Ten Cane Rumclub Private Selection Ed. 42 2008

The parallels to TDL are particularly exciting here. Delicious bottling with peach black tea and mint. I wouldn't really have ended up with Ten Cane blind. Very nice bottling from Rum Club Berlin.

I have The Duchess in my glass alongside the new Rumclub Ten Cane from 2008. My first impression is that the two rums form the poles of the spectrum of the 2008 Vintage's profile. The Duchess is super dark in the glass, bringing a deep berry flavor and dark spices. The Rumclub is much lighter - a few shades lighter in color. Aromatically, this Ten Cane is closer to some TDLs: peach, almond, ginger. There are also similarities, but I find it difficult to describe them - most likely in the woodiness, the spiciness - a rather opposing Trinidad style? The differences outweigh the differences for me. I would always consider the Rumclub to be a TDL - I even find the characteristic mint. But the agricole notes of the Duchess are missing. I'm not sure if I'm completely off the mark here, but this smells like a TDL. I can't get off this horse: Peach mint iced tea in the mouth. The finish is long, smooth and full of peach menthol. Well ok, I think it's clear what I'm trying to say. At the end of this review, I no longer believe that these are two poles of a vintage, but two completely different distilleries. The rum is still very tasty. Roughly on a par with the 2009 TDLs. I poured myself an old sample of an RdL Ten Canes and the new 2008 Swell TDL. The similarities to the TDL are very great here, the differences to the RdL Ten Cane not so pronounced. This calls for a second round, preferably blind.

#4578 26-27.01.2024 Hanse Spirit This is a very good release, wow, heavy flavour profile and I like it. Nose Medium intense, wood, roasted, light smoke, fruity, light caramel, herbs, lightly sweet. Palate Oily, intense, balanced, wood, tannins, fruit, natural sweetness, dry, light mint. Finish Long, wood, light roasted, tannins, dry, light mint, raisin.

Blind Tasting 01.02.2024, 7th rum Nose: first smoky, then minty Palate: menthol, fresh, spreading widely in the mouth, close to bitterness, some cannabis, light bite Finish: very strong, long Conclusion: The last and best rum of the tasting. Yes, I could somehow taste Trinidad, but the rum was not minty enough for a T.D.L. and not dirty enough for a Caroni. I was at a bit of a loss. As the last rum of the blind tasting, it only had a little breathing time in the glass and probably didn't get my full attention. I really must try it again in peace.

On the nose, the fruit bread that I have also detected in some other 2008 Ten Canes, as well as roasted notes, butterscotch, red currants (acidity). Dry on the palate, smoky, dried fruit, espresso, tannins. I like the RumClub, even if I found the two Duchess bottlings a little more complex.

Ten Cane in richtig lecker - und aussergewöhnlich. Liegt auch daran, dass hier viel TDL-typische Aromatik aufpoppt. An der Nase flankiert die Minzaromatik noch eine verführerische gebrannte Zimtzuckernote, die sehr vielversprechend ist. Am Gaumen tritt erstere dann deutlich in den Vordergrund, Minz-Menthol spielt gross auf, wird aber auch hier noch wunderbar von vanilliger Süsse umspielt. Tolle Auswahl, ein exquisiter Ten Cane.

I admit: I'm a Ten Cane fanboy 😉 I particularly like the previous bottlings of the 2008 vintage and this one is no exception. But where has the typical sour cherry gone? I picked out 3 other 2008 Ten Canes for comparison and they all have that great sour cherry note - the Rumclub doesn't! I have also never experienced a Ten Cane with well-integrated alcohol. Unfortunately, this one is no exception. But: with a dash of water it's better and the alcohol is no longer so biting. All in all, still very good!

Upon opening, a fresh minty note immediately hits you... and it stays that way for the time being... some smoke and wood also join in later. The palate is very intense with menthol, spices, wood, dark chocolate and espresso. The alcohol is not perfectly integrated and needs to be tamed. The finish is also characterized by menthol and dark spice. If this bottling had also had the dark red fruits, it would have been perfect. The longer it lingers in the glass, the better it gets.

Tried and immediately bought at HanseSpirit 2024 because... it is something special. I hadn't found Ten Cane particularly interesting before. And the distillery wasn't around for long. This one is absolutely interesting, especially for what it is! Nose: a fine smoky note wafts towards you right at the start. Now that's interesting. But then an intense fruitiness is immediately present, with plenty of caramel and beeswax. The fruit is somewhere between redcurrant and mirabelle plum. And again and again this beautiful, fine smoke, cigar smoke. It is also pleasantly woody. When I smell it more deeply, I find something green, like coriander, 8.8 Palate: yes, madness, no TDL and yet clearly Trinidad. A slight cigar-smoke note here too. But then, at first softly and increasingly strongly, sweetish, fresh mint! That sets the tone. But I also find licorice next to it. The two go well together, mint and licorice. The distinct moisture has something plummy about it. Salty and a little peppery with a slight hint of clove add a nice twist. I really like it. 8.9 Is it really made from sugar cane juice and not molasses? Never mind. Probably the best Ten Cane, who knows...

In der Nase kommt er reichlich verstopft und verkohlt daher als hätte der Schornsteinfeger gerade leider Urlaub... Am Gaumen haben wir dann Pfirsich, Rosine, Minze, eine hohe Intensität. Das schmeckt tatsächlich verdammt wie ein TDL und erinnert tatsächlich weniger an einen Ten Cane. Aber da sich das nie zweifelsfrei sagen lässt sag ich nur zwei Worte: Toller Rum.

The rum club from Berlin delivers again. The key data moisten my mouth even before the woody, oily distillate has a chance to enter it. Tannic, dark fruits, mint. The long finish remains on the minty side.

Gentle nose on mixed dark/red fruits, slightly smoky with an unusual medicinal note. On the palate a it gets very similar to a TDL with fresh menthol/minty notes, more citrussy fruits and an intense dryness. Alcohol could be better integrated. Medium finish consistent with the palate.

Ein überragender Ten Cane. Eher untypisch mit viel weniger Minze und Agricole Noten als sonst. Absolut rund mit top eingebundenem Alkohol. Sehr fruchtig mit Honig und dunkler Schokolade und Rosine. Im Abgang sehr trocken mit Rosine. Mit dem PLV für mich absolut überraschend in der Spitzenklasse.

Erinnert mich doch stark an einen T.D.L von der Nase und auch vom Geschmack her. Habe als Referenz nicht wirklich einem aus dem gleichen Jahrgang. Der einzige mit dem ich ihn vergleichen kann ist einer aus dem Jahr 2012. Diese sind komplett unterschiedlich. Was beide aber eint ist der schlecht eingebunde Alkohol. Mit ein paar Tröpfchen Wasser wird er angenehmer, weiß mich aber doch nicht vollends zu überzeugen.

In der Nase kommt neben der Frucht und dem Holz eine angenehme Nuss durch. Hier würde ich noch vermuten, dass es um eine Melasse Rum handelt. Im Geschmack dann eine angenehme Süße mit etwas Früchten und Holz. Die Nussigkeit ist auch hier noch etwas gegeben. Am Ende kommen die typischen Agricola Noten. Der gefällt mir schon.