Equiano Light Rum
Travel Distilled reviews Equiano Light Rum, the second expression from Equiano, the first African-Caribbean rum blend co-created by rum ambassador, Ian Burrell.
I’ve already reviewed Equiano’s original rum, where you can read all about the fascinating story behind this company, who it’s named after, and find some rum cocktails created with Equiano by rum’s great global ambassador, Ian Burrell. He has a cool website, by the way, so check it out.
Equiano Light Rum
I won’t repeat all that here, but do read the review as it’s an interesting story, and you can also read how the Equiano rums support worthy causes.
Equiano Light Rum is the second expression from the company. The first was a beautiful dark and golden colour, and I described it as like ‘sipping velvet’. So – pretty good rum then! The Light expression is only light in colour, as it’s a lovely straw shade, so closer to being a white rum. It’s certainly not light in any other way, as it’s bottled at 43% ABV (86 proof).
Making Equiano Light Rum
Equiano Light starts with a molasses rum made at the Foursquare Distillery on Barbados, and this is aged in ex-bourbon barrels for three years. It’s then blended with an unaged rum made from sugarcane juice from the island of Mauritius, in the Indian Ocean off the coast of East Africa.
Tasting Equiano Light Rum
The result is a rum that’s very different from the original expression. The nose is very subtle, at first seeming pretty innocuous, until different aromas start to kick in. There’s a lemon freshness, combined with the exotic smell of tropical fruit. It’s delicately spicy, and there’s also some grassy earthiness in there too, alongside smooth, vanilla creaminess.
On the palate it’s a little more robust, as the 43% alcohol becomes evident. It’s still deliciously creamy, with those zesty tropical fruit notes, but now a little oakiness from the barrels emerges, and that lingers on the finish as well. It’s definitely a rum you can sip, or use it in one of the rum cocktails specially created by Ian Burrell for Equiano.
Buying Equiano Rum
For more information visit the Equiano website. Equiano rums are available throughout Europe and the USA (for example on Caskers), and you can also find them at Master of Malt and in the UK on Amazon.
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