through the sugar mill, it’s been boiled, and there nothing living in it. While it’s much more straightforward to ferment molasses than it is to ferment cane juice, the trade-off is you get a far more complex, vibrant and very agricultural tasting spirit from cane juice.”
John Lam (verified owner) –
Not normally a ‘Rum’ person but as a first foray into a blended rum, the craftsmanship in this has changed my mind.
Don’t be fooled, this drinks beautifully as if it were a curated and well nurtured whisky.
The nose brings hardy florals like lavender and rosemary, while hints of spice like clove and cardamom dance lightly in the background.
In its’ youthful maturation and bottling, there are palate flavourings of dried fruits, mouthfeels of boozy fruit still on or just fallen from the tree.
All this unfettered by mixer or cocktail recipe thus far.
Paired with plain soda or tonic, this becomes a deligthful refresher with a squeeze of citrus.
My trauma of overdrinking sickly sweet (whitebear & coconut) rums in my youth is now over.