Brinley Coffee Rum

Brinley Coffee Rum 

When we travel the Caribbean, one of our favorite things to do is find the rums unique to a specific island. When we visited St. Kitts for the first time, I knew that they did not have a distillery, but did have a rum line that called the island home. St. Kitts Brinley Gold Shipwreck rum company has one spiced and four flavored rums in the line. The molasses based rum is sourced by the company, then brought to St. Kitts where it is blended and bottled.

The Coffee rum is blended with natural Brazilian Coffee and bottled at 72 proof.

Appearance/Presentation

The Brinley line uses a tall 750 ml bottle.  The screw cap is secured to the bottle using a silver and black security cap that opens with an easy pull tab. The rum, no surprise, has a dark brown color. I agitated the glass to see if there was any sign of distillate. I did not see anything but was surprised at the way the rum clung to the side of the glass developing slow moving legs.

Nose

When I poured the rum there was an immediate rush of coffee bean, warm sweet toffee, and a light note of almond.

Palate

The entry was an interesting experience with the strength of the bitter coffee popping on the center of the tongue while the rum lit the front of my tongue up with a pop of alcohol. The second sip followed the same pattern but the coffee note was lighter allowing me to pick up notes of toffee, that transitions to sticky sweet crème brûlée. This sweet caramel-vanilla combination fades into the finish.

Review

I have had experience with two other rums that used coffee as primary flavors. One was acceptable and the other was absolutely dreadful. I found that Brinley Gold Coffee rum was a nicely balanced product. The sweetness absolutely buries the bitterness of the coffee creating more of mocha profile that is easy to enjoy.

I wrote this on a chilly December day and immediately wanted to mix it with cocoa. So I did using a 1.5 oz. shot mixed with cocoa. The taste created reminded me of a caramel macchiato and was quite good. The rum manages to tickle the tongue as the cocoa played with the other flavors creating a simple and enjoyable cocktail. Just add whipped cream and you have a nice warm cocktail for a cold winter day.

-Review written by Mr. Paul Senft- 

My name is Paul Senft - Rum Reviewer, Tasting host, Judge and Writer. My exploration of Rums began by learning to craft Tiki cocktails for friends. I quickly learned that not all rums are

created equally and that the uniqueness of the spirit can be as varied as the locales they are from. This inspired me to travel with my wife around the Caribbean, Central America, and United States visiting distilleries and learning about how each one creates their rums. I have also had the pleasure of learning from bartenders, brand ambassadors, and other enthusiasts from around the world; each one providing their own unique point of view, adding another chapter to the modern story of rum.

The desire to share this information led me to create www.RumJourney.com where I share my experiences and reviews in the hopes that I would inspire others in their own explorations. It is my wish in the pages of “Got Rum?” to be your host and provide you with my impressions of rums available in the world market. Hopefully my tasting notes will inspire you to try the rums and make your own opinions. The world is full of good rums and the journey is always best experienced with others. Cheers!