Review #24: nectar of the daily dram le galion ex-dok px-cask

I’m back with another 2 rums selected by The Nectar (BE). What can I say? They’re just really good at what they do, and that’s selecting spirits. This time it’s from a self-owned company Daily Drams. Here’s a link to the other one

The Nectar was born in 2006. The creation of 2 whisky-lovers Jan Broekmans and Mario Groteklaes, the company was founded as a passion project, especially to bottle great, fun and tasty tipples. Passion projects as companies or independent bottlers are always a good idea, this ensures the first goal of the company is to bottle the best possible product out there; profit often takes a second place and this is something to be applauded.

This year’s rum selection consists of a 13 year old Foursquare, aged in a bourbon barrel and bottled at 63%. The second bottle originates from Le Galion Distillery in Martinique. The distillery is the only one on the island that uses molasses instead of cane juice for their rum. This has then been aged on an ex-PX sherry ex-DOK cask. Yes, you read that correct. The gorgeously juxta positioned (this is my word of the day… am I using it correctly?) Pedro Ximenez and DOK-rum filled this cask before the current Le Galion was laid to rest in there for 6 months.

The selection appears to be geared towards 2 kind of consumers. The rum from Le Galion has more of an experimental function. It’s a crazy fun combination of several interesting and powerful flavour palates. This then should without much surprise be perfect for the “connoisseurs” and nerds among us. People who want to experience as much flavour combinations and weird stuff as possible. This would be the perfect rum for a tasting among a hardcore group of rum drinkers, or perhaps for a Belgian 23-year old who writes about rum for fun.

---

Colour:

Very light yellow, comparable to the Veritas.

Nose:

Powerful nose this, with the hogo grassy and vegetal notes nicely supported by the chemical-ish notes of the DOK. This is mellowed and filled out by the PX cask. The most prevalent scents are of course the more ester-y and vegetal notes (even though Le Galion is a molasses-distilling based product) alongside with briny olives and some fish which I also noticed in the River Antoine (here in less outspoken and more manageable amounts). But from time to time the tiniest whiff of a sweet PX comes floating to the surface. I’m curious for what the taste will tell.

Taste:

This is ONE experimental rum, I get bombarde by very different palettes. At first it’s all clairin and a good pure vegetal notes. With sweet fresh grass, like a regular Agricole but make it chewing gum. Which is weird since it really isn’t one. Coincidentally the rum is rather chewy as well. This is a Grand Arôme rhum, so I suppose the second ester and varnish bit of the experience has to do both with the rum itself and the DOK-cask it’s been in for 6 months.

Only after getting used to the initial shock and settling into the rum do I truly begin to appreciate the weirdness and complexity of the rum. Believe me, it’s a weird rum. There’s so much going on, all at once. I can’t seem to quite get over the underlying orange and raisins that I can only assume are brought in by the PX-cask. This keeps me in a sort of purgatory between disliking it and loving it.

Finish:

The finish settles down a bit, with mainly the grass notes and some oranges remaining for quite a while. The weirdness still remains and continues to intrigue me. Really keeping my attention to tasting for a considerable amount of time after finishing my rum.

---

Le Galion is a very experimental and specific rum. It’s tailor made for Agricole drinkers who like their high-ester flavours. I think the PX part of the equation is make or break, after much trying and contemplation, I’ve grown to like it. The rum is overwhelming at the start, not out of strength or alcohol, but of a complexity that comes from all over. Eventually the Agricole and DOK are a perfect combination. Once again I suggest to go find one for yourself and find out whether you like it or not.

This rum was clearly meant for the more experienced rum fan who wants to try every possible combination out there. And with that The Nectar has obviously succeeded. some people will love its innovation, some won’t. And that’s fine, because differences in preferences is what keeps us discussing rum for hours on end.

7.5/10

With this year’s Daily Drams, The Nectar has released a bottle for both the main market segments: the casual drinker, and the nerd. Both are done well and succeed in their respective purpose. I expect to see the Foursquare in a lot of bars and the Galion in a lot of rum tastings.

Advertisement