Objective Notes

Very Smooth (on the RnD scale of Harsh-Smooth-Very Smooth-Extremely Smooth)

Chairman’s Reserve displays an attractive red/brown color similar to cinnamon bark, with caramel added.  Sugary orange is the most prevalent aroma, though not quite as forward as you smell in an orange liqueur.  Perhaps a dose of bitter orange peel tempers the sweet fruitiness, whereas cinnamon and clove add some spicy heat.  Vanilla is subdued, slightly softening the more immediate aromas, but it doesn’t overwhelm as it does in so many spiced rums.  Popular Caribbean spices like nutmeg and allspice are evident, albeit in lesser measure.  You can taste the similarity to Chairman’s Reserve in the Spiced version.  Beyond that, sweet orange and Caribbean spices are readily tasted, and the flavors are more well-balanced than the aromas lead you to expect.  Thankfully, the blenders decided to tone down the usually astringent flavor of bois bandé with mild coconut flavor, and spared us from the trend to dose heavily with vanilla.  The medium weight body carries the spice flavors well before disappearing in a smooth and moderately short finish

St. Lucia distillers starts with a quality base rum, using Chairman’s Reserve as the foundation for their new Spiced version. The rum is produced in copper alembic pot and continuous column stills, then aged in used Kentucky bourbon barrels.  Bois bandé is allowed to sit for a year or two infusing the rum with it’s unique flavor and aroma.  Natural and artificial flavors are added periodically, some not until the final blending.

Anecdotal Notes

Dave – With Chairman’s Reserve Spiced rum, RnD has come full circle.  First tasted five years before this writing while relaxing on a tall ship in the Windward Islands, Dave and Roger shared a few cups of Chairman’s Reserve.  It was a blind tasting in that we were completely new to Chairman’s Reserve.  Shortly after enjoying our first sips we, we decided to establish a website dedicated to presenting exotic Great Rum, and RnD Rum Reviews was born.  Five year later, I’m writing about the new Spiced version of

Chairman’s Reserve while sitting on a boat moored between St. Lucia’s iconic Piton mountains, waiting for the full moon to rise between them.  The sun has set moments ago, and now I couldn’t ask for a more appropriate rum. 

Taster’s Opinion

Dave -  St. Lucia Distillers suggests mixing Chairman’s Reserve Spiced Rum with ginger beer on ice and adding fresh grated nutmeg.  I tried it, and they are correct but selling themselves short - it’s thoroughly enjoyable for sipping neat or on the rocks.  I’m confident it will find home in many rum cocktails.

Roger - Chairman’’s Reserve Spiced is what a spiced rum from the islands is supposed to be like.  Beautiful shades of reddish mahogany and dark amber best describe the colors.  You’ll discern many spices in the aromas, including cinnamon, clove, nutmeg, orange peel and buttery caramel.  This is attributed to the amount of whole spices and fruits in the aging process, including bois bandé.  Others are added later, during blending so as to avoid overpowering the flavor of the rum.  The result is a well-balanced aged spiced rum that is excellent for enjoying any way you want.  I prefer sipping it neat, but it also would go well in a cocktail.  It’s a cut above many of the major spiced rum brands widely available today, but is priced affordably.  Buy a bottle and enjoy the flavor of the Eastern Caribbean islands!

Taster's Rating (10 is best): Dave – 8 Flasks; Roger - 8.5 Flasks

Most recently tasted by: Dave, February 19, 2011 on a sailboat moored in the lee of the Pitons of St. Lucia then again at RnD’s South Tasting Room; and Roger May 2011 at RnD’s North Tasting Room, USA.