Angel's Share Title
Hamilton 86 Demerara River Rum
Ed Hamilton, the “Minister of Rum”, has been curating a line of rums over the past several years. I discovered this one on the shelves and the big number 86 on the bottle got my attention. This rum is distilled by Demerara Distillers Limited in Guyana and aged for five years. It is then imported into the United States by Mr. Hamilton where it is then blended to 43% ABV and bottled for distribution. I thought a cool detail about this rum is that it is from the same blend used to make his 151 proof product. True to the entire Ministry of Rum line no sugar or other additives are used in this product.
Ministry of Rum
Appearance
The 750 ml bottle is a dark glass bottle with yellow security wrap with Edward Hamilton’s signature wrapping around the neck. The label provides the information key details about the rum and the inspirations behind the creation of this bottling. In the glass the rum has a dark walnut color with golden amber highlights. Swirling the liquid created a medium band that slowly released a ring of equally slow-moving legs. The rum evaporated quickly leaving large beads of residue all over the glass.
Nose
The aroma reminds me of other Demerara rums I have had with dark cacao and toffee notes leading the way. Hints of tobacco, charred oak, Madagascar vanilla, raisins and cinnamon round out the experience.
Palate
Sipping the rum, there is a swirl of sweet caramel, black cherry, red apple and plums balanced by bitter treacle, tobacco leaf, cinnamon and allspice. Notes of charred oak and cacao drift in but are balanced by the fruit notes which hangs in a long finish.
Review
I enjoyed the balance of sweet and bitter in this rums profile. From the aroma to the flavors, it had all the markers I expected without some of the over the top sweetness or volatility I have experienced with other rums from this distillery. By design the rum was created to be used in any tropical cocktail recipe that calls for Demerara rums. This fits the bill perfectly and really works well in any drink (I would usually use El Dorado 5 rum). Moderately priced and easily found anywhere all Hamilton rum products are sold. At this time, I am on the hunt for Hamilton’s newest “Zombie” rum blend and hope to get it reviewed for you as soon as I locate it.
