Do you remember we talked about Rum Runner, a new French bottler? Today I’ll review their third wave but 1st and 2nd releases were the same rums. First wave was at full proof, then the second one reduced to an optimal proof. This time we’ve got four brand new rums, with crazy Street Art labels, that’s quite unusual, I enjoy the visuals. Let’s see what stand behind those labels!
Rum Runner Foursquare 2005-2021 (58.3%, 398 bottles)

Colour: Dark gold.
Nose: Coconuts, coconuts and coconuts. We also have wet wood, caramel, cherry pits, dark chocolate, vanilla, leather, sweet and sour pickles and eucalyptus freshness. The nose is quite monolithic but that’s often the case with Foursquare in my opinion.
Mouth: It’s sweet and accessible with a nice aromatic strength, we found back the aromas we had at nose. Coconuts, vanilla, caramel, chocolate, wood, watermelon candies and brown sugar. It lacks a bit of complexity but it’s balanced and easy to sip.
Finish: Mid-long. Wet wood, tobacco, butter caramel, cherry pits, toasted bread and vanilla.
I’m not a huge fan of Foursquare, this one is great and I enjoyed the few atypical notes probably brought by the finish, but I’m still not part of the audience.
Score: 83
Rum Runner Epris 2011-2021 (52.7%, 393 bottles)

Colour: Gold.
Nose: That’s expressive with a great alcohol integration. It took some time to get the full potential but I really enjoy those aromas, quite surprising. A great dose of butter such as grandma pastries, roasted notes, orange blossom, grapefruits, sulfur, menthol freshness, coffee and vanilla. That’s refined and I love those very present buttery notes!
Mouth: It has a nice oily texture, it’s also more dirty than the nose with aromas such as black fruits, leather, tobacco, butter, orange peels, menthol, some wood, peppermint, white pepper and fuel. It’s more bitter and clearly different than the nose.
Finish: Mid-long. Burnt wood, peppermint, cocoa, mineral notes, « poire-Williams » and some roasted notes.
This one is clearly surprising, I really felt in love with the nose, I enjoyed slightly less the mouth and the finish for their bitterness but it’s still the best Epris I tasted to date!
Score: 86
Rum Runner Worthy Park 2006-2021 (54.5%, 381 bottles)

Colour: Very nice gold.
Nose: Back to something more familiar. Apples, pears, mangoes, cider, white pepper, wet wood, honey grapes, metallic notes, black fruits, vanilla, liquorice stick and some nutmeg.
Mouth: It’s sweet with a nice alcohol integration as well. Apples, metallic notes, honey, wet wood, leather, blackcurrant, mangoes, peppermint, tobacco, tannins, fuel and chilies.
Finish: Mid-long. Vanilla cream, peppermint, floral notes and some forest berries.
A simple and well executed Worthy Park rum, more spicy than what we are used to.
Score: 83
Rum Runner Enmore (Versailles) 1991-2021 (53.2%, 332 bottles)

Colour: Copper.
Nose: Something close to a Formula 1 starting grid, heated tarmac and burnt tyres. Burnt rubber, fuel, blackcurrant, leather, raspberries, mangoes, quinces, blueberries, plums, strong coffee and butter caramel.
Mouth: Very nice alcohol integration, easy sipper alert. Black fruits, leather, rubber, quinces, mangoes, fuel, vanilla cream, blueberries, eucalyptus, black grapes, plums, espresso, wood, tannins, mint and some spicy notes. It seems that dirtyness was the main word of this release wave, right?
Finish: Mid-long and refined. Burnt butter caramel, popcorns, brown sugar, vanilla, coffee beans and some floral notes.
This one is dirty, woody and very pleasant showing a very nice balance. This is a very solid KFM bottling, very good job!
Score: 90
One more time Rum Runner show consistency in important facts such as alcohol integration and quality, offering 4 very different bottlings addressed to different publics. We had some serious stuff and I’ll keep in memory this surprising Epris (the best I’ve taste to date so far) and a very nice ’91 Kenneth Francis Mackenzie easy sipper. Good job Sylvain for these selections, cheers!

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