Review: Rums of Holmes Cay, 2025 Releases
Holmes Cay is back with a bevy of new rums — three from the long-running Single Cask series and one from the Single Origin series. You probably don’t need a big introduction on this high-quality indie bottler, so let’s dive right into the collection.
Holmes Cay Single Origin Reunion Island Rum Traditionnel Review
Holmes Cay Single Origin Edition #4. This style of rum is immediately unusual: molasses-based rum produced in the French style on a column still like rhum agricole. (Agricole is invariably made from sugar cane juice.) Described as an ingredient once essential for tiki cocktails, this style of rum has not been commonly available in the U.S. for decades. This rum, from Distillerie de Savanna on Reunion Island (near Madagascar), is aged for three years in ex-Cognac casks and was bottled in New York.
Bright and pretty on the nose — very tropical with aromas of overripe pineapple, almond syrup, and a pinch of Tajin spice. Red fruits build with time in glass, counterbalanced by touches of coconut. The palate falls in along the above lines, again kicking off with pineapple before moving into a sharper lime zest note and finishing up with light florals. As a base for a mai tai, I don’t think you could do much better. 92 proof. A- / $45
Holmes Cay Single Cask Rum Guyana Versailles 2018 Review
A 5 year old molasses rum — a single, unblended mark — from one of Guyana’s heritage stills — dating back to the 18th century. It’s a simple rum, very grassy on the nose, with ample notes of overripe fruit and charred wood evident. Racy on the nose and the palate, with ripe banana and ample caramel notes, but a rather gritty, peppery finish. Grilled pineapple notes perk up the conclusion, but this nonetheless largely comes across as a curiosity for those interested in this particular mark. 110 proof. B / $82
Holmes Cay Single Cask Rum Trinidad 2012 12 Years Old Review
This was once 10 Cane light cane juice-based pot still rum, distilled in 2012 and aged in ex-Cognac and ex-rum barrels for 12 years. Aged 4 years in the tropics and 8 in the UK and New York state. This is released every year as a developing vertical release; you can see our coverage of the 11 year old here.
As with the 11 year old, this has a thick vein of toasted marshmallow and brown banana, with a walnut note giving the rum a brown butter character. Slightly oily, the floral notes of the 2024 edition are fading here, letting the nuttier qualities of the rum build — coconut in particular pairing nicely with lingering pineapple, caramel sauce, vanilla, and some mango. Considerably more tropical than previous renditions — it’ll be interesting to see where this goes when it hits 13 years old. 118 proof. A- / $160
Holmes Cay Single Cask Rum Fiji 2009 13 Years Old Review
Fiji is no stranger to Holmes Cay. This is at least the third Fiji expression in the Single Cask lineup, and a veritable youth at just 13 years of age (aged entirely in the UK). The tropicality doesn’t wander far, offering a nose of ultra-ripe pineapple and banana, backed up by a light creosote note that evokes charred marshmallow skins and cooked plantains. Crisp on the palate, it’s racy at full proof but its exuberant tropical fruit is impossible to avoid, providing a tempering quality to the heat. Elements of lime leaf, overripe banana, and a pinch of gunpowder all come into play on what is a gorgeous rum that’s riding at the peak of its maturity. 116 proof. A- / $150
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