Aroma visualization from community tastings
Taste
Vanilla, Cocoa, Woody
Most mentioned across 32 tasting notes
- Perfect for
- Foursquare and Barbados fans who want a balanced daily sipper
- Less suitable for
- People chasing bold, unusual or cask-strength complexity
Chairman's Reserve Vintage 2005
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"Really good rum, just maybe lacking something special," as one member put it — and that's the honest read. This 2005 Saint Lucia pot-and-column blend leans chocolate, raisin, vanilla and dried fruit, with oak and spice on the palate. Several tasters say it drinks more like Barbados or Foursquare than a metallic Saint Lucia. Balanced, gourmand, an easy nightly sipper at a comfortable 46%.
The community says- Well balanced
- Chocolate and dried fruit
- Less suitable for: People chasing bold, unusual or cask-strength complexity
Offers & prices
View price history
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10 more payment methodsLive auctions
Offers & prices
No shop currently delivers to Germany.
Auction results: 46–84 € (2 sales in 24 months, incl. buyer's premium, latest 07/2026). How the range is built ›
Buying advice
These ship to you
Yes, if you're after characterful, mature, oaky rums for sipping neat.
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The look inside the bottle
How does Chairman's Reserve Vintage 2005 taste?
From community reviews · summarized with AI
Balanced chocolate-and-oak everyday sipper Loved as a balanced, chocolate-and-dried-fruit everyday sipper that reminds many of Foursquare. The common gripe: it's very pleasant but not especially memorable, and it's colored.
Foursquare and Barbados fans who want a balanced daily sipper
People chasing bold, unusual or cask-strength complexity
Style & occasion: Mature & oakySipping neat
Full aroma profile Aroma families · nose & palate · top aromas
Relative to this rum's strongest aroma family
32 of 82 left detailed tasting impressions · Click an aroma to explore similar rums
Which glass for which rum? The community guide ›
What does the community say?
82 community reviews
Rating scale & review checks
On RumX, 7 means “Good” and 8 means “Very good”.
See the full rating guideHow ratings are made and how we check them ›The website shows a selection of written reviews. The distribution also includes ratings without text. All published reviews are available in the RumX app.
22 selected written reviews
The distribution above includes all 82 ratings, including those without text.
Review by crazyforgoodbooze
Most helpful positive review
very cool st Lucia and incredibly balanced! i like it very much! especially this fresh pineapple-mint note, caramelized coconut chips, slight acidity & hints of red berries and subtle nougat, toffee and allspice and various citrus fruits💣 super tasty, for me my absolute drinking strength reference at st Lucia!🙏🇱🇨 Blindly, you would rather think of Barbados here.
Review by Henry Davies
Most helpful mixed review
It’s a good balanced rum but not particularly memorable. The nose is light foursquare in style and the mix of John Dore pot still and Coffey column still distillate comes through. The nose is vanilla, brown sugar and light, mouth more intense, some oak, mint and herbs, and spices, a mix of pepper and clove. On the finish it is oak forward but not overbearing. Easy enough sipper and a well crafted rum but not one I would come back to and many better from SLD
Review by Tim
A brilliant everyday rum, with lots of fruit (esters) and chocolate. Some caramel, toast and spices round it off. Some similarities with Barbados, Jamaica and Guyana. Very tasty, exactly my taste! In the mouth it could be a bit better, but the nose is brilliant! I'm not sure if you can still get this rum, but the price was very good back then. Compared to 2009 and 2011 still the best achieved.
Review by Christoph
Slightly smoky vanilla-pineapple flavors. Once again a typical representative of the "goes well with dark chocolate" category.
Review by Kevin Sorensen 🇩🇰
#5153 15.03.2025 Running a few samples at home. Nose Intense, wood, light roasted, light varnish, dried fruit, light orange, faint leather, spice. Palate Medium intense, wood, spice, medium dry, orange, light caramel, tannins, dried fruit, faint chocolate, light cherry. Finish Long, wood, light tannins, dried fruit, light caramel, light orange, medium dry, spice. Empty glass Leather, light caramel, clove, light tobacco, dried fruit. Needs to rest for a good while to really settle properly. Add a few drops of water to release even more flavours.
Review by Jack M
Really good rum, just maybe lacking something special or an edge. Great everyday rum.
Review by DosenZorn
Very tasty, only the alcohol could be hidden a little better despite only 46%. Bitter chocolate in the flavor profile is very tasty and mixed with light fruit notes. Despite the mentioned 46% taste quite intense, which I find very great. Is definitely worth its price of 65€ (as of 2.2.22), but would wish it were uncolored.
Review by HenryL
Very tasty rum for cozy get-togethers. Not boring but also not too complicated. Nicely balanced, but for me could have a bit more complexity. Still fairly priced and gladly drunk, but doesn't keep up with some other releases like the Rum & Co. from 2004 or the legendary Rum Tasting Notes bottling.
Review by Jakob
Surprisingly accessible on the nose with lots of vanilla sweetness from the oak. On the palate this meets spice and tropical fruit. Nice melange and an easy going sipper.
Review by Björn Andersson
Good round taste of fruits.
Review by Rodolphe
What a pleasant surprise this 2005 chairman is. Very good rum, greedy and pastry. It is closer to a foursquare 2007 than to other chairmans, much more metallic and fruity. When you think about its price, it is just an excellent pleasure product!
Review by Basti
Very pleasant notes of chocolate, raisins, caramel, dried fruits, vanilla on the nose. Overall very inviting. Despite the reduction still quite complex. Reminds strongly of rum from Guyana or Barbados.
Review by Jeremy Roger 🇫🇷
Nose very soft/round. fruity and sweet it looks very greedy all that! Mouth indeed very greedy! It's light but very good. From vanilla prune to woody cocoa. A sweetness of the evening ! A real candy.
Review by w00tAN
Very nicely balanced spicy and fruity. Alcohol is well integrated. Nice sipper.
Review by Roman Staroń
Great. Slightly spicy but well distributed, balanced.
Review by Oliver
Very nice fruity and balanced
Review by Dw117
Very woody and varnish, but a real delight from the first dram. Silky smooth but with real character even at only 46%. Alongside the lovely sweetness and chocolate roasted notes an intruiging oily / dirty aspect and metallic finish that give it real personality. A refreshing break from Foursquare. Quite leathery and woody downgrading to 8
Review by Cino
Complex and at the same time very pleasant and balanced. Fresh fruit, caramel and chocolate over all; not missing a little roasted note. Reminiscent of some Foursquare. Excellent value for money.
Review by Pavel Ungr, RumRock
Vintage 2005. I rate it 8.2 out of 10, a very good rum.
Review by Carlitooo
The first and for me so far the best 'Vintage' bottling from Chairman’s Reserve. Also at a top price and really tasty.
Review by Richard Krupa
Better than the Forgotten, more volts support the fruity flavour, which goes into the wood. The aroma is identical to Forgotten
Review by Anonymous
Just love this. Always have a bottle open. Massive bang for the buck. Full bodied textural, not too woody
This selection contains no written reviews in this rating range.
Expert reviews
4 critics scored it, averaging 8.3/10. Reviews from RumX's blog partners, independent experts who have tasted, evaluated, and described this rum.
Expert review by The Fat Rum Pirate
Read full review ›For me the very backbone of good rum making. No matter what any Cask Strength 100% Pot Still nutjob might think on that matter. I'm all for challenging rums but I also think we should appreciate when a Master Blender does exactly what his job title suggests. He certainly has...
Expert review by Zucker und Zeste
Very good Chairman's at drinking strength.
Expert review by Single Cask Rum
Read full review ›
Expert review by The Rum Barrel Blog
Read full review ›
Chairman's Reserve Vintage 2005 at live auctions
A bid is not a final price: the house sets the buyer's premium, shipping and any customs duty.
All live auctions ›Community shelf
95 bottles logged by 82 collectors.
A drinker's rum.
45% opened, 20 emptied.
What did the community pay for Chairman's Reserve Vintage 2005?
Community paid 45–80 €.
Purchase prices reported by members, not a shop price. Avg. 76 €. Price history with 2 auction results in RX+ ›
95 purchased · 83 tasted · 115 wishlist · as of
Details about Chairman's Reserve Vintage 2005
A Pot & Column Still Rum from Saint Lucia, distilled by Saint Lucia Distillers, at 46%.
Read on in the RumX Guide
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