"The Hine Cognac cask used for this release previously contained cognac from 1975 of this legendary Cognac distillery.

We were absolutely stunned by the quality of this lovely dram as this is rather more a cognac than a rum in both the nosing and tasting, a very sophisticated dram. It was distilled in 1997, and has endured a little over 2 years of tropical aging. After the initial years in the tropics, it reached a beautiful maturity of 24 years, having enjoyed a continental aging since 2000."

Tasting notes by The Duchess:

Nose: Immediately this Uitvlugt grabs your attention, what an entry this is! Very cognac-like, you can definitely smell the cognac here; grapes. Apart from the obvious grape notes, nice ginger and tangerines evolve into a wee whiff of tobacco leaves.

Taste: Cognac influences again, grapes and the aforementioned tobacco leaves evolve into nice oak spices, even dusty cupboard and some cranberries in the background.

Finish: A impressively long, vibrantly long and elegant… no it’s more a sophisticated finish. More wood spices and tobacco come into play, and some sour grapes. The longer the finish is at work more taste of forest fruits come to the foreground.

Conclusion: This is the kind of drink you want to surprise your friends and family with who say they don’t like rum at all, and claim they’re more into cognac and Scotch… we all know someone. This is the kind of rum you want to pour for them, and is best enjoyed straight up in cognac glass or Glencairn glass after diner or while enjoying a poker game. This is this year’s perfect Christmas gift at a very nice offer price.