The Rum That Got Away: Rolling Fork Bottles Pot Still Deliciousness From Jamaica
In a word, yum. (Photo by me)
Not too long ago I wrote up 10 of the best rums that had recently crossed my path for Robb Report Except when it was published, it was called “The 9 Best Rums To Drink Right Now,” with one glaring (to me, at least) omission. I didn’t suddenly have a change of heart about #10. Quite the contrary, in fact — I’m still enjoying the hell out of it. But Robb Report requires that a product be available for sale somewhere before they run an article about it, and the good folks at Rolling Fork Rum had gotten me this baby so early in the process that they hadn’t even bottled it yet when they sent me a sample. I felt awful about it, and promised them that as soon as it was available at retail someplace, I’d publish my writeup here.
Well, that moment has come. Sort of. Their new 13 Year Old Jamaican Rum is currently available at two locations: the Silver Dollar in Louisville and the Lincoln Road Package Store in Mississippi. And they each bottled different barrels, so the proof varies slightly. Is it possible to score a bottle if you live in, say, New York and you’re not tight with Jordan and Turner, the founders of Rolling Fork? I’m not sure, BUT they assure me that more barrels will be bottled after the holidays, so I’ll update accordingly. In the meantime, here’s the review, originally intended for Robb Report:
Rolling Fork Single Barrel 13 Year Old Jamaican Rum (58-60% ABV, $115). Rolling Fork likes to do a little messing around, whether it’s importing rum from El Salvador and then blending and barrel-finishing it in Kentucky, or blending Trinidadian rum with rye whiskey (which they claim was a happy accident). But they also import rums from various locales and then bottle them as-is, at cask strength, totally unadulterated. Such is the case with this very limited edition from an undisclosed distillery in Jamaica, which was aged for 9 years in Jamaica, four more in Europe, and a final couple of months in Kentucky. It’s got a touch of funk (for you nerds, it’s funkier than Appleton but not as funky as Hampden), and at barrel strength it’s big, spicy, and gloriously unruly. A little water plays up notes of sumptuous vanilla, caramel, oak, and slightly bitter cocoa. The oak, especially, lingers lush and long post-swallow. One of the best rums I’ve tried this year, and I’ve tried a lot of rums.