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Home » Spirit Reviews » Review: Ron De Jeremy
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Review: Ron De Jeremy

The temptation to attempt a witty and innuendo-laden introduction to a rum named after an ‘adult’ entertainer is almost too tempting to bare. Ron is of course the Spanish word for rum, and so it was only going to be a matter of time before some clever wit hit upon the idea of naming a rum after a ‘Ron’. There is surely no better ‘Ron’ to attract attention to your product than Ron Jeremy and it has certainly attracted some attention. However, to pass as anything more than a marketing gimmick, it’s the liquid that needs to do the talking.

Ron de Jeremy is a 7 year old molasses rum from Panama blended by master distiller ‘Don Pancho’ Fernandez. Mr Fernandez is credited with the creation of several more ‘mainstream’ rums (at least in terms of marketing) and it is his contribution to the creation of this rum that seems to have sparked interest amongst the rum enthusiast community. It is always interesting to see in such situations whether the final product fully exhibits the skills of its blender/producer, or whether quality has taken a back seat to the branding.

Nose: A fairly respectable and middle-of-the-road aroma of molasses, vanilla, toffee, peach and butter predominantly. A touch of citrus and an earthy, vegetal note linger in the background. This is not a nose to get all excited about, but for a 7 year old rum it’s pleasant enough.

Neat: Molasses sweetness rapidly dissolves to reveal a sharp, plasticky mid-palate reminiscent of ‘foam’ banana sweets and burnt nuts. There is a fleeting appearance of some smoother flavours of summer fruits before the palate is blindsided by spicy and smoky oak. I’m all for a bit of a surprise but this doesn’t work for me. These final flavours prevail in the finish which is regrettably reasonably long. Overall, a confusing and unpalatable mix of flavours that aren’t for sipping.

The final nail in the coffin of Ron de Jeremy comes with the mixing. It’s lack of sippability could be forgiven were it to stand up for itself in a cocktail, but instead it rolls over and gives up the fight. Combined with any ingredient remotely assertive in its flavour, Ron elects to sit quietly in the corner hoping that no-one will notice it; and indeed in many cocktails you don’t. Whilst this can be helpful characteristic in a spirit, it’s not one that I would purchase an aged rum for. As soon as it is asked to be the star of the show the result is invariably a limp-tasting libation. It’s not all bad news however, an old fashioned with plenty of bitters was drinkable, as was a pina colada, with the spiced oak finish offering something mildly interesting in each case. None were exciting though, and certainly there are many rums available of higher quality and lower price.

 

Signature Cocktail – Ronacolada

60ml Ron de Jeremy rum
60ml cream of coconut
60ml pineapple juice
Blend all ingredients with a cup of crushed ice and pour into a large cocktail glass. Garnished with a pineapple wedge.

Ron de Jeremy has missed a fantastic opportunity to utilise its light-hearted branding to deliver a great-tasting rum to new consumers. It borders on unpleasant when sipped neat, and offers little better when mixed. For novelty purposes only.

Rating: ★★


Ron de Jeremy is available to buy from Master of Malt.

★: Terrible, only drink for a dare.
★★: Meh, not undrinkable but best left alone.
★★★: Reasonable, middle of the road.
★★★★: Tasty stuff, well worth seeking out.
★★★★★: Incredible, booze doesn’t get better than this. You need a bottle in your life.

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