There was a new rum on the shelves this month that featured rums from all over the world. The bottles of Cane Island stated they were either “Single Estate” or “Single Island” and aged anywhere from 3 – 8 years. Intrigued, we decided to explore Cane Island Venezuela 8-year-old to see what this brand is all about.
Cane Island’s website doesn’t read like a producer of rum. Nowhere does it talk about the rich history of rum making or the extent they go to produce, harvest, distill and age the rums. What you do learn is that Cane Island can be found in the United States, Europe, Canada, and Japan, and provides basic “Tasting Notes” about each rum. Curious, we wanted to know who was behind the Cane Island brand.
Infinity Spirits is a rum branding company out of Rotterdam, Netherlands. They help companies create a brand that fills “…the gap between private labels and well-known rum brands…” and creates rum for a specific opportunity or profile the companies are seeking. Cane Island’s profile is “Single Island and Single Estate Rums.” The Single Island rum comes from different distilleries on one island while the Single Estate is sourced from one distillery. To date, Cane Island has rum brands from nine countries.
Cane Island Venezuela is a Single Estate rum distilled at Distillería Sofa. The rum is molasses based, distilled in a column still, and aged for 8 years at the distillery in ex-bourbon barrels. This is a true 8-year-old rum since the solera method is not used.
He Said Rum Review: Cane Island Venezuela 8-Year-Old
Immediately, I pick up some white oak on the nose with vanilla bean and orange peel. The palate is semi-sweet with notes of green banana but it’s the finish that gives me joy. The oak once again comes into play with the orange peel. As I keep sipping, the palate continues to remain subtle with the finish adding cloves and warming my soul. I’m surprised by how this rum finishes based on how underwhelming the palate is. Trying an ice cube in the rum softens the palate and the finish equally. I would stick to sipping this rum neat.
She Said Rum Review: Cane Island Venezuela 8-Year-Old
The bottle makes the rum seem darker than the copper color in the glass. The liquid barely coats the glass with tiny lacing. As the glass sits and opens up, my senses pick up floral notes. However, once at the nose the florals are replaced with orange peel, almonds, and dried fruit. For me, the palate is inviting with baking notes of cinnamon, nutmeg, nuts, and raisins. I almost feel like I’m drinking nut bread. The spices continue on the finish however, unlike Clint, the rum doesn’t linger with me for long.
Overall Rum Review: Cane Island Venezuela 8-Year-Old
For an 8-year-old rum, this is quite good. The ex-bourbon casks definitely give it depth and character. At $30/bottle, we wouldn’t mind trying some of the other rums in this brand.
4 of 5
About Clint and Terry: We have sampled many a dram over our 33 years of marriage and quite often we don’t fully agree. Could be the difference is male/female taste buds. Or, somebody is just wrong.
