Kinghaven Single Cask Rum

Travel Distilled reviews Kinghaven Single Cask Rum, a rum from Guyana, finished in Swedish oak casks and bottled at 59.2% ABV.

Kinghaven Single Cask Rum has certainly had an interesting journey, leading to a tasting sample landing on my desk in England. It was distilled in Guyana in 2003 at the Diamond Distillery, where they also make the sublime El Dorado Rum. Guyana has a proud rum tradition, and I’ve sampled some excellent rums from that country, which I’ve been lucky enough to visit.

The Diamond Distillery is one of Guyana’s most distinguished and historic distilleries, and they have a rare Versailles wooden pot still, one of only two wooden stills remaining worldwide. It was that still which was used to make this Kinghaven Single Cask Rum.

The Kinghaven Single Cask Rum Journey

The rum was then matured for 15 years, finished in Swedish oak barrels, and bottled at a hefty 59.2% ABV (118.4 proof) by Smögen Whisky in Hunnebostrand, a tiny fishing village on the west coast of Sweden, north of Gothenburg. Here they’re doing some very interesting experiments with whiskey.

The rum’s journey didn’t stop there, though, as it’s been imported into the UK by a specialist spirits importer called Highfern, who have a small but select and fascinating range of spirits, including a rum from the first and only rum distillery in El Salvador, and whiskey from Switzerland. Rum from Sweden and whiskey from Switzerland? The world of drink is a very international world, these days.

Kinghaven Single Cask Rum

The rum is a lovely golden/light copper colour. It could almost be an oaky chardonnay or a light sherry, and it comes in a short and squat 50cl bottle at a recommended price of £124.98 (about $170 US/€150).

The rum is certainly not cheap, then, but given what’s gone into making it, you wouldn’t expect it to be. On the nose the potency of it does hit you, followed by a whiskey-like peatiness, a bit of toasty caramel, some vanilla, some apple, some pear. It’s the kind of complex and beguiling aroma that is definitely worth a second pass, and even a third, before pitching in and sipping it.

Tasting Kinghaven Single Cask Rum

As with the nose, the alcohol kicks in early on the palate, though it is also deliciously vanilla-smooth. There’s toffee, the fresh fruit of apples and pears again, and this time some tropical fruit too, including banana.

You can certainly sip this neat, but treat it with respect and sip it slowly. Popping a small ice cube into the glass was also enjoyable, as the flavours changed and mellowed. It’s going to tempt creative cocktail makers as well, though I only had a miniature tasting sample so had to be content with sipping it… and was, indeed, very content. This is certainly one of the best rums I’ve tasted.