Angel's Share Title
Holmes Cay Fiji 2021 Single Origin Edition
Eric Kaye in collaboration with John Gulla and Will Hoekenga of the Rum Cast podcast selected the rums used to create the Holmes Cay Fiji 2021 blend. The rum was produced at the South Pacific Distilleries located in Lautoka, Fiji. The rums are molasses based and a combination of column and pot still rums. “Minimally” aged this particular blend is 46% ABV and is limited to 2,260 bottles worldwide.
Holmes Cay Single Edition
Appearance
The bottle is short necked 750 ml container sealed with a wooden cap and synthetic cork. The label provides the basic details of the product.The rum has a slight yellow tinge both in the bottle and glass. Agitating the liquid creates a thin line around the glass that slowly beads up, dropping a few legs as it slowly thickens and evaporates.
Nose
The aroma of the rum captures the essence of fresh cut grass, lemon zest, bitter orange peel, pine needles and wildflower honey.
Palate
The first sip hits hard with the potency of the alcohol and the grass notes conditioning the mouth. Subsequent sips provide many of the notes of the aroma, the lemon zest and bitter orange peel are amplified, clove, light vanilla, with that wildflower honey note coming in at the end helping counter and soften the bitter notes in the flavor profile. These flavors linger in a long finish.
Review
While preparing for this review I reflected on the fact up until a few years ago I had a limited knowledge of Fiji rums. Now I look forward to trying the different incarnations that are being released to the world via private blends. I do believe in this particular case this is by far one of the most immature blends I have had. The wood influence is present but only minimally so and some of the other notes deliver that little kick of funk I expect to find with unadulterated Fiji rums. By design this rum will be an interesting one for bartenders and home mixologist to experiment with, but recommend starting with a simple daiquiri and continuing your exploration from there. They use no additives of any kind and personally I appreciate the purity of this approach. It helps all of us compare and contrast all the rums from Fiji and see how they change and evolve over time. This rum is available in stores and online wherever Holes Cay products are sold. Enjoy the exploration!
