Aroma visualization from community tastings
Diamond Kill Devil 2008
Smell it and it's Demerara rum — caramel, vanilla, red berries — then the Port Ellen cask takes over the palate and it drinks like a peated Islay whisky. That gap is the whole story here. Smoke, tar, salt, malt and a long spicy finish, with the alcohol surprisingly well tucked in for 60.9%. Many members aren't usually whisky-finish fans and got won over anyway.
The community says- Peat smoke punch
- Alcohol well integrated
- But: Finish buries rum
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How does Diamond Kill Devil 2008 taste?
Aggregated from 48 community reviews.
Demerara rum with a heavy peated-whisky finish Even self-described whisky-finish skeptics keep admitting this one works — smoke and Port Mourant balanced, alcohol well integrated. If peat isn't your thing, you'll still find it too much.
peated-whisky drinkers and rum-whisky hybrid fans
anyone who dislikes smoke or wants clear Demerara
How the community classifies this rum. Each category takes you to similar rums.
Which glass for which rum? The community guide →
23 of 48 left detailed tasting impressions · Click an aroma to explore similar rums
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How is Diamond Kill Devil 2008 rated?
RumX’s 0–10 scale is strict: 8.2 sits in the “Very good” band. 87% of tasters rate it Good or better; only 2% rate it below average. See the full rating guide →
Community voices
What does the community say?
67% rate it 8 or higher. 20 selected write-ups from 48 community ratings. You can view the complete list in our app.
Review by DomM
Most helpful positive review
A very special animal with its Port Ellen finish. Although I‘m not a huge fan of Islay Whiskies this combination works very well and makes a rounded and complex Rum/Whisky combo.
Review by Jan Lu
Most helpful critical review
Unfortunately a disappointment. Doesn't taste good to me. Subtly fruity on the finish, otherwise rather too earthy. Reminds me too much of whisky. Too bad I bought a whole bottle. Maybe I'll make a whisky friend happy with it I can hardly get it down even on the second try. I just don't like it.
Review by Kevin Sorensen 🇩🇰
01.02.2025 Retasting at the "Nordlichter Treffen 2025". Still a very good rum in my mind. --------------------- This is one of my favourite diamond releases and the price tag is definitely matching what you get. I other words a very good buy at release. The nose is fruity with caramel and maple as well as very light smoky wood. The palate is complex with fruit, smoky wood and spices and a light tobacco note. The finish is long with smoky wood, orange and nice spices.
Review by Gunnar Böhme "Bauerngaumen" 🤓
Nah, guys, not my cup of tea at all. Only for whisky fans. I can also taste dry coffee, but the penetrating whisky note of the finish masks everything, especially in the aftertaste. Fortunately, there is a universe full of other rums.
Review by LukaŽiga
9,2:On the nose, the first impression we get is a pleasant smoky, peated whisky like rum with tropical fruits like banana and vegetal notes as grass, cereal.There is creamy and smoky vanilla with some ginger. Very tempting and balanced. A little air brings more roasted touch with burnt sugar and toffee, chocolate and roasted nuts, some malt. There are citrus fruits like lemon, perhaps lemon peel and some litchi. It goes towards confectionery with biscuits, the presence of molasses is strong with herbal notes as sage. 9:On the palate, the attack is sweet, oily and creamy with smoke, peat, malt, honey and vanilla. It is very round and delicious. We get tasty fruits, especially citrus, the wood is dry, spicy, roasted with pepper, toffee. The are grass notes, some salt and anise, nicely balanced and teasing our tasting buds. 9:The finish is long, peated whisky like, there are some anise, black tea, orange, woody notes with dryness and spice, all covered in sweet, creamy honey. Top👌..
Review by Galli33
First things first, I’m not a big fan of rums with a whisky finish. After some sips I must say, this one doesn‘t knock my socks off. The port ellen cask is here clearly drowns out the rum… You only notice the rum in the nose! The alcohol is integrated well. Anyway it‘s very harmonious and if you like whisky, you should try this one for sure😏
Review by zabo
Thanks to W00tAN for the sample. Anyone who knows me knows that I'm not a big fan of whisky finishes. Unfortunately, I have to admit that I am surprised that I like this bottling so much.
Review by RumTaTa
I do not really like such hybrids, either whiskey or rum. But this one has convinced me that something like that can also work well. The whiskey notes are there and the "peat smoke" is already violent but do not cover the Port Mourant profile but complement complexity. I like, and is a broadening of the horizon.
Review by Timo Groeger
Day trip Baltrum September 2024. We start with a Kill Devil. Nose has notes of malt and liquorice, smells very smoky. Also smoky on the palate, with barrel, whisky and leather added. Not 100% my taste.
Review by Thunderbird
In the nose pleasant fruit and light smoke... relatively restrained, some alcohol also comes through!The palate is there much more intense... initially the typical flavors of the Diamond, it quickly changes in the direction of smoky whiskey... which in my opinion dominates the taste a bit too much! In the finish also again the smoky and dried fruit!I'm a little ambivalent here, the whole thing works, but I think the whiskey finish has the Diamond not necessary !
Review by Michael Ihmels 🇩🇪
Here again the Kill Devil vintage 2008, not quite to my taste, in the nose you immediately notice fruity notes like pineapple. But also a slight sweetness. On the palate, in addition to the fruit, spices such as nutmeg or cinnamon
Review by Piotr Ignasiak
Very enjoyable, the whisky is strong at first with smoke, minerality and mint but after some time the PM notes are also present. Overall works very nicely together with great alcohol integration.
Review by Johannes
Unfortunately, I'm not so keen on the combination of rum with a whisky finish. Here, too, you can't really recognize the base. The finish masks too much. However, I still think that this rum is round overall and the alcohol is well integrated.
Review by FischeJ
This rum is quite polarizing. Like many here, I'm not normally a fan of smoky whisky finishes. But here it fits very well. A big exception. The nose smells beautifully of caramel, vanilla and subtle smoke. As I said, it fits the profile very well here. The alcohol is already quite present in the mouth. Otherwise nice caramel notes, spice, vanilla, wood and smoke. Hardly any fruit. The smoke comes through more at the end. But also coffee and roasted aromas. All in all, a nice bottling in my opinion and a good example of an Islay whisky finish. Great PLV on top.
Review by Lana Hamilton
My introduction to whisky started with this. Amazing and unique... my husband is a whisky lover and also loves this rum. Bough it for me because of the port Ellen finish. We both recommend this for both rum and whisky lovers
Review by Master P
Really interesting smell mix, smells almost exclusively of rum. Sweetish with fresh vanilla and red berries. But in the mouth there is little rum, the whisky influence dominates very strongly. 2cl to try is really ok, but you don't need a bottle.
Review by Filip Šikula
This is only my second experience with a kill devil and this time significantly better. In the smell of leather, musty wood and a hint of glue. On the palate a nice integrated alcohol that doesn't get in the way despite the high ABV. A mouthful of wood and leather, and the memory of the classy DDL lingers in the mouth for a long time.
Review by TillsonvomDach
That Thing is awesome! I love this Rum! Very peppery and smoky. hot damn! What a rum
Review by Rumpalumpa
Rum with an Islay finish doesn't necessarily sound tempting to me. On the nose, however, it comes across surprisingly well. I'm not quite as convinced on the palate and the finish is almost all peat. Definitely great for Islay fans, but not so much for me.
Review by Wernie
This is again such a "nose rum" 😀Smoothly he pulls through the nostrils, with bacon, smoke, slightly chocolaty, but I also find a little musty. On the palate it then wants to know and hits you with the full load of spiciness( not the alcoholic one),again paired with bacon,spice and smoke. After a few sips pulls you the mouth together and your salivary glands run at full speed.😀A whole bottle would be too much for me.😉
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Market value
Avg. community purchase price 62 €
What members paid for this bottle, self-reported. Not a market value — the purchases are over three years old at the median and unverified.
Details about Diamond Kill Devil 2008
A rum from Guyana, bottled by Hunter Laing, at 60,9%.
How do you read a Diamond bottle? The RumX guide →
Community purchases
40 bottles logged by 30 collectors.
A drinker's rum.
40% opened, 8 emptied and repurchased.
What did the community pay for Diamond Kill Devil 2008?
Community paid 61–101 €.
What members actually paid for their bottles. A typical range, not the current shop price. Full price & collection history in RX+ →
40 purchased · 49 tasted · 27 wishlist · as of
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Oliver · FounderBy rum lovers, for rum lovers
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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