If you haven't attended the event before, you might be surprised to hear there were rum booths at Whiskies of the World San Francisco this year. While it's of course a whiskey-focused event, there are often distillers showing off a few other spirits. This time around, there were three booths solely focused on giving us the opportunity to explore the world of rum: Venezuela-based distilleries Santa Teresa and Diplomatico, as well as Kuleana sailing in from Hawaii. We had the opportunity to try offerings from all three, so let's dive in and see how they tasted!
Santa Teresa 1796
The flagship product from Santa Teresa, this Venezuelan blended rum starts in ex-bourbon barrels before entering their Solera aging system. The nose is exploding with caramel, evoking thoughts of Werther's Original chews. It also has notes of vanilla, not unlike angel cake. With a medium-light mouthfeel, the palate is extremely delicate, with just a little continuation of that caramel and perhaps a tinge of smoke. The finish leans into the promise of vanilla from the nose, bringing us full circle to the beginning of the experience. It's very nice overall, though I hoped for a somewhat more robust flavor on the tongue.
Kuleana Hawaiian Rum Agricole
This single estate rhum agricole, their signature product, is fermented from Hawaiian sugarcane juice. The nose is aggressive, with heavy amounts of ethanol atop a sickly sweet smell reminiscent of tropical fruits like papaya after they've been sitting out for too long. The palate continues that sickly sweetness with underlying notes of golden raisin. The finish turns bitter, shedding the sweetness altogether.
Kuleana Huihui
This white rum blends their flagship Hawaiian Rum Agricole with a molasses-based rum from Papua New Guinea. The nose is almost pure ethanol with a bit of cucumber mixed with sickly sweetness underneath. The palate tastes mostly like raw Everclear, with more of that sickly sweet flavor coming through. The finish is extremely short, without anything to take real note of.
Kuleana Nanea
Kuleana's take on an aged rum, this bottle blends three different international spirits together rather than relying on their own Hawaiian spirits alone. The nose has notes of caramel, which continues into the palate. The rum has a medium mouthfeel on the tongue, turning bitter as it segues into the finish.
Diplomatico Single Vintage 2005
This single vintage offering from their Prestige range of Venezuelan spirits ages for 12 years in ex-bourbon and malt whisky casks before being finished in Oloroso sherry barrels. The nose has notes of caramelized plantains, a beautiful scent. The palate tastes of fried plantains with a medium mouthfeel. The finish is medium in length and brings in some vanilla to evoke thoughts of bananas foster.
It was truly a delight to experience a variety of rums at this event, a surprising but not unwelcome addition. While we weren't particularly impressed with Kuleana's offerings, the Venezuelan distillers truly shined in comparison. My favorite of the bunch was the Diplomatico Single Vintage 2005, which made me wish I'd have time to try the other 3-4 rums available from that brand. We certainly hope to see more booths like this at future events; it's great to be able to expand our horizons into other spirits as whiskey lovers!