Angel's Share Title
The Coconut Cartel rum brand has recently added a Blanco expression to their portfolio to go along with their Añejo expression. The Blanco rum is produced in the Dominican Republic using locally harvested sugarcane and coconuts. To make their rum, the company ferments fresh, pressed sugarcane juice and distills it using pot and column stills. The column still rum is aged for one year in used oak bourbon casks, while its pot still rum remains unaged for the blend. To blend this rum, they use fresh sugarcane juice to blend the rum to 46% ABV and then filter it to remove all coconut sediment. The company claims it has no additives in this product.
Appearance
The rum is a short-necked 750 mL bottle that provides the basic information about the product on the front and a good bit of detail about how it is produced on the back label. The clear security wrap secures the black plastic cork to the bottle and opens easily once you manage to get the wrap off. In the bottle and glass, the rum is clear, with no signs of any particulate. Agitating the liquid creates a razor-like band that slowly thickens over a minute and then releases several waves of legs before beading up and evaporating.
Nose
The rum delivers a combination of sugarcane and lemon grass front and center. Tropical fruit notes of plantains and pineapple with a kick of lime for good measure. There is a flowery musky undertone that makes me think of a combination of vetiver and jasmine rounding out the experience.
Palate
The first sip delivers a slight chewy mouthfeel, with a tang of ethanol and citric acid conditioning the palate. Each additional sip highlights the immaturity of the rum but also delivers unexpected herbaceous flavors of coriander, vetiver, cane grass, and pepper, and eventually a sweet coconut note lingers toward the end of the flavor experience. As the rum begins to fade, the ethanol note takes over, creating a medium-astringent and medicinal finish.
Review
First and foremost, this is a rum engineered to be used as a component in a cocktail and is not something I would recommend for sipping. The company website recommends several classic cocktail recipes, such as a Daiquiri, a Mojito, and even a Rum Martini. I can see where it would be useful in any cocktail that calls for a minimally aged rum, but the other ingredients are going to need to have a strong flavor to dominate some of the herbaceous and astringent flavors in the profile. Overall, I can see this rum being an interesting one to experiment with, but I am not sure how well it will compete with similar rums in the marketplace.
