Smith and Cross Traditional Jamaica Rum

Very rarely do I review a non-Scotch spirit on this blog - after all, it's called Let's Drink Scotch - but once in a blue moon I find something so outstanding and noteworthy, I have to discuss it. The last time, I think, was Yellow Spot Irish whisky (and god, that was good). This time, it's Smith and Cross Traditional Jamaica Rum. It's the best rum I've ever had. 

I will admit that before this bottle (recommended to me - and thank you forever - by my friend Rob Martin), I disliked rum almost entirely. I drank way, way too much of it in college, and I threw up most of that. It was my go-to "get blotto AS FAST AS POSSIBLE" drink back when I was 18, 19, 20 years old, and I can't even count the number of bottles of Bacardi or Cruzan I drank to get bent quick back then. As a result, I developed a real dislike for most rum.

Then Rob introduced me to a Hampden Estates rum at his house a few months back... and it was funky as hell. As HELL. I mean, off the scale funky, as far as I was concerned. Full of flavor, none of the awful rubbery sugar/molasses notes I remembered from the old years gone by... my third eye (the rummy eye) was opened. 

Then he recommended Smith and Cross. I found a good liquor store that carried it today, and walked over and picked some up. On getting home, I opened the bottle and my kitchen was immediately saturated with the same delicious, delightful funk as I remembered from before. 

A little background: Smith and Cross is a London-based company with quite a pedigree dating to 1788, that bottles a mix of "heavy" Wedderburn and "medium" Plummer pot still distillates (aged 6 months and 3 years, respectively), from Hampden Estates in Jamaica, at Navy strength (the old 100 proof, which is 57% ABV). I believe it's made from cane sugar, cane syrup, and molasses. I hope I got that all right.

I'll be very honest - I know only the bare minimum about rum and its distillation. But I know that I absolutely love this... let's get right into this:

Nose: Hot damn, Mrs. Robinson... rotten banana (extremely overripe), curry powder, vanilla, juicy mango, yeast, molasses. Overripe pineapple. Hints of black pepper. 

Mouthfeel: Thick, oily, viscous. 

Palate: What in hell is going on in my mouth? Metal... rotting fruit... yeast... uncured leather... oak sawdust... wet tobacco... more overripe banana. It's wildly funky. I hardly know how to describe this. Buttered gasoline! Acid sugar. This is all over the map. It *drew* the map. 

Finish: Tobacco, banana, and soil. Medium-short length. Love it. 

Verdict: Well, count me in as a massive fan of high-ester rum. This is as far from what I used to think of as "rum" as can possibly exist. It's like the difference between your average Jose Cuervo and a hand-crafted mezcal. This is FULL of flavor from start to finish, and has almost no alcohol bite (!) despite the very high alcohol content. Be careful: you can get bent on this, REALLY quickly. It's easy drinking. Highly, highly recommended for Scotch drinkers, rum drinkers, any drinkers. Just drink this.