Because the story goes: “Roaming Highway Spirits isn’t your backyard selection ‘choose a barrel and promote it to customers and commerce’ sort outfit.”
Sure, it’s an impartial bottler, however it’s not simply leaning on Scotch or bourbon. Reasonably, Roaming Highway and founder Mike Gilmore is scouring all forms of spirits to bottle, together with whiskey (after all) but in addition single-cask rums, Armagnacs, Cognacs, Irish whiskey, “and no matter else grabs his educated eye.”
The corporate’s first batch of releases revolve round rum, together with expressions from Venezuela, Jamaica, Belize, Guyana, Australia, Barbados, and Panama with ages starting from 8 to twenty years outdated, all bottled at cask energy and all one-off releases that gained’t be repeated: No batch may have any greater than 250 bottles obtainable. French brandies are coming subsequent.
We acquired 5 of the preliminary run of 9 rums to style. Be aware: Other than the primary rum (Belize, 17 years outdated), I tasted these blind with out realizing their provenance till after writing up my notes, which was a enjoyable train.
Roaming Highway Spirits Belize Rum 17 Years Previous – Column-still molasses aged in ex-bourbon casks. Heady from the second it’s poured, this can be a daring, very well-aged rum that blends fruit and spice with aplomb. Intense aromas of raisins and prunes are paired with macerated blackberries and an enormous quantity unique spices.– a lot so that you’d be forgiven for assuming this was really a spiced rum. The depth of blackstrap molasses emerge and dominate as a few of the extra fruit-heavy components blow off, although it takes some air time to get there. The palate provides an analogous expertise: Vastly fruity, with daring raisin notes up high that evoke a recent brandy. Once more, a great deal of baking spice choose up the ball and run: cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg, you identify it. Because the flavors mingle, a dense gingerbread-banana bread mixture comes into focus, full with overtones of walnuts and, late within the recreation, an oxidized Madeira word. Busy and sizzling as hell at over 62% abv, water rewards the drinker and brings out clearer overtones of caramel, espresso, and milk chocolate. Spectacular stuff, and extremely distinctive. 124.4 proof. A / $140
Roaming Highway Spirits Venezuela Rum 20 Years Previous – Column distillate aged in ex-bourbon and refill rum casks. Intense shade, bordering on espresso brown. That metaphor works properly for the nostril, too, which is redolent with ashy char and darkish roast espresso, virtually creosote in depth. There’s a sure beefiness to the nostril which I usually affiliate with over-oaked bourbon, and no fruit in any respect discernable. I used to be anticipating an alcohol bomb on the palate however that’s not the case in any respect. Reasonably, the rum presents as virtually smooth in physique, wealthy with espresso and notes of Madeira, calmly sweetened with brown sugar and well-toasted coconut. Almond nougat clicks on the end, impregnated with darkish chocolate. Possibly some chocolate-covered orange and Raisinettes within the combine, however total it’s a visit to candytown. 114.4 proof. A- / $120
Roaming Highway Spirits Panama Rum 20 Years Previous – Column nonetheless rum, ex-bourbon cask aged. Shiny, fruity, and insanely tropical. This provides a tiki-friendly nostril of pineapple, with layers of candy, tropical aromatics and loads of nutmeg and ginger to again all of it up. Fairly estery on the palate, the rum evokes chili-dusted mango, sweetened coconut milk, and an aggressive word of allspice and far more ginger. The latter components quickly come to dominate: There’s a lot baking spice right here that, once more, it comes throughout slightly like a spiced rum, with spiky cloves stabbing on the sides of the mouth and nutmeg pushing to the again of the throat. It’s additionally one of many sweetest rums within the lineup, with overtones of vanilla caramels, peach rings, and flambeed bananas — all evident, should you can push previous all of the spice. I’d use this sparingly as a flavoring component in a high-end tiki cocktail. 107.6 proof. B+ / $115
Roaming Highway Spirits Jamaica Rum 9 Years Previous – Pot distillate, aged in refill rum casks. Maybe probably the most aggressive nostril of the bunch might be discovered on this rum, that includes overripe tropical fruits and racy baking spices melded with melted butterscotch candies and vanilla cake frosting. Oily, furnishings polish notes construct because the rum develops within the glass. The palate is loaded with petrol and hogo and numerous the heavy sweetness telegraphed by the nostril: butterscotch, vanilla sweet, and fruit ripened to the purpose of rotting. There’s a dunder pit funk at work right here, giving the physique a sure acrid, charred high quality. It’s a lot boozy too, searing the mouth type entrance to again. Water is a big assist, tempering all the above and letting the fruit mellow out whereas additionally taking extra of a middle stage. Right here, the total impression of an aggressive pot nonetheless rum turns into all-encompassing, a deep drive into pineapple pulp and bubble gum, completed off with cinnamon and cloves. One other tiki bomb prepared for floating. 133.2 proof. B+ / $125
Roaming Highway Spirits Australian Rum 16 Years Previous – Pot distillate, aged in ex-bourbon casks. A dusky rum, once more exhibiting off a Madeira high quality that provides meandering aromas of oxidized wine, espresso, some hogo, and darkish, dried fruits. A bit of funky on the palate, and fairly sizzling, with notes of outdated wine, almond shells, and furnishings polish all in a swirl. The searing warmth of the rum advantages from water, however solely to a degree. Various drops and also you’ll discover the wine tempered into oblivion. As soon as I had the abv balanced, the wine’s true character was revealed — a hearty composite of barbecued meats, outdated purple wine, and walnut oil, sweetened with pulverized raisins. Little bit of a multitude, however actually within the wheelhouse for Aussie rum. 130.8 proof. B / $125
Roaming Highway Spirits Jamaica Rum 9 Years Previous
$125
