Skip to main content

Gold of Mauritius Rum - the review

I am not often reviewing spirits here. I don't want to endorse products, which aren't worth it - but to "trash" them, doesn't make a lot of friends...

This makes me feel guilty, when I get samples of friends and acquaintances - which like to know my view.

Ulric is one of my friends I made in Dubai (in fact he is not longer living here). For quite some time he worked as consultant and brand manager (and similar) for some liquor brands. And while we don't always share the same views, we do have a lot of respect for each other.

His latest "baby" is Gold of Mauritius. And when he told me about it, I was pretty skeptical. I received before some souvenirs of Mauritius rum, and to say, that it was not particularly good, doesn't really reflect my honest opinion. Let's say it straight forward: the rums didn't really deserved the designation rum - but rather should be called something like aguadiente.

So - when I found the sample bottle of Gold of Mauritius today on my table, I was a bit... afraid.
I opened the box (which is a really nice liquor box - but this isn't really something unusual), and found above pretty bottle in it.
Actually, the company pretty much nailed it, because it looks really professional, without being too commercial, and it is pretty, without being kitsch.

Ulric before told me, that "they" actually don't distill themselves, but buying good distillates and oak ageing and finishing the rum.
Gold of Mauritius call itself a dark rum; and I am pretty thankful for this - as it is just more honest (we all know, that dark rums oppose to aged rums are coloured with molasses and/or caramel).

Nose: smells like Nocino (black walnut liqueur), sweet, loads of (wal)nuts... some well integrated spice. There is a distinctive but not heavy molasses note lingering. There are also (at the second or third sniff) some fragrant yellow fruits coming through - apricots & mirabelle plums?

Taste: Sweet to begin with, and the nuts get after breathing directly through your nostrils. The nuttiness is not as dominating as in the nose, but still quite persistent. There is an "young rum" quality underlying, which makes it quite an unique experience.

Finish: The rum has a medium finish... there are still nocino aromas, but also some hints of crude "ethanol"- but not in a bad way.

My verdict:
This is really hard to say, because I don't really know the price point. Even though I guess, it is not made for the purpose, it can be a decent sipper. I miss a bit, deeper and more serious notes... a look into the internet reveals, that it is in the same tier than El Dorado 15 years old Special Reserve. Even though El Dorado adds a lot of sugar to their rums, the El Dorado just seems to be more refined and sophisticated.
Unfortunately Gold of Mauritius has only 40% abv. - yes I know, that this is common - but for a good mixing rum, I would appreciate a slightly higher alcohol strength.

Cocktails come (maybe) later - but overall Gold of Mauritius Dark Rum is an adequate and interesting option. It definitely has its own character - compared to most rums it fares good & solid - if compared to other rums of Mauritius, it is a star!






Comments

Popular posts from this blog

How to use citric acid - and why you might not want to use it anyway!

To be honest, I shied away of this topic, because I think, people can misinterpret this - big time. I don't want to be part of the problem - I want to be part of the solution!  But when Chris, over at A Bar Above  discussed this subject- I literally could not resist to join into "the discussion". Here is the video: I - however take a bit slower approach than Chris. What is citric acid? Chemical Compound Citric acid is a weak organic acid with the formula C6H8O7. It is a natural preservative/conservative and is also used to add an acidic or sour taste to foods and drinks. Wikipedia Formula: C6H8O7 Molar Mass: 192.124 g/mol Melting Point: 153C Density: 1.66 g/cm3 Boiling point: 175C Soluble in: Water Why is it controversial? In my "mixology world" it is controversial, as citric acid is the stuff, which makes the nightmarish sour mix [ preferably in powder form ] sour. Yeah - citric acid is the main ingredient in one of the most

Fentiman's - part deux

You might already know [otherwise just read my last post ], that Fentiman's Botanical Tonic Water taste great. And I mentioned, that I am not totally convinced of the other flavours... Let me now and here explain why. First to the great ones: Rose Lemonade is really nice... however I have to come across one rose drink, which doesn't taste really good. A couple of years I have reviewed [and tried] Sence - also a drink which is based on Bulgarian roses - and it was lovely. Fentiman's Rose Lemonade is not different - maybe slightly too acidic. Anyway - it is just great [however also very simple to replicate - citric acid, sugar syrup, carbonated water and rose water is all what you need...]. The Curiousity Cola is also nice - it is a bit more standalone and unique as other cola sodas- but hit the right spots. Only problem still is: the original just taste better and - well like the original. Cherrybark Cola - is another good soda. While I've expected it to taste

What is the best cranberry juice in the bar?

A good friend of me "whatsapp'ed" me today and asked for my expertise: "What is the best cranberry juice?" I would loved to just let him know the brand - however it is not that easy. What do we understand of cranberry juice? One of the biggest [maybe the  biggest producer] of cranberry products is Ocean Spray. And: it is well regarded. Problem is: it is not a juice! Wait - what? Ocean Spray doesn't produce a juice - they produce a juice cocktail - which translates into a lot of water, a lot of sugar, some taste-balancers as citric acid [nothing against this really] and a minuscule portion of juice - usually around 3%. Yes they have something which is called 100% juice. Which is on one hand true, on the other the biggest deception ever. Because you don't get 100% cranberry - you get a mixture of juices of concentrate - most of the time apple and white grape and a bit of cranberry. There are also some other brands around, which might feature a h