Angel's Share Title
Ten to One Caribbean White Rum
The Ten to One product line is the brainchild of creator Marc-Kwest Farrell, former Starbucks Vice President, and spirit brand entrepreneur. First released in 2020 in New York, the Ten to One rum line has quickly expanded its distribution across the United States. I was glad to finally see it on the shelves at one of my local stores and snapped up a bottle to review for Got Rum? Magazine. Ten to One Caribbean White Rum is a blend of unaged Dominican Republic Column Still rums and Jamaican High Ester Pot Still Rums blended to 45% ABV in Jacksonville, Florida and is unfiltered and additive free.
Ten to One Caribbean White Rum
Appearance
The short necked 750 ml bottle has a clear security band holding a wooden capped synthetic cork to the bottle. The label is loaded with information about the rum, including a message from the owner, as well as basic tasting notes. The liquid in the bottle and in the glass is clear, but has distillate floating in it. This is solid confirmation that the rum is unfiltered. Swirling the liquid creates a medium band around the glass that slowly thickens and drops thick fast moving legs.
Nose
The aroma is tropical fruit-forward, with notes of ripe bananas, fresh cut pineapple, orange and lemon zest, as well as white pepper and lemongrass.
Palate
Sipping the rum reveals an interesting balance of flavors. Floral notes take the high notes, while a foundation is formed with mineral and citrus zest notes. The mid-line is filled with the tropical fruit flavors from the aroma. Additional sips reveal the floral notes to be vanilla flower, jasmine and herbal tea, while the tropical notes are confirmed to be pineapple, banana, with the addition of fresh melon and a hint of honey. The mineral notes add just the right amount of earthiness to the profile, with a light coppery metallic twang. The zest helps unite and bind all the flavors together in long, herbal, sweet finish.
Review
By the time I was able to acquire a bottle, I had seen a great deal written about the rum and its owner. Recently, the artist Ciara signed on as a partner of Ten to One which makes me hope that the brand will be adding to its portfolio in the future. The rum is surprisingly well balanced and engineered to be what I see as a Swiss army knife work horse rum. I discussed the rum with friends who have been using it for a while and it appears to exceed expectations when used in a Daiquiri and leads to well balanced tropical cocktails that have unsweetened natural juices. Artificial flavors and the mineral note can be combative depending on the drink so experiment accordingly. As I mentioned, the distribution of this rum has led to it being readily available in most states and through online retailers. If you are looking for a new base rum to use with your cocktails, it may just serve you well to give this one a try.
