There’s been a frenzy of social media posts about this rum this month, influenced by our mid-year ranking of a Mai Tai made with this rum being number one of the year as well as a recent fire sale on the product at SoCal retailer Hi-Time Wine Cellars. With the rum dropping in price to under $20 I made sure to secure a bottle to try again at home.
Rare Cane is a new independent bottler with a few expressions available, with this one being the largest in distribution with 1400 bottles. Rare Cane Jamaica Pot Still is a boozy 68% ABV and is finished in madeira style California wine barrels. This is comparable to several Dr. Bird rum expressions finished in similar casks, and both use Worthy Park distillate. Which is to say that it is funky and a total flavor bomb, but more approachable than Dr. Bird’s standard expression aged in Moscatel sherry casks. Rare Cane has more traditional barrel aging notes to my taste and is darker in color than Dr. Bird.
Regular readers know that punchy and higher proof Jamaican rums are my sweet spot for a Mai Tai, and Rare Cane delivers at home nearly as well as it did back in March when Jason Alexander made me one at Devil’s Reef in Tacoma for our best Mai Tai of the year so far. I’m guessing Jason used a little bit of vanilla syrup, since a Mai Tai I made with a quarter ounce of syrup replacing the Demerara seemed closer to what I remembered.
Rare Cane Jamaica Pot Still Rum is a limited release and is worth seeking out if you can still find it.