Kellerei der BASF Hochfeiner Original Batavia Arrak
Nobody saw this coming from a chemical company's wine cellar — and it turned into the surprise favorite of a whole arrak tasting. Think Savanna Grand Arôme relocated to Indonesia: overripe tropical fruit, strawberry, briny olive, roasted nuts and cream toffee, with a menthol-candy twist. At 60% it drinks rounder than you'd expect. High-ester and funky, but it barely tastes like classic Batavia arrak at all.
The community says- High-ester funk
- Olive & strawberry
- But: Polarizing
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The look inside the bottle
How does Kellerei der BASF Hochfeiner Original Batavia Arrak taste?
Aggregated from 12 community reviews.
Funky high-ester arrak, Savanna-style A genuine surprise hit — tasters keep reaching for the Savanna Grand Arôme comparison. Loud, funky and complex; one reviewer found it lemony and divisive, but most were won over.
funk chasers and Savanna Grand Arôme fans
anyone expecting a classic Batavia arrak
How the community classifies this rum. Each category takes you to similar rums.
Which glass for which rum? The community guide →
9 of 12 left detailed tasting impressions · Click an aroma to explore similar rums
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Highlights from the community
How is Kellerei der BASF Hochfeiner Original Batavia Arrak rated?
RumX’s 0–10 scale is strict: 7.9 sits in the “Good” band. 91% of tasters rate it Good or better; only 0% rate it below average. See the full rating guide →
Community voices
What does the community say?
67% rate it between 6 and 8. 8 selected write-ups from 12 community ratings. You can view the complete list in our app.
Review by cigares
Arra(c)k 2.0 tasting by Artur. A very fruity nose with yellow fruit (apple), cashew nuts, strawberry candy and very well-integrated wood. Yellow fruit on the palate with toffee, discreet wood, olive, red fruit and yogurt. The finish is rather long, with yellow fruit and wood. The wood lingers for a very long time. A very original bottle with a beautiful label and you can't help but think of a Grand Arôme de Savanna here. My favorite so far!
Review by Alex1981
Wow, Savanna goes Indonesia! Unerwartete Intensität mit Erdbeeren, tropischen Früchten und Milchsäure. Cremig & Funky, langes Finish. Super! Arra(c)k Attack 2.0 Tasting mit Artur einmal quer durch, von richtig fiesem Verschnitt bis zu erstaunlich guten Vertretern alles dabei. Tolle Reise zu dieser mir bis dato komplett unbekannten Spirituose.
Review by crazyforgoodbooze
Abgefahren was die BASF (bzw. deren Weinkeller) hier in die Flasche gebracht hat!😄 Erinnert stark an savanna oder le galion grand Arome mit diesen intensiven Erdbeer, menthol wick bonbon, olive und Toffee Sahnebonbon Noten. Geschmacklich mit 60% sehr rund und angenehm zu trinken und für 20€ die Flasche ohnehin ein Witz. An Batavia Arrack erinnert er aber so gar nicht?!😄
Review by Johannes
Arrack 2.0 @Artur: Richtig komplex mit überreifen Früchten, Gummibärchen, Salz, Kokos, Pfirsich. Richtig spannend!
Review by zabo
Wieder einmal ein überragendes Tasting das Artur super organisiert hat. Vielen Dank in die Einführung in die Welt des Arra(c)ks. Die Verschnitte sind schon eine wahre Herausforderung an die Geschmacksnerven. Wirklich überrascht hat mich aber diese BASF Abfüllung. Meinen tiefsten Respekt für die Zeit und Mühe die dort immer wieder reingesteckt wird. Eine wirkliche Ehre immer wieder bei solchen Tastings dabei sein zu dürfen.
Review by DomM
Very nice - a lot of reminiscence to GA Savannas.
Review by Mirco
Arrac(k)-Tasting 2.0 von Artur. Eine spannende Tasting-Reise mit einer beeindruckenden Bandbreite an Stilen und Profilen. Von rauchig über fruchtig bis würzig war alles vertreten – teils etwas unausgewogen, teils überraschend rund. Besonders einige Abfüllungen zeigten viel Charakter und Tiefe und blieben im Gedächtnis. Ein Format, das richtig Spaß macht. Danke Artur für die Gelegenheit! 😊
Review by Leo Krüper
Ausdrucksstarker, zitroniger Arrack. Sehr kontrovers.
Expert reviews
Reviews from RumX's blog partners, independent experts who have tasted, evaluated, and described this rum..
Expert review by The Dunder Hut
Definitely my absolute highlight in arrak so far. A high ester bomb that changes from Savanna to haribi tropifruti to something completely of its own. What an amazing drink this made. I am sad I don't own a carton of this
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Details about Kellerei der BASF Hochfeiner Original Batavia Arrak
A rum from Indonesia, bottled by Kellerei der BASF, at 60%.
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I'm Oliver, and RumX began in 2018 as a small passion project in Stuttgart, back then under the name Rum Tasting Notes.
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