The C<>H 2007 phenomenon is rum geekiness at its peak. It's not enough to rave about our favorite distilleries, or even our favorite products from a single distillery. No, you have to rave about different casks of the same distillate produced by the same distillery in the same month.
In case you haven't heard, Hampden Estate in Jamaica distilled a batch of high-ester rum in November 2007. They sold this rum to the Main Rum Company, which aged it in its European warehouse. Once they deemed it old enough, they began selling casks to independent bottlers, who then sold it to consumers.
High-ester rum geeks adore C<>H ’07 to the point that it now has its own cult following. Some seek out as many bottlings as they can to compare the nuances between them. I've only had a few, but each one has been quite extraordinary.
This particular bottling comes to us from the independent German bottler Flensburg Rum Company. At approximately fifteen years and nine months old, it's currently the oldest available bottling of CH '07, due to its being the most recent. At 66.2% ABV, it's also one of the strongest bottlings we've seen.
The first whiff is an olfactory assault. It opens with intense chemical notes like nail polish, super glue, and gasoline. As I get used to the aroma, I start to detect pineapple peel, fermenting muscatel grapes, fruity Tootsie Rolls, fresh hay, and brackish seawater.
On the palate, it's all fruit and fruit-like foods. There's pineapple, lemon-lime soda, watermelon Air Heads, and even more of those fruity Tootsie Rolls. The super glue, nail polish, and seawater linger, but they're merely (albeit unusual) garnishes on this fruit and candy salad. Despite all the confectionery notes, I don't detect butterscotch—many seem to find that note with this brand, but it's never really resonated with me.
