Description
All the way from Panama – this rum is crafted to an exacting standard. Distilled at an unnamed single distillery from molasses ‘beer’ in modern, multi-columned stills, aged in white oak ex-bourbon casks and finished in Moscatel Casks – the Mezan ‘Chiriquí’ is a sensational rum to be enjoyed both neat, and in your favourite cocktails.
Mezan’s motto is ‘The Untouched Rum’ and they mean it! Unsweetened, uncoloured, un chill-filtered and aged in oak casks until they reach their optimal maturity. Mezan represents the purest and most authentic style of the Caribbean’s rums.
This single distillery, small batch rum is distilled in multi-column stills in Panama. It is aged in ex-bourbon casks and finished in Moscatel casks. In case you’re wondering about the ‘Chiriquí’ name – it’s rather simple, Chiriquí is a province of Panama that features a variety of climates, from hot and humid lowlands to the cool and moist highlands. The district is home to the Fortuna Forest Reserve. The intricate design on the bottle label and box features art motifs and designs of the local rainforest tribes.
The Chiriquí labels states a ‘tropical ageing’ time of 3yrs. This means that the rum was aged in ex-bourbon at the distillery in Panama (ie ‘the tropics’) for 3 years prior to it being shipped for further ageing and finishing in Mezan’s London bond-store. Once in London, it was re-casked into new ex-bourbon casks, aged some more and then transferred to moscatel casks for finishing. They don’t specify how long it was aged or finished once out of Panama.
Our Tasting Notes
Nose: Alcohol up front on the nose, but pancakes with icecream and maple syrup not far behind!
Palate: Much gentler than I was expecting based on the nose – the alcohol certainly doesn’t upstage the delightfully creamy mouthfeel. Caramel milkshake notes with little if any pepper. And is that ‘Strawberry & Cream‘ lollies on the side – I think so!
Finish: Sees a mellow warming develop. Fruit notes (raspberries?) swirl in and out.
From Mezan
The Chiriquí is a single-distillery, soft molasses-based rum. The distillery it comes from grows its own cane for the production of both aguardiente and rum and also cultivates historical yeast cultures which add character and individuality. The rum in this small batch have been aged twice in separate sets of white oak American Bourbon casks, to give added structure to the spirit.
MEZAN Chiriquí is a true Panamanian rum, luscious and round, finished in a moscatel cask adding depth to it. A must try! Chiriquí can be enjoyed neat, as well as in sophisticated cocktails. The powerful aromas will give your most refined cocktails excellent structure and a distinctive character.
A nice golden tint. An intense nose of spices, vanilla, pepper and light oak notes. Backed by stone fruits and coconut aromas. The palate is subtle, round and elegant, lightly woody which develops into spicy and refreshing peppery notes on the finish.
