Aroma visualization from community tastings
Chairman's Reserve Master's Selection (Rum Exchange) 1999
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Smoke, charred oak and dark chocolate lead here, with red fruit (cherry, redcurrant) and a menthol streak weaving through. This 21-year John Dore pot still bottling at 67% is a heavy, dark, tannic beast. Several tasters warn it needs a long rest or it'll scorch your nose. Once open: espresso, tobacco, leather, dried fruit. Bitter, oaky finish divides people.
The community says- Complex nose
- Smoky roasted depth
- But: Bitter tannic finish
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The look inside the bottle
How does Chairman's Reserve Master's Selection (Rum Exchange) 1999 taste?
Aggregated from 51 community reviews.
Dark, smoky, very woody cask-strength sipper Loved for its complexity and dark, smoky depth, but the wood, tannins and high heat push it far. Give it a long rest; even fans call the finish bitter.
People who love dark, heavily oaked, high-ABV tropical-aged rum
Anyone put off by heat, bitterness or heavy wood
Style & occasion: Mature & oakySipping neat
Full aroma profile Aroma families · nose & palate · top aromas
27 of 51 left detailed tasting impressions · Click an aroma to explore similar rums
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Fruitier
Romdeluxe Chairman's Reserve Master Selection (Romdeluxe) 2000
8.8/10188 €
Milder
Chairman's Reserve Master's Selection (The Whisky Exchange) 2006
8.6/10
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First choice: 20 of 23 tasters who tried both prefer it.
Community voices
What does the community say?
51 community reviews
21 selected write-ups on this page, all of them in the RumX app
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Ranges include their upper bound: “7–8” means above 7 up to and including 8. See the full rating guide
Positive from 8.0 · Mixed 6.0–7.9 · Critical below 6.0
Review by Dr.Django
Most helpful positive review
Tasted again after about two years. You would think that such a high alcohol content would be nothing more than a side note for me. Unfortunately, this is not the case. Great aromas, which many tasters have already mentioned, which are unfortunately encapsulated in an alcohol shell. third tasting, -2 points
Review by Pavel Spacek
Most helpful mixed review
Strong, intense, full of flavors. Unfortunately I do not like the profile
Review by mto75
On the I was also already curious, because the 21-year-old 2000 RdL was a real grenade. The first impression at the RE is also positive, pretty heavy part, with red fruits and tobacco. However, as it dwells in the glass, tannins and something slightly acidic come through clearly. Charred barrel and dried fruit on the palate, tannins and black tea on the finish. Already quite extreme the bottling. The RdL - although also 21-year-old - I found a little more balanced.
Review by Timo Groeger
I have to say I really like this Chairmans. The nose is very roasty, spicy and smoky. On the palate, the wood adds to the characteristics mentioned above. If you let it breathe a little, the alcohol is also well integrated.
Review by zabo
Franconian Tasting Gang Tried a few side by side again. But since I don’t like the profile right now, I lowered it a bit. At the Community Tasting Nuremberg, the big cross-testing of the Chairman’s bottlings was the motto. First of all, I liked them all. Until then, I only knew the Kirsch and Perola bottlings. I was surprised that the flavor profiles were so different and yet there was no really bad one, but also none that really stood out from the others. But when you see what you get for your money with Chairman’s in return, I really have to say CLASS. I will probably expand my collection in this area without guilt.
Review by Joachim Guger
Red fruit, smoky and lots of honey. Measured by age great wood maturity. Alcohol well integrated. Great nose, very complex and interesting.In the mouth then very woody and spicy. Caraway and pepper. Beautiful plastic knots 😃and already also strong.Great rum, so far the best St.Lucia I had.
Review by Kevin Sorensen 🇩🇰
This one needs to rest for a good while or it'll try to burn the hairs in your nose and on your tongue 😊 Really well balanced once rested and all flavours are released. Lightly fruity with nice roasted wood. I love the menthol in the profile. The empty glass is really nice and there are additional chocolate flavours and a nice smoky touch.
Review by crazyforgoodbooze
The nose is really fun even after 1-2 hours of breathing. Taste-wise, this one is definitely over the top for me with too much wood, acid, smoke and fermented notes. Extreme punch in your face and still good drinkable for 67.1% but for me just no longer Harmonious and too extremely fermented sourish. Since the rumstylez can clearly more!
Review by Jakob
Very complex, tropical fruits, tea, barrel notes, a whole smorgasbord of spices, coffee, floral hints...the only criticism is that this distillate should have found its way out of the barrel into the bottle a little earlier in my opinion, as the bitterness and roasted aromas are already quite pronounced. Enough for me thanks to the complexity overall yet for a very good rating.
Review by Gregor
Quite a bomb. Very exciting and complex in the nose with red fruits paired with menthol. (great combo). On the palate very intense woody with many dark tones. The finish is a bit too bitter for me with too many tannins.
Review by Alex Kunath
Simply strong!
Review by Thunderbird
A good complex St. Lucia! If the alcohol would be a little better integrated, the rating could be better!Otherwise, it offers the complete package with gentle fruit on the nose, woody roasted notes and espresso! Later more Rtg. dried fruit!The finish is medium long after green apple and astringent!
Review by Serge
Wood water in a good way. Definitely borderline but if you like long tropical aging, you'll get your money's worth here.
Review by TheRhumhoe
Clearly not the lightest Chairman! The nose is intense and takes a long time to mellow. A bit alcoholic at first, smoky notes take over, followed by spices (chili, pepper, vanilla), wood, tobacco, and leather. Red fruits (cherry) gain ground with aeration, while a slight popcorn scent comes through the nose. The dry and powerful side sets the tone for what follows. The attack on the palate is warm, lively with smoky and roasted notes. The woodiness is very present with leather and other dark notes of dark chocolate and espresso. The spices (chili, pepper) are not left behind. Dried fruits, red fruits, tobacco, and burnt sugar darken this already quite dark profile for the region even more. The intensity comes at the expense of the aromas, somewhat hidden and often in the same register compared to other vintages. The alcohol is strong, to be consumed in micro-sips. The finish is very long, focused on empyreumatic and dark aromas (smoky/roasted, wood, tobacco, leather, dark chocolate, espresso). A fine hint of dried fruits and menthol emerges behind the bitterness and astringency of the tannins. A rum with a strong character, very powerful and empyreumatic, with undeniable qualities but to be savored with caution and patience.
Review by Jarek
Chairman’s tasting with 3x Vendome (Evanius Harris, RMW, Rum&Co), 1x Vendome & John Dore Blend (Nectar) and 2x John Dore (Kirsch, Rum Exchange). The Vendome bottlings are a bit dirtier and medicinal, the John Dore fruitier. Of the Vendome, Evanius Harris was the most harmonious for me. Among the John Dore, Rum Exchange would have won if it weren't so woody (best on the nose), so I liked Kirsch better. Overall, the No. 1 was the Nectar, which combined the best of both styles, mild, tasty and perfectly matured. Great nose, but on the palate and finish a bit too woody for my taste.
Review by Michael Ihmels 🇩🇪
Wow, next up a Chairmans again... still one of my favorite distilleries. Very complex both on the nose and taste. Fruits like red currants are clearly recognizable. Thumbs up.
Review by Roman Staroń
High strength but complex and beautiful rum. Not for everyday drinking but for holidays and special occasions.
Review by Fuwi
An incredibly complex rum that cost us a lot of time. We both needed 1 hour with a 5cl sample and have no official final result. We are my best friend Andi and I, currently on vacation in Thailand with our families. Let's start with this rum: it should be police-prohibited to drink it without a resting time of 20! At first sip, burnt tires with toilet cleaner, bitter, almost undrinkable. After a while, it slowly opens up and it becomes fun to try to get into it. Then dark chocolate, 90% cocoa content and thus a certain bitterness. Bergamot joins in - amazing! It becomes fruitier, also rounder and more pleasing. All in all probably one of the most interesting samples, but definitely not a rum we need in the cabinet. After reviewing other tasting notes, we do find ourselves there. But my goodness, where the hell do you taste honey? I'm a hobby beekeeper and know how it tastes - I definitely couldn't find that aroma. Kindly meant 8.0 points.
Review by Rene Pfeiffer
These Chairman's are just great. Very intense. But this one is very woody. The Rum Styles is rounder in direct comparison.
Review by Alexander Rasch
What an intense dark rum. Lots of smoke and roasted aromas. The alcohol is very well integrated. Nice and warm and there is really a lot to discover. The age comes through brutally again on the finish. I really like it. Would love more of that.
Review by Nicholas Hardy
Was skeptical because I don’t really care for menthol on the nose or pallet but I like this! Major spice bomb finish, dry and it’s lingers. As it sat it gives a balanced vanilla cherry cough syrup nose. On the pallet vanilla, cherry, then the spice swoops ya up. ABV is very drinkable numbs the tounge and lips a bit. 😜
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Expert reviews
2 critics scored it, averaging 8.4/10. Reviews from RumX's blog partners, independent experts who have tasted, evaluated, and described this rum.
Expert review by Single Cask Rum
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Expert review by The Dunder Hut
Community shelf
26 bottles logged by 18 collectors.
A collector's bottle.
15% opened, 2 emptied.
What did the community pay for Chairman's Reserve Master's Selection (Rum Exchange) 1999?
Community paid 181–208 €.
Purchase prices reported by members, not a shop price. Avg. 177 €. Full price & collection history in RX+ →
26 purchased · 51 tasted · 11 wishlist · as of
Details about Chairman's Reserve Master's Selection (Rum Exchange) 1999
A Pot Still Rum from Saint Lucia, distilled by Saint Lucia Distillers, at 67,1%.
Read on in the RumX Guide
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