New Rum Review: Westerhall Estate

Thanks for the updated review on a newer bottle. I saw this hit the shelves again recently at several larger stores here after being absent for a while, now with wax covering again. Apparently makers mark sued this company over them using wax to cover the cork, I assume this was resolved.

In my collection I have three older bottles. Two absent of wax with a foil green covering from batch number 8008 which seems to follow the same production methods as far as I can tell from your batch. While the label does not state it is a molasses golden rum that is mixed with the cane juice its a fair assumption based on taste.

The two bottles from 8008 have a “plumy” sediment that settles to the bottom middle of the bottle that looks like smoke with a light brown residue on the bottle of the bottlem, which resolve for a while when shaken. Like a camp fire if you will. This would seem to either indicate non chill filtering from the barrels almost like a fine bourbon I could see the last dram from a bottle of this really being something special. These were purchased a few years ago off a bottom dusty shelve at a liquor outlet next to some crappy wine. I had one bottle which prompted the purchase of the last two they had for the collection with the extra if I wanted to drink one.

The other bottle was purchased much longer ago I assume and I found at an estate sale. This one has a full black wax leaking down the sides with a different bottle style. This as I understand on the label was made from 100% cane juice and then aged for a full 6 years in charred oak barrels. A real collectors item. I brought it to the estate auctioneer in the home with a bunch of other items. He said I’m sorry I can’t sell you that I don’t have the license to sell it. I was let down but did not argue the point. After paying for the other items I left it on the table and was walking away. He said wait what are you doing? I said what? He said I said I can’t sell that to you… Just take it. So I got it for free.

The cane juice is not so hard to take in from angostura. The new influx I noticed of this rum may be because they no longer produce 10 cane rum which was mostly cane juice if I’m not mistaken. They probably needed a new buyer and the logical choice was a current partner. Hence the massive influx I have seen of this rum onto shelves again after a long time missing. I will have to pick up a new bottle and maybe compare it with the 8008 batch. Maybe ill find the same batch as yours as I did not take note of all the batch numbers available in my area but it seems like its worth a shot based on your review.