Sparrow’s Premium Aged Rum

St. Vincent and The Grenadines
40%
£25

Rum: Rum from a traditional column still.
ABV Hydrometer Test: 40% ABV @ 20°

* C

I am always wary of any rums with any connection to pirates and the like. In this case, the name references the Pirates of the Caribbean character Jack Sparrow. But rather than just being a random pirate reference for the sake of it, the claim to fame is that some of the first film in the series was actually filmed at St. Vincent (Source: IMDB.)

Created by Sunset Rum, this offering is aged for up to seven years in ex-Bourbon barrels from sugar cane imported from Guyana. Sunset Rum offers several products including an eye-watering 84.5% “Sunset Very Strong Rum”, claimed to be the most popular rum on the island of St. Vincent. Something I do admire about Sunset Rum is that they very clearly explain the process of their rum making, which makes a refreshing change when so many distillers hide or lie about the processes.

At a standard 40%, Sparrow’s Premium is their mid-range edition of rum. The word “premium” is bandied around in the rum world far too often without anyone actually explaining what makes something premium nor the distributors and marketeers justifying why their product should be considered “Premium.”

Under Richard Seale’s/Luca Gargano’s proposed rum categorisation, this would most-likely be classed as a “Rum” – Rum from a traditional column still. My hydrometer test measured this at 40% implying no added sugars

Bottle/Presentation       1/3

Presented in a standard bottle with a basic screw top, Sparrow’s Premium looks anything but “premium.” The bog-standard label has a picture of a ship and besides the 40% ABV, the only other info states that it is “crafted from West Indian Sugar Cane” and that it is “aged in oak barrels.”

Glass/Aroma       2/10

The rum is a light-medium amber colour. There are very thick and heavy legs on the sides of the glass that are very quick to drop down.

When I first nosed the rum, I had to re-check the label as I thought I had a bottle of spiced rum as that is what this smells like. There is an abundance of cinnamon, cloves and all spice matted together with rich brown sugar. Not nice at all.

Taste, Initial-middle       25/40

The entry is a welcome surprise. After the spicy nosing I was not expecting to find the light and delicate profile that greeted me. It has soft brown sugar and feels quite warming but thankfully, those massively overpowering spices from the nosing do not appear here.

Taste, Middle/Throat       26/40

The mid-rear palate is dominated by big spicy notes. The initial aromas are present, but it is the allspice that dominates. There is a hint of oak coming from the [up to] seven years of barrel ageing. The rum’s texture is smooth and creamy and at times almost buttery, which feels very pleasant. There is a hint of green apple in the background, too.

With further tastings the oak dominates a little more at the rear of the mouth accompanied by some light citrus. There is a pleasing dryness to the rum here, too.

 

Afterburn       6/7

Surprisingly, there is a really great and long lasting afterburn. There is plenty of oak and a very nice fiery presence.

Morning After Aroma

Absolutely no aromas remain in the glass on the following day.

TOTAL       60/100

Overall

At the £25 price point this rum is not bad value. It is not one that your are going to reach for immediately, though. Getting away from the pirate-reference, the product is well-made and is good quality, honest rum. I do think that the spice profile is overpowering for rum – if someone told me this was a spiced rum, I would not be surprised.

*
P Denotes the rum contains POT still distillate.
C Denotes the rum contains traditional/Coffey COLUMN still distillate.
B Denotes the rum contains a BLEND of POT and COLUMN still distillate.
M Denotes the rum contains MULTI-COLUMN still distillate or is a MODERN rum.
A Denotes the rum is an AGRICOLE i.e. from Cane Juice.
S Denotes the rum is presented in a SWEETENED style.

Marking Guide:
Bottle/Presentation Out of 3
Glass/Aroma Out of 10
Taste, Initial-middle Out of 40
Taste, Middle/Throat Out of 40
Afterburn Out of 7
TOTAL 100