Review: Diablesse Clementine Spiced Rum  (84.5/100)
Review by Chip Dykstra
Published July 10, 2023

According to the Diablesse Caribbean Rum website their Clementine Spiced Rum is produced in Guyana at the Diamond Distillery using locally produced sugar cane molasses which has been distilled in both traditional pot and column stills using methods which stretch back in time for over 100 years. I have actually visited the Diamond Distillery which sits on the East Bank of the Demerara River near Georgetown, Guyana, and witnessed firsthand the ancient wooden stills which have been in use for over two centuries, as well as their new modern column still which was installed shortly before my trip in 2012 (The Rum Howler Demerara Distillers’ Diamond Distillery Tour). Some of the Stills I saw in operation were over 250 years of age, and they are still producing (as closely as possible) the same historic marques of rum which they produced on the estates from whence they came.

An interesting side note is that Diablesse Caribbean Rum is an all female owned Rum Company! Their rum, Diablesse, is named for a demonic figure from Caribbean folklore (at least according to wikipedia). Once human, Diablesse’s vanity causes her to give her soul to the Devil in return for eternal youth. Unfortunately, this deal also transforms her into a demon with a hideous face and one leg that ends in a cow’s foot. By hiding her face with a wide brimmed hat and her foot by walking with one leg on the grass, she retains the power of seduction over male victims who she lures into the forest to be killed.

Diablesse Caribbean Rum claims they chose the rum’s moniker as a “powerful symbol of female empowerment”. I guess I question this choice. I see this demon as more of an example of yet another feminine victim. Her empowerment seems to serve the Devil’s purposes rather than her own. (Maybe there is something in the research that I missed.)

Diablesse Clementine Spiced Rum is apparently naturally flavoured with clementine (a hybrid variety of mandarin and sweet oranges which is named for Clément Rodier who first discovered and cultivated the citrus fruit in Algeria). It is also spiced using vanilla pods, ginger, cinnamon and clove. The final spirit is bottled at 40 % alcohol by volume and is currently available in the United Kingdom and Europe.

In The Bottle 4.5/5

A professional bottle shot of Diablesse Clementine Spiced Rum is shown to the left. The bottle is quite nice featuring a corked closure, a somewhat lengthened neck to make gripping and pouring easy and a heavy glass base to give the bottle stability on the rum shelf. The label features a picture of the demon Diablesse. Whereas I find the feminine demaon to a strange choice to symbolize female empowerment, perhaps I am the odd person out in this assessment.

In The Glass  8.5/10

Colour: Amber turning to Copper

Nose: Butterscotch, vanilla and baking spices come forward initially. As the glass breathes the baking spices unravel bringing first cinnamon, then clove and finally hints of ginger and bits of orange peel.

The spices are sort of aggressive indicating the rum will have a bit of bite in the delivery. The overall effect however is pleasant as the flavour and spice mixture seems to be nicely balanced. In the background we notice hints of alcohol, not surprising as the rum is bottled at full strength.

In The Mouth 50.5/60

The spiced rum has a very nice balance of flavour. Although the spices are more aggressive than we typically find in this category of rum, they nevertheless play well with each other and are complimented by a light but firm sweetness of butterscotch. In the background is a light flavour of orange liqueur which is (I assume) the impact of the Clementine flavouring.

Diablesse Clementine Spiced Rum should work very well as a cocktail mixer, and should be able to handle much more than just cola as its companion. Down below I have shared a recipe suggestion which I constructed with the last of my small sample.

In The Throat 12.5/15

The rum has a long spicy finish with the heat of cinnamon and clove tempered just a little by sweet butterscotch. Surprisingly it is the ginger that has the last say as it tickles the tonsils well after the swallow.

The Afterburn 8.5/10

Diablesse Clementine Spiced Rum is a well crafted spirit which plays with aggressive spices and Clementine citrus. Although the spices are aggressive, they stay within the bounds of reasonableness. The spiced rum’s light sweetness coupled with the gentle clementine flavour in the background provides a suitable foil for the somewhat spicy cinnamon, clove and ginger. Vanilla plays its role as well helping everything to merge together in harmony.

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

The Boxcar

1 1/2 oz Diablesse Clementine Spiced Rum
1/3 oz Bols Triple Sec
1/3 oz Orange Juice
1/3 oz Lemon Juice
1/8 oz Sugar Syrup (to taste)
Dash Fees Cocktail Bitters
Ice
Lemon peel

Add the ingredients into a cocktail shaker with ice
Shake until the outside of the shaker begins to frost
Strain into a chilled cocktail glass
Garnish with a thin coil of Lemon peel

Please Enjoy Responsibly!

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

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

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:

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)