Review: Seven Fathoms Rum  (86/100)
a review by Chip Dykstra (Aka The Rum Howler)
Published October 20, 2016

Cayman Spirits Co. began distilling spirits in 2008 at the George Town Harbour Distillery on Grand Cayman island. With a small single column still, the company uses local ingredients (including fresh cane juice from locally grown cane harvested on Grand Cayman’s East End) to produce their rum distillate in a batch style. The Seven Fathoms Rum distillate is then matured in American White oak bourbon barrels in a process that involves aging the rum seven fathoms deep under water in a secret location off the coast of the Grand Cayman island where the rolling waves rock the rum barrels in much the same way that they would be rocked in the cargo hold of a ship that was transporting the rum across the sea.

It is not clear to me whether the entire maturation of the rum occurs underwater at the seven fathoms depth. It may be that the rum is also aged in a more traditional manner prior to its slumber 42 feet (Seven Fathoms) under the sea. This is hinted at on The Ministry of Rum, but certainly not confirmed. Perhaps, I will receive some feedback from the producer to clarify the maturation process.

The Seven fathoms Rum is bottled at 40 % alcohol by volume.

In the Bottle (4.5/5)

I like the short squat Seven Fathoms Rum Bottle. It looks like a rum bottle. The stable shape works well on my rum shelf, and would also be perfect for a Captain’s bottle on the rolling seas where the waves would be less likely to knock it over as it sits on the Captain’s table. The medium long neck is great as a shorter neck would make the dram hard to pour, and a longer neck would be cumbersome. The clear bottle shows off the colour of the rum, and the label has just enough information (also on the back) to pique my interest should I find in a retail setting. The only flaw is in the corkage. As you can seem by my image below, the top came off before the bottle was finished.

In the Glass 9/10

When I poured an ounce of Seven Fathoms Rum into my glencairn glass, I saw that the rum has a rich amber colour. When I tilted and twirled my glass the liquid sheen which formed inside was somewhat stubborn reluctantly dropping moderately fat leglets. The thickened legs are an indication perhaps that a little sugar or caramel sweetener has added to the rum to give it a heavier body and a little sweetness.

When I bring the rum to my nose, I notice a lovely butterscotch scent rising into the air above the glass accented by some nice dusty wood spices. I like how the two scents merge together as the glass sits which is an indication to me that the rum may be a little older than I first suspected. Vanilla and cinnamon baking spices appeared as well as a nice almond scent which moved to marzipan as I examined the glass. Bits of tobacco and hints of maple round out the aroma which has me quite impressed.

In the Glass 51/60

The rum has a light texture in the mouth with firm flavours of butterscotch mingled with wood spice. There is perhaps just a touch of alcohol astringency alongside the spirit’s firm spiciness. There is also a nice complement of vanilla, bits of cinnamon and orange peel. I taste a light influence of corn whiskey, no doubt a result of the American Oak barrels used in the aging process. Some light coconut flavours, a gentle sweep of marzipan, mild tobacco flavours and some maple sweetness rounds out the flavour which is moderately complex and entirely delicious. With ice a bit of milk chocolate oozes out making the rum very nice to sip.

The rum appears to be perfect for an Old Fashioned Cocktail (see recipe below).

In the Throat (13/15)

The medium short finish features a nice burst of wood spice complemented by butterscotch. Ebbing flavours of vanilla and cinnamon linger on the palate afterwards. I did notice a touch of burn from alcohol and wood spices as the rum went down; but when I added an ice-cube there were no lingering effects.

The Afterburn (8.5/10)

I was pleasantly surprised by Seven fathoms Rum. I admit that I perceived the ‘underwater aging’ as a bit of a gimmick which I did not believe would have any effect positively or negatively upon the rum. However, I judge spirits (as best I can) based upon how they look smell and taste, not upon my preconceptions. The rum looks good, both in the bottle and in the glass. The rum smells very nice displaying more complexity than I would have suspected, and most importantly of all, the rum tastes great, again bringing more complexity forward than I would have expected.

My overall score is 86/100 indicating that over ice Seven Fathoms is a nice sipper; and if you are so inclined, it is also very nice in classic cocktails (see below).

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

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Suggested Recipe:

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My Final Score is out of 100 and you may (loosely) interpret the score 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: