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Denizen Merchants Reserve 8-Year rum

Denizen Merchants Reserve 8-Year

Trinidad | Aged

7.6/10
65 ratings
Recommendable to most
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65 Denizen Merchants Reserve 8-Year Ratings

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Paul B 🇺🇸 | 472 ratings
Posted 5 years ago

I have postponed buying a bottle of this for months. Now that I have my most perfect rum combination for a Mai Tai, it was time to break down and get this all-in-one rum made for Mai Tai's. The comparisons to the long gone W&N 17 Year old also piqued my interest.

So I made a 50/50 combination of Smith & Cross Traditional Jamaican along with Depaz Blue Cane Rhum Agricole and poured that into one Glencairn glass neat. Then I poured the same amount of this Denizen Merchants Reserve into another Glencairn glass , also neat. No need to make Mai Tai's at this point because it is all about the rum that goes into making this drink. Both were swirled around and allowed to breathe for about 10 minutes. The information on the bottle told me not much other than what has been already posted on here. My combination was pale yellow. This Denizen was orange.

This Denizen has a smoother taste on the palate than my combination, albeit with much less hogo funk. However, the after taste of this Denizen ruins it, making it seem like a cheap industrial column still rum made for the masses. If this is what that old W&N 17 Year was like, I am so glad that it is now extinct. This only proves that rums have come a long way from those Kill Devil days. I will stick with my combination, but this bottle won't go to waste.

And yes, I am well aware that the Martinquan rum for the original Mai Tai was not a rhum agricole, but made from molasses. There is a reason that most of those dark molasses based rums from that island are now extinct save for the awful Negrita Dark.

Update February 26, 2019: This rum is worthless as a neat sipper, worthless on the rocks, and worthless as a mixer. So why did I not lower my rating from a 6? Because there are also a lot more rums worse than this! This was created for a certain California tiki bar to save time and money in making Mai Tai's. However, this one only creates a fake Mai Tai and Trader Vic would be rolling around in his grave if he knew of this travesty! For those that order Mai Tai's from this trendy bar, they do not give a rat's ass that those Mai Tai's are fake, but only like to brag to their friends that they drank Mai Tai's at such and such trendy bar. I know of at least one tiki bar that would never stoop to such levels. I have had this rum for almost two months and it is finally gone, thank goodness. Never again!!!

piratejabez 🇺🇸 | 322 ratings
Posted almost 7 years ago

Many people in pursuit of authenticity prepare an "original" Trader Vic's Mai Tai using a blend of aged Jamaican and rhum agricole from Martinique. And the result is delicious. But Martin Cate of Smuggler's Cove has done a bit of research (and lots of rum tasting) and makes a solid case that the Martinique rum used by Trader Vic in his original recipes was not, in fact, an agricole, but a rhum traditionnel/industriel—that is, made from molasses, rather than sugar cane juice. (Shocking! But people forget that the French and former French colonies did and do make their share of molasses-based rhum.)

Mr. Cate then collaborated with the makers of Denizen to produce the first blend of aged rum that approximates that featured in trader Vic's "Second Adjusted Mai Tai Recipe" (the one he used after depleting world stocks of W&N 17 and 15), and released it to the world.

The resulting is rum is really astounding. The bouquet is intensely aromatic and floral. The taste is dry. Sugar-loading has not smoothed out this 8-year-old's rough edges; from start to finish, this is a rum with character. It's not the most refined sipper, but it's still quite sippable. Try it in a Daiquiri. Swap it into your favorite classic tiki drinks that call for Martinique, Jamaican, or "gold" rum. And while its very existence hinges on its not being a rhum agricole, it still makes for a darn good Ti' Punch.

Of course, where this bottle really shines is an "original recipe" Trader Vic's Mai Tai—rum, lime juice, curacao, orgeat, and sugar syrup. Preferably garnished with a spent lime shell and a mint sprig. Thank me (or Martin Cate) later.

mistercoughy 🇺🇸 | 239 ratings
Posted over 7 years ago

Martin Cate (Google him) writes that this Denizen 8yo rum is all he uses for making Mai Tais, in sharp contrast to Jeff "Beachbum" Berry (definitely Google him), who writes that an authentic Mai Tai should contain both a Jamaican rum, such as Appleton, and an aged agricole such as Clement VSOP. Having enjoyed plenty of both recipes, I can happily say that you won't go wrong with either. The Denizen drinks, since you asked, were outstanding: plenty of Jamaican funk as well as some aromatic, smoky oak. Really tasty. And sipping this rum straight up has its own special rewards. This is positively good rum, bursting with flavor.

Ti' Georges 🇺🇸 | 1 rating
Posted 7 years ago

I have to say that sometimes we try to make more out of a rum than its intended or perhaps better expressed; hold it to a standard to to which it is obviously not suited. Merchant 8 is not a long aged pot distilled rum and was never really intended to be a "sipper" (but regardless, to some of us it is!). As mentioned here Martin Cates uses M8 as his house Mai Tai rum at Smugglers Cove house. What isn't mentioned is that he collaborated with the folks from Denizen & E&A Sheer to blend a rum for just that purpose. I was happy to see that at least one person here also picked up on just how successful that collaboration was; the Jamaican funk & Agricole notes do indeed come through. With that in mind I'd say that Jeff Berry and Martin Cates were both pretty much on the same page when it came to recreating the flavor of the now extinct 17YO Jamaican Rum that was the basis for the original Mai Tai. I like it straight but it truly shines when used for the purpose it was intended.

Ngordon87 🇺🇸 | 48 ratings
Posted over 3 years ago

Wasn't as funky as most Jamaican rums, which means I actually enjoyed this rum. I dislike most Jamaican but this was drinkable. Had it over rocks. I would drink again, but I wouldn't buy a whole bottle.

poly.pop 🇺🇸 | 38 ratings
Posted 4 years ago

The perfect jamaican/agricole blend for mai tais. A must for any tiki/poly pop/tropical cocktail aficionado.

"Samuel Brunello" 🇺🇸 | 83 ratings
Posted over 6 years ago

If you're familiar with those, than you should be able to see exactly what I mean! But assuming your don't:
N- Hot prunes, jet fuel and fruity FUNK all layered on top of creme brulee.
P- Musty, fruity, creamy, chewy
F- Funky and spicy
Also, throughout the whole thing theres something... cachaca-y.
Both LS and S&C are known for their fierce, unique overproofs, and this rum manages to bring everything from both worlds and cram it into one beverage AND somehow dial the strength all the way back down to the usual 40% (compared to 60-something and 55 from the "parents"), which makes it way more approachable, and even pleasant! Whoever the maker behind this wonky creation is, they deserve many a pat on the back.

JackOrion 🇺🇸 | 61 ratings
Posted almost 8 years ago

If you take into consideration the price tag of $30.51 out the door at the local mega booze and wine than this is a 10!! It has a huge presence in nose, flavor, finish and perfectly bottled at 43%

Jamaican funk is front and center but with a great oak smoke acidity that kicks in for the extreme linger. Nothing is off putting here for those that love estery dunder and also like their rum with an 'H'. They are two of my favorite styles so for me this is a big winner.

I'm going to believe that the low key presentation of screw on top and generic bottle has something to do with the friendly price. This rum has been around the globe, produced in the west Indies, bottled in Holland and bought in California! Denizen could easily up the ante with a cork and lapels but I really hope they don't because it's an easy buy as is.

Nordicrum 🇸🇪 | 22 ratings
Posted over 8 years ago

This rum is interesting as it was created to mimic the qualities of the rum originally used to create the Mai Tai cocktail, blending a jamaican plummer style rum with a molasses style rum from martinique. The finished product has both the strong molasses and brown sugar scent associated with the jamaican plummer style and a more refined oaky component I think orginates from the Martinique rum. A very interesting product that although aiming for the cocktail market, is just as good for a lone sip. Recommended.

JSchuster 🇺🇸 | 3 ratings
Posted 7 months ago

I love this rum, the taste and the story behind it are both fantastic. This rum recreates Trader Vic's mai tai blend after he all the Wray & Nephew 17 and 15 were used up. People see Martinique on the label and assume Rhum Agricole, but it's actually Rhum Grand Arôme. When it comes to a mai tai, this is the rum I am reaching for the majority of the time

Movsob 🇺🇸 | 3 ratings
Posted 7 months ago

Designed for the Mai Tai, I can confirm it beats the pants off anything else I’ve ever had. With homemade orgeat and rich Demerara syrup, and Pierre Ferrand dry Curaçao, it cannot be beat.




Brand Details

Name: Merchants Reserve 8-Year
Years Aged: 8
Type: Denizen
Raw Material: Unknown
Process: Unknown
Distillation: Unknown
Women Led Rum: No