On the nose you are met with the familiar herbal and pine cone notes of St Lucian Rum. Not quite grassy or salty but kind of in-between.

So this expression is younger than the previous Admiral Rodney (which is now the HMS Royal Oak) so it will be interesting to see how it compares. Other than the fact the rum has also been aged in ex-bourbon casks, I cannot think of any other information you may need at this stage. So without further ado I may as well let you all know how I found this rum.It’s a very easy-going, well-balanced and very tasty rum. Do not worry that it is all column distilled – it still has a lot of character. The finish on this rum isn’t perhaps all it could have been though. It is quite short. Most of the flavour is delivered on the initial sip and mid palate. The finish fades quite sharply leaving behind only really some spicy oaky notes. It’s not a bad finish but it is a little short.

Until recently, however, I had never tasted any of the products from St. Lucia Distillers, and thus had never sampled Saint Lucian rum. That changed recently thanks to some samples from current parent company Spiribam, the spirits division of Groupe Bernard Hayot (GBH). GBH is a major player in nearby Martinique’s rhum agricole industry, owning sister brands Rhum Clemént and Rhum J.M. The products of SDL, meanwhile, might be thought of as the molasses-based flip side to the coin of those classic French-style agricoles. The finish is really good with a hit of nail varnish and a really nice weight of oak spices ginger and some lemon zest. This has a really nice balance all the way through it. Aside from the short finish I really enjoy Admiral Rodney HMS Princessa. It may be a little “simple” for some palates but I find it a good solid sipper with no off notes.In the glass Admiral Rodney Saint Lucia Rum HMS Princessa is a vivid orange/brown almost Mahogany colour. The nose is immediately recognisable as a Saint Lucia Distillers rum. Which for me, is definitely a good thing. Sipped it is quite sweet with a good hit of demerara sugar, raisins and toffee. It’s quite light but very well-balanced. The mid palate reveals a smokiness, alongside some nice spicy bourbon-esque notes – zesty lemon and a good balance provided by some slightly sweet tobacco/leather notes. Overall, at this price point especially, I find myself wishing for a bit more complexity or at least a bit of a bump in proof point. With that said, I feel like the Admiral Rodney line is meant to deliver these sort of streamlined, dark sugar flavors. Admiral Rodney is a line of St. Lucia-based rums from Spiribam, which is best known as the home of Rhum J.M, Clement, and other island rums. Admiral Rodney hasn’t been readily available in the U.S., but that changed last year when Spiribam brought the brand here in earnest. Three editions were launched in 2019 — each named after one of Admiral Georges Rodney’s naval ships; the rum we reviewed above seems to still be around, but it may be more difficult to find. From speaking with representatives of Saint Lucia Distillers GBH found the sheer amount of marques used in some of the SLD rums to be very much at odds with what they have done for many years with Agricole rhums. With that in mind it is perhaps not surprising to see one of SLD’s more “simple” blends, all column get a re-vamp.

Admiral Rodney Saint Lucia Rum HMS Princessa. Regular readers should by now be familiar with Saint Lucia Distillers. We have featured all their Chairman’s Reserve range as well as all 6 of their annual 1931 series. We’ve also covered their Bounty Rum and one or two independent offerings. Admiral Rodney Saint Lucia Rum was actually one of the first “Premium” rums I ever tried. I’m still going to add some cola to the rum. It makes a lovely rum and cola with a few ice cubes and only a small amount of cola. The fruitiness combines with the cola beautifully and the oakiness also adds something to the drink. The nose is quite minty – spearmint and a touch of menthol. Further nosing reveals some toffee and milk chocolate. Following on from this is a good weight of spicy and quite fresh oak. This is a quite vibrant and punchy rum. A touch medicinal. That said it is quite a bit more expensive than the HMS Royal Oak and I wouldn’t say it is streets ahead of it overall. There are plenty of the 1931 rums still available and the new 1931 is due soon as well so these rums might struggle to find a following. Many will be turned off by it being all column and “only” 40% ABV.Some may turn their nose up at such things. I was fortunate enough to tr ia y the original Admiral Rodney long before I understood all things Pot and Column – I’ve always been glad I didn’t have such reservations about the rum. The original Admiral Rodney has long been a solid go to rum, when I want something not to challenging or aggressive.