Rumclub Private Selection Ed. 31 (Navy Blend Rum HQNB)

 Definitely not a straightforward Navy blend. Impressive complexity, much Jamaican influence, the high age is clearly recognizable. Mint, eucalyptus, tropical fruits, wood, spices...impressive! As a lover of complex rums, I feel perfectly picked up here. Definitely not a standard Navyrum because the heavy Guyana notes are almost entirely underrepresented, but that doesn't change the fact that this is an exquisite release. Chapeau!

 RumX Awards 2023. An old-fashioned patissier's boutique, all varnished woodwork. But also leather, stewed fruit, vanilla, cocoa, buttery pastries and citrus. An incredible variety of aromas, yet a coherent nose. A very smooth attack for this high ABV. Unfortunately, not all the promises of the nose are fulfilled, and the aromas are more limited, both in breadth and depth. The finish is long, with dark aromas that gently give way to fruit and a certain pleasant freshness. An absolutely exceptional rum on the nose, a little disappointing on the palate with a very fine finish. The palate is perhaps a little too polished and wise to be really exciting. Tasted again and still as good!

 Very surprising indeed... Very complex Wonderful interplay of the individual rums, very harmonious. This is again such a rum, you can sniff it forever ... there are always new notes to discover...

 Crass Navy Blend! Alcohol top integrated, extremely complex. For me, especially Dominant after sour cherries, grilled limes, strong rum raisins, neat ester from Jamaica but also a lot of dirty notes like from caroni rums, as well as a lot of wood and bitter tannins. I like it incredibly well! Finish is almost infinite...🤤

 Excellent fabric Wood, tropical fruit, mint / eucalyptus Very intense and extremely complex. A continuous change in the glass. Addendum: tasted again and corrected upwards by another 2 points. This blend is really outstanding.

 Was für eine Abfüllung! Ein Navy-Blend der es in sich hat und gleichzeitig so wenig Navy ist, wie 64,35% sind. Man spürt deutlich das Alter der einzelnen Bestandteile und einen deutlich Schwung Jamaika, der erst von Hampden, dann aber vom EMB dominiert wird. Man mag gar nicht trinken, ob der Komplexität in der Nase, die immer wieder andere Aromen und Hinweise auf die Bestandteile bringt. Traut man sich dann doch, bekommt man auch hier ein wahnsinnig gutes Potpourri an Aromen präsentiert. Einzig allein die etwas starke Eukalyptus-Note, die ich dem EMB zuschreiben würde, ist für meinen Geschmack zu dominant. Dahinter spielt aber das ganze Orchester Vollgas, von fruchtigen Estern bis zu dunklen Noten aus Guyana, dazu ordentlich Holz bei den verschiedenen Jahrgängen. Einzigartig!

 Auch wenn dieser Rum nichts mit Gardel zu tun hat, erinnern mich seine bitteren Holznoten doch an die 83er Gardel Rum Club Abfüllung. Dazu mischen sich in einem sehr komplexen Rum Ester aus Jamaika, Eukalyptus aus Guyana und etwas „Dreck“ aus Trinidad. Der Alkohol ist perfekt integriert, so dass man hier eine fantastische Geschmacksreise erleben darf. Ein exzellent gelungener Navy Blend wo man nur hoffen kann, dass Dirk Becker und sein Team das nochmal so hinbekommt.

 All in all, a crassly complex rum. It's fun to decipher the individual components, or at least to try. However, it is also somewhat tiring due to its exuberant aroma and is not an easy sipper like the Koloa Single Cask. Undoubtedly a rum for connoisseurs with an extremely small production run that can never be reproduced again. Undoubtedly an exciting experiment!

 Spirit of Rum offers a bold and unique blend. The unique olfactory profile is highly complex, revealing fruity notes of sour cherry, prune and tropical fruit, then darkening with wood, leather, dark chocolate, roasted notes and spices (vanilla, chili, licorice). Then come slightly sweet notes, followed by phenolics (esters, glue), menthol and herbs. It's a blend that's as rich as it is complex, and very sophisticated. On the palate, the change is radical. If Guyana and Jamaica seemed to dominate on the nose, Trinidad takes over on the palate with notes of mentholated, floral and herbaceous freshness with eucalyptus. There's also a dirty hydrocarbon edge, dark oak, smoky notes, leather, tannins and bitterness. The spices are warm, the dried fruit and citrus a little livelier. The profile is very intense, very evolutionary and well balanced with the flavors. The alcohol is very well integrated. The finish is very long, tannic, both warm on spices and fresh on menthol, black tea and aromatic herbs. Many dark notes re-emerge with wood, leather, dark chocolate, chili, licorice and smoky notes. Citrus and dried fruit add depth on the finish. A surprising, mystical, rich and exciting navy blend.

 As soon as I tried this blend for the first time, I knew it was my new navy benchmark. Heavy, fat, old, oily, minty, herbal, warm - the whole palette that I like so much. A rum made just for me. Thank you, Spirit of Rum! Update Christmas Eve 2023: RumX-Adventskalender 24.12.2023 A very worthy rum for Christmas Eve and one of my TOP 3 rums at the tastings this year.

 Excellent blend. Intense and complex, yet well balanced.

 RumX Advent 24.12.23 Dark and red fruits, grape sugar, discreet but present wood, dry Mint, intense, cherries, lime, herbs, somewhat oily, redcurrant, wet wood Intense, powerful yet round. Bitter, fruity, blatantly complex and versatile. Crazy rum. A lot of fun. I wonder what's in it? You could try to copy it. Btw. never found out blindly. Far too complex to have guessed anything here. Definitely the highlight of this year's calendar. Edit: extremely exquisite rum

 What a spawn of complexity and intensity! It's really fun to decode the components.this is my Navy Blend reference!

 Not a 'classic' Navy blend on the nose, it has little in common with the Royal Navy originals (or the Black Tot Last Consignment). Does that make it a bad rum? Not at all! For me, the HQNB is very reminiscent of EMB 95, especially the very good Rumclub Ed. 27. There is also something in the background that reminds me of Campari or bitter orange. On the palate, there is also something from the engine room and old oak barrels. A nice, long finish with lots of barrel/tannins and a slight bitterness.

 Wow, what a navy blend! The relatively low Guyana content and the great fruit component (especially sour cherry) with some mint make this blend something special. Slight reminders of cream candy come through. Extremely tasty yet complex. Endless finish. Really fun!