Barrell Tale of Two Islands Rum

[Nomad]

Picked up a bottle locally for $80; not sure when it will get opened though, gotta have the right group of people.

[lcpfratn]

Struggling with this one. I'm a fan of the Barrell 001 Rum that this is apparently based on, but it's now picked up an unpleasant bitter character. Being an "Underberg for Breakfast" type, I'm typically all over bitter-- but this is more of a "burnt bone basted in balcones brimstone" deal. I'm going to try cutting it with something soft like a Mezan Jamaica 2000 before writing it off.

Are you still struggling with this one? I haven't found a bottle yet in my area, but might bite if I find one in the wild.


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[Marekv8]

17 minutes ago, lcpfratn said:

Are you still struggling with this one? I haven't found a bottle yet in my area, but might bite if I find one in the wild.

 

I actually took a bottle home over New Years and worked with it quite a bit-- a much improved experience. I tried blending it in approximately 80%/20% runs with:

• Barrell 001 Rum (plus a few drops of water)
• Hamilton Pot Still Jamaica Gold
• Mezan Jamaica XO
• Smith & Cross (plus a few drops of water)
• Small amount of water only

Of these, the Barrell 001 blend was the most promising, maintaining the original proof (pre water) and core flavor profile. The lower proof and subtle Mezan (which I really don't care much for on its own) was my second pick as a component-- filling in some of the disjointedness without simply watering it down.

 

However, as fun as that was-- one pour of the Blackadder Hampden 16 made me forget it completely.

[lcpfratn]

 
I actually took a bottle home over New Years and worked with it quite a bit-- a much improved experience. I tried blending it in approximately 80%/20% runs with:

• Barrell 001 Rum (plus a few drops of water)
• Hamilton Pot Still Jamaica Gold
• Mezan Jamaica XO
• Smith & Cross (plus a few drops of water)
• Small amount of water only

Of these, the Barrell 001 blend was the most promising, maintaining the original proof (pre water) and core flavor profile. The lower proof and subtle Mezan (which I really don't care much for on its own) was my second pick as a component-- filling in some of the disjointedness without simply watering it down.
 
However, as fun as that was-- one pour of the Blackadder Hampden 16 made me forget it completely.

That Blackadder is really good stuff, but as expensive as the Barrell stuff is, it's pennies when compared to Blackadder prices.


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[jshleffar]

Alright i've dug back in tonight, I still get the overripe baked apple in a big way. The dry smoke is coming in brown butter and overdone burnt ends out of a smoker, nut less intense than the first time. Still the plastic and pineapple. The oddest note I'm finding is a touch of redbull and breast milk only baby poop (yeah we're getting weird but it's very distinct and they smell the same to me) and this isnt meant as a turn off. It's weird funky but nowhere near as difficult as say, the GD 9 year monymusk. The aftertaste is bruleed overripe banana. Still very smooth for the proof. Still really enjoy this.

[jshleffar]

Something to add... After my pour had sat out for a few hours I got amuch more acrid taste. I fell asleep on the couch with one or two sips left and when I awoke it was'nt near as pleasant as before.

[smokinjoe]

13 hours ago, jshleffar said:

Something to add... After my pour had sat out for a few hours I got amuch more acrid taste. I fell asleep on the couch with one or two sips left and when I awoke it was'nt near as pleasant as before.

It got worse?  I was thinking things had hit bottom when you described the profile shifting over to the breast milk and baby poop notes...  

[jshleffar]

3 hours ago, smokinjoe said:

It got worse?  I was thinking things had hit bottom when you described the profile shifting over to the breast milk and baby poop notes...  

I can just imagine someone new to alcohol tasting trying to comprehend this whole conversation (if you are that someone, not you Joe, I swear that description was positive).

[tanstaafl2]

Well, I went back and tried these two again (hoping that I had not somehow missed the breastmilk and baby poop the first time. That would seem hard to overlook). Fortunately I did not encounter them this time either, no matter how strong (and how difficult to get rid of) that image was in my head.

 

#1 takes a little time to get dialed in with a bit of water but when you get there it is quite enjoyable. #2 seemed to have the best ester-y character dialed back a bit witgh the extra aging to me, making it a bit easier to drink at proof (although a bit of water still helps) and the hint of smoke, instead of helping seemed to bring a bit of not quite identifiable oddness to it. Maybe a bit like distant seaweed? Fortunately no sensation of milk or poop. Or milky poop... 

[lcpfratn]

I was finally able to find a bottle of this during a trip to Columbus, GA this weekend. I opened it this evening after I got home, and I’ve got to say that I think it’s pretty darn good and is very enjoyable neat. I’m sure that there will be some nights that I’ll want to add a bit of water, but tonight I’m enjoying small sips and slowly savoring it neat. Thank goodness I don’t get any of the odd flavors or nosing notes that have been mentioned above! The peat influence from the Islay cask finishing is very, very subtle. I was actually hoping that the peat was going to show a bit stronger presence, but maybe it will reveal itself more as I continue exploring this new bottle.