Not quite a 6, but still pretty good. The red wine barrel comes out just a bit. A little more aging to soften the burn would have raised the rating. Mixed wasn’t as good as straight. Appreciate the specific bottle information.

I was lucky to find a tiki bar in Chicago that still had a bottle with just enough left for me to have the last two drinks of it. It was blissful! I had already have a few cocktails prior, so my overall recollection of the flavors is a little muddy, I just remember it was better than the '07 and '09, utterly flavorful, nose was incredible and it left me with a very warm and happy feeling all night. It was THAT good! Hopefully, someday I can track another bottle of that down again. I NEED that in my home collection!

I did not have super high hopes for this one, but it surprised me.  A nice nose. And the flavor straight was sweet, with little afterburn.  Vanilla and some burnt oak flavors.  Struggled for the sherry, but maybe that was the extra sweetness. 

Went looking for a different local rum, but they were out and the proprietor recommended this one as it had a vanilla flavor, but did not have vanilla added.  I caught a little of it straight, certainly sweet, but a bit of a burn.  Mixed wasn’t anything special, but I could smell vanilla.  I did like the composition of the various rums that were listed on the bottle.  Oh, and I believe this could also be listed as the Rum Cooperative Vol. 1.

After having the XO, I had higher hopes for this one. Alas, it did not meet them.  This one had an artificial taste that did not improve with airing or mixing. 

Avast! Hang me for a lewd cur, but this be better than expected! On the nose, she has what ya might expect from a traditional rum: oak, vanilla, maybe a wee bit of caramel, but hidin' under that be somethin' fatty. Not buttery... fatty, like Fatty, the cook we "acquired" on our most recent... "job". Anyhoo, as taste goes, there be a fierce sweetness that comes on board first with a wee bit of cola hidin' in its shadow. From there, a bit of a burn kicks in and swerves the sweetness inta somethin' like a torched stone fruit. That retreats quickly inta an obvious, lusty tequila flavor that not be bad at all. At the very, very end, the sweet comes back to haunt ya... but in a friendly way, not in a drag-me-to-hell way. Might this be good for sippin'? Aye! She holds 'er own without any sort of nonsense pollutin' it. She may be an unholy mix of two upstandin' spirits, but there be strength in numbers - and she be ready to prove 'er mettle to ya. Arrgh!

Got this recently in a charity auction. Pretty good but a bit astringent for a higher rating.

I was fortunate enough to be given a shot of this at a tiki bar in Chicago when I struck up a great conversation with the bartender. I told him I really liked the Clairin Le Rocher, so he had me try this one. It was fantastic. Loved the flavor profile (which, as with most Clairin's, is really hard to nail down and put to words). Its funky, but its flavorful and much smoother than I expected for a Haitian Agricole. I will be adding a bottle of this to my bar. Very good stuff!

Anyone who knows the Phillips brand knows it's all rot-gut stuff that you typically only get when you're underage, don't have much money, don't know how much it actually costs, and the runner hates you and your friends and keeps a bigger cut of the cash you give them. It's cheaper to go to your parents' car and just siphon off some gas and mix that.
***DISCLAIMER***
(Okay, my lawyer just advised me to add, I don't really want you or anyone to drink gas from your parents' car. Siphon it from a lawnmower instead. What? I can't say that either? WTH?!).

I've sipped this straight and had it in a few tiki cocktails. It's a solid rum which should be a staple for most rum enthusiasts who want a basic but quality aged rum mixer. I would recommend this to have in a bar collection, especially if you like tiki cocktails. But if you want a sipper or something with more character, move up to the 12 year.

This comes across differently from previous releases. 2018 was transcend ental, 2020 simply very good, this though is different again.
Smell, I get complex layers of sugar, white and brown, with something rich and slightly herbaceous underneath.
Taste is something nearer to agave than cane, it's got that mescal like weird rubber vibe, with lots of complex 'green' sugar notes and an evolving finish.
Overall, it's the most sippable clairin I've tried neat, but it's also the least like clairin I've tried. On one level I'm intrigued, on the other disappointed. Weirdly, I bought this for cocktails, but I actually think it'll be swamped in a Hurricane, and I'm inclined instead to drink this neat.
Strange drink, odd times.

A slight upgrade from the standard HC white, this has a little bit more character and works better in a mojito than the white. Good in mojitos and rum and cokes, but I don't see it being worth much more than that. I would add it to my bar collection, but just for when I have guests who don't appreciate good rums and are rum and coke types.

I typically only have this when I'm overseas and in bars and hotel bars that have limited good rum choices. It's fine in a mojito, but I wouldn't use it in much else. Not good, not bad, just right in the middle and inoffensive.

I've only drunk this in Tom & Jerry's in the wintertime. It's alright. Not offensive, and does the job. Not something I would stock other than to give it to guests I don't want to have the good stuff. But it's decent for the price.

Even as a mixer, there isn't much use for this product. I find it bitter, aggressively bitter, with no redeeming quality other than it has alcohol in it. Outside of that, best avoided if you can. If that is all a bar has, well, switch to beer.

Only got it for a 'Dark and Stormy' some people visiting me wanted to drink. It's alright. Better than the flagship bottle, but still not my thing. I find Kraken a little better, but both are not rums I would seek out to drink or add to my collection.

You all know it. Best thrown in with coke. Not much more use for it. It is what it is. This wont ever stock my shelf. But if you like it, you like it.

Have used this in Mai Tai's and Jet Pilots and it works really well. Not their best rum, but very versatile for tiki cocktails!

I've tried this straight and in a Hemingway Daiquiri. It's surprisingly good and makes for a very tasty Daiquiri. If you come across this, don't be afraid to try it! Very nice rum!

Purchased this and as usual, was not disappointed. Although it's very similar to the 2009, this is still a fantastic rum, always ready to please the pallet. Highly recommend!

I managed to track this down in a Tiki bar in Chicago, they didn't have much left in the bottle. Oh my goodness, so good. So tasty. So satisfying. Wish I could find a full bottle of this for sale, and for less than the cost of a night at a 4-star luxury hotel.

I just started drinking rum. Friend got me hooked after a Don Pappa Barokko.
This rum was one of the first intasted after that. Was nice but bit "sharp" for me.

Better than it's 1999 brother, a bit sweet, a bit of funk, not as much aok/"cigar" on the palate. Pleasant while not yet excellent.

Agricol rum, very oaky/cigar tasting, with a strong funk. Not really to my state. I prefered the Selecao 2005, more round, less cigar-y.

Notes légères de vanille, notes de caramel, de bois, finale un peu mince et chaleur d'alcool bien présente. Généralement agréable, bon sans atteindre l'excellence.