Review: Cane Island Jamaica   85.5/100
(Single Estate Blend)
a review by Chip Dykstra (Aka Arctic Wolf)
Published October 2, 2023

Cane Island is a rum brand owned by Infinity Spirits, who appear to be based in Amsterdam. The Cane Island Brand showcases rums which are sourced from iconic Island rum nations in the Caribbean and elsewhere in the world. Each one of these countries has a long history of rum production with their own styles and traditions. The rum selections consist of Single Island Blends and Single Estate Rums. The Single Island Blends are blends of rum coming from different distilleries from one island or nation, whereas the Single Estate Rums are sourced from one single distillery.  

According to the company website, Cane Island Jamica Rum contains spirit distilled at Worthy Park Estate, Monymusk Estate, Hampden Estate and New Yarmouth Estate, all of which are located on the Caribbean Island of Jamaica.  The spirit is both column distilled and pot distilled from molasses with the majority of the blend said to be from the pot still.  The various spirits in the blend are tropically matured in ex-bourbon casks for 3 to 5 years before being blended with a undisclosed amount of high-ester unaged pot still rum before being bottled at 40 % alcohol by volume.

Interestingly, if this information is correct (and I have no reason to doubt it), the Cane Island Jamaica Rum violates the Canadian regulations for the labeling of rum spirits which stipulates that all rum sold in Canada must be aged for at least 1 year. Cane Island Jamaica is sold in Canada, so it appears to b=have slipped through the regulatory cracks.  (In the USA no such regulation exists and so this spirit can be labeled as Rum south of the border.)

In The Bottle 4/5

Cane Island Jamaica Rum is sold in the short stubby bottle shown to the left. I like the medium long neck which makes pouring easy, the attractive label which showcases the nation of Panama from which the rum was procured, and the solid synthetic cork stopper. There is also a label on the back of the bottle which tells us the story or rum production in Jamaica.

I like the presentation, especially as the rum was not an expensive indulgence in my locale.

In The Glass  8.5/10

The rum has a rich amber hue in the glass, and when I tilt and twirl my glencairn, I see a slightly thickened sheen of rum. Medium-sized leglets form and slowly drop back down into the rum as slender legs.

The breezes bring me scents of resin and licorice stained molasses and butterscotch combined with the punky aromas of Jamaican pot still rum. Vanilla, orange peel, banana, cinnamon, nutmeg, and a touch of cloves add depth to the breezes. Bits of camphor and menthol as well as fine wood spices also rise into the air.

The rum appears to be true to its Jamaican heritage.

In the Glass 52/60

There is a candied butterscotch sweetness combined with oak spice, vanilla, baking spices and that punky Jamaican Pot still character melding nicely together as I sip. The pot still influence is evidence d with impressions of camphor, licorice, menthol, and a touch of brine-like saltiness. A light but firm heat of fine oak spices compliment the flavour profile. There is also a bit or roughness perhaps stemming from the high-ester unaged pot still rum added to the blend. The roughness makes sipping just a little difficult, however the high ester rum certainly adds character and charm. On the whole I am thinking the addition of the high ester rum is a net positive.

In the Throat 13/15

The rum has a medium length finish which perhaps is lengthened as much by the candied butterscotch sweetness as it is by the heavier Jamaican pot distilled rums in the blend. Butterscotch and baking spice linger after the swallow while a touch of licorice and menthol cool the back of the throat.

The Afterburn 8.5/10

Cane Island Jamaica surprised me.  I assumed that the unaged high ester pot still rum within the blend would overtake the rum and make it a challenge to sip. However, the blending of the spirit appears to have been accomplished in a very astute manner. There is just a touch of roughness, but the added character combined with the candied sweetness of the Jamaican rum more than compensate for this bit of rough and tumble.

My score of 85.5/100 means that even though I will tend to mix cocktails, I suspect many others will enjoy the rum primarily as a sipper (with or without ice).

If you are interested in comparing more scores, here is a link to my other published Rum Reviews.

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Suggested Recipe:

The Brooklynite cocktail appears to have arrived on the scene in the 1940s in Brooklyn, New York. It appears in the 1946 edition of the Stork Club Bar Book, and is basically is a daiquiri made with dark rum and honey.

Brooklynite

2 oz Cane Island Jaimaica (Single Island Rum)
1/2 oz Honey syrup (1:1 ratio honey and hot water)
1/2 oz Lime juice
dash of Angostura Bitters
ice
twist of citrus zest

Add the four ingredients into a metal shaker with ice
Shake until the outside of the shaker begins to frost
Double Strain into a cocktail glass
Garnish with a twist of citrus zest

If  you are interested in more cocktail recipes, please click this link (Cocktails and Recipes) for more of my mixed drink recipes!

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You may (loosely) interpret the scores as follows.

0-25     A spirit with a rating this low would actually kill you.
26-49   Depending upon your fortitude you might actually survive this.
50 -59  You are safe to drink this…but you shouldn’t.
60-69   Substandard swill which you may offer to people you do not want to see again.
70-74    Now we have a fair mixing rum or whisky.  Accept this but make sure it is mixed into a cocktail.
75-79    You may begin to serve this to friends, again probably still cocktail territory.
80-84    We begin to enjoy this spirit neat or on the rocks. (I will still primarily mix cocktails)
85-89    Excellent for sipping or for mixing!
90-94    Definitely a primary sipping spirit, in fact you may want to hoard this for yourself.
95-97.5 The Cream of the Crop
98+       I haven’t met this bottle yet…but I want to.

Very loosely we may put my scores into terms that you may be familiar with on a Gold, Silver, and  Bronze medal  scale as follows:

70 – 79.5    Bronze Medal (Recommended only as a mixer)
80 – 89.5     Silver Medal (Recommended for sipping and or a high quality mixer)
90 – 95         Gold Medal (Highly recommended for sipping and for sublime cocktails.)
95.5+            Platinum Award (Highest Recommendation)