Denizen Merchants Reserve 8-Year

Great rum! Wonderful nose - floral, fruity, spicy with some Jamaica coming through, and you know it is there in the taste, but not funky. A bit medicinal, baking spice up front, mildly sweet. A pleasant bitterness and earthiness in the finish. Give it some time to stand in the glass, the flavors come out even more. Really unique.

I originally purchased this for Mai Tais (per Smuggler's Cove), and while good, it's not my favorite for that drink (though I intend to try this blended with other rums as I explore this tiki wonder in greater depth), but it makes for a wonderful sipper in my opinion. Worth the price.

At 43% ABV this rum provides a little extra kick and just the right amount of Jamaican funk. Well balanced and not a dry rum nor too sweet. Was not expecting too much when I purchased but turned out to be a nice surprise. Cheaper than Appleton 12 year and every bit as good if not just a tiny tiny bit better.

I cracked the cap open and took a whiff out of the bottle and I immediately knew I was in for a treat. The smell of this stuff is incredible, intense and full of complexity. Banana, smoke, fresh greenery, wood, and dirt, all cascading back and forth and giving way to each other in succession. The taste is equally matched, with a profile of creamy banana, citrus, and earthy green vegetation with only a slight hint of caramel or molasses. This surprised me considering this is a mixed rum partly distilled from molasses. In either case, I think the mix is very well done.

What sets this rum apart for me is the freedom and intensity of the flavors, which seem to be more unbridled and easier to discern than in many other rums I've tasted.

All in all, this rum is very intense and bursting with flavor. This could certainly put some people off in the opposite direction as I, but for those who appreciate a strong and vigorous beverage this one is definitely worth adding to your cabinet.

The Martinique rum tones down most of the funk from the Jamaican side of the blend, but the flavor is full and balances amazingly well in a mai tai

This rum truly shines as a sipper and I feel like anything else would be a sin. With that being said, I also think this rum would be a solid replacement for the Wray & Nephew 17 year that was used in the original painkiller. This rum has the perfect balance of oak, fruit sweetness, and a finish of grass from the 20% agricole. Do yourself a favor and just grab 2 bottles from the next liquor store you find it. You’ll be glad you did.

Exceptional value for the price - easily recognizable as versatile mixed or on it’s own. U forward without being overbearing - ripe, banana funk but not “in your face” about it. I expected the argicole to shine through, but since it’s made from molasses rather than juice, it takes a much more nuanced approach - earthy notes in the background, rather than grassy up front. Well blended and fine, especially given it’s comparatively low entry price. I enjoyed their 100 proof vatted dark for it’s application in mixed drinks, but this is a cut above for sure. A fine addition to any collection

Smooth. I could drink it for breakfast. Notes of vanilla etc but it’s mild
Mine says 80% Jamaican and 20% Martinique … description says Trinidad
It’s weird because the smell is almost like a Mai tai without any other ingredients, to me.
This is what it’s meant for actually. But it’s like you get the smell and then the flavor is clean.

Through another Rum Rater's recommendation for reading material, I'm now engrossed in Martin Cate's Smuggler's Cove tiki cult book. SO, I had to order a bottle of Cate's collaboratively-blended Denizen Merchant Reserve 8 Yr, his re-creation of the rum originally used by Trader Vic Bergeron in creating the Mai Tai back in 1944, before the original rum became unavailable. I haven't tasted a Mai Tai since I was a punk sailor on liberty in Honolulu 50 years ago--at Trader Vic's--and my interest has been rekindled. I still haven't tried it in a Mai Tai but just attempted it neat and couldn't go there, so I added a rock and a splash of soda to reveal the flavor and dilute it a bit...it is indeed a funky blend and it's screaming for an added shot of lime juice...it's sweet, bitter, dry and VERY fruity all at the same time...others have mentioned rotten bananas and I pick that up immediately. I'll have to think this one over...I want to see how it mixes, for me it's not a pleasurable sipper just yet but still it's somehow intriguing. I'm still learning that all rums are unique unto themselves, but even so this one stands out as something different. It's a blend of Jamaican and Agricole, not for the faint of heart, and it's truly weird. I'm not knocking it, just sayin'....

Great aroma of Jamaican esters mixed with oak citrus. Great taste of fresh bananas, oak, and barrel spices. Overall a great rum.

It's fairly smooth, is semi-sweet and definitely decent.