By The Dutch Batavia Arrack
For curious explorers who like unusual spirits, this dry Batavia Arrack brings honey, cooked rice, pear and light smoke with a whisky‑like grain note. Most RumX members see it as better in punches and cocktails than as a sipping rum.
- Original profile
- Great in cocktails
- Very dry
Details about By The Dutch Batavia Arrack
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How does By The Dutch Batavia Arrack taste?
Aggregated from 93 community reviews.
Dry, quirky arrack for mixing For curious explorers who like unusual spirits, this dry Batavia Arrack brings honey, cooked rice, pear and light smoke with a whisky‑like grain note. Most RumX members see it as better in punches and cocktails than as a sipping rum.
Adventurous drinkers and cocktail enthusiasts who enjoy dry, slightly smoky, grainy spirits and want a distinctive component for punches, sours and tiki drinks.
Those seeking sweet, comfy sipping rum, or anyone sensitive to alcohol sharpness or whisky‑like grain and smoke notes.
How is By The Dutch Batavia Arrack rated?
RumX's 0–10 scale is strict — 5.8 lands squarely in the "Average" band. 16% of tasters rate it Good or better; only 34% rate it below average. See the full rating guide →
Rum reviews
A selection of the most popular reviews from our community. You can view the complete list in our app.
Review by crazyforgoodbooze
definitely a great product in the barrel-aged arrack range and a nice example of how smooth and damn dry arrack can be, but also not for everyone... I like it very much in Ruby Punch, Mai Tai and Corn'n'oil and as a surprise for people who don't know Batavia arrack. I especially like making rum penicillin cocktails with it!
Review by bossi
Blindverkostung: eine aromatische Nase: süß, grasig, frisch, fruchtig – Anklänge von Weißwein und Getreide. Am Gaumen auch sehr fruchtig und auch eher die exotischen Früchte: Maracuja und Papaya, eine leichte aber präsente alkoholische Schärfe, die aber etwas verwässert schmeckt. Ich würde hier einen Rum aus frischem Zuckerrohrsaft aus einer Pot Still vermuten, würde dafür aber nicht meine Hand ins Feuer legen, da ich mich in diesem Bereich nicht allzu gut auskenne. Er ist aufjedenfall aromtaisch-schwer, auf der anderen Seite aber für mich noch etwas jung. Ein paar weitere Jahre im Fass hätten ihm mit Sicherheit gestanden. Der Abgang ist länger als vermutet und sehr würzig/kräuterig mit etwas Anis. Ich tippe hier auf einen jungen Rum aus Haiti mit ungefähr 50%. 76 Punkte
Review by Thibaud Valentin
Je met cette note car originale ( un peu "tourbé" type whisky ) met pas de la a achete une bouteille
Review by Joël
The first thing I think of when I smell it is a whisky (I'm not a whisky drinker, I've tried a few but it doesn't suit me). So earthy, smoky and spicy, not really my thing. Due to the 48%, the taste is not so deep, but the finish is surprisingly long. For the price of 40 euros absolutely OK in my eyes, there is definitely a lot worse for which more is demanded. Let's see how much I drink neat and how much ends up in cocktails.
Review by Serge
New Year's resolution ... Tasting the dusty bottles at the back of the shelf. And like every time I sip it here: it's not that bad. I lived and worked in Indinesia for a long time and was used to far worse arrack. The fermentation with the red rice is special and you have to like it. This is definitely one of the better ones and can be enjoyed on its own. For me, however, it also scores particularly well as a split in punches and cocktails. What bothers me a little here is the smoky cereal note, which tends towards scotch. And I hate scotch
Review by Cédric Meyers
Au nez très mielleux, un petit côté riz cuit, un peu végétal, fruit tropicaux. Très agréable et doux. En bouche on a étrangement un côté très anisé, un peu pimenté. Le végétal est présent sans trop ce faire remarquer. Ce qui me dérange c’est le côté alcool quand même fort présent pour ma part. Bon sans plus, une belle découverte quand même.
Review by Gryffx
am Gaumen besser als in der Nase, Birne und Holz im Abgang
Review by benoit burger
Nice nose of very ripe fruit ( banana pear ) a little ester and a light brine. Unfortunately, not much happens on the palate: the alcohol is very present (too much so), with a slight woodiness and some vegetal notes, but overall rather flat. Average length.
Review by Tim
This rum smells as if it were better not to drink. A very chemical component accompanied by honey and fruit. It is best to let it breathe for some time. With some overcoming in the mouth, then much better with a dry, spicy, smoky and slightly fruity experience. Some similarity to Jamaica rum is there, but convince this rum can not.
Review by Lutz Lungershausen
Certainly a good blender for fresh, light summer drinks - otherwise rather flat and weak.
Review by Émile Shevek
Too strong and unbalanced, with no pleasant aromas or notes except light years away
Review by Oliver
Not my taste
Review by Stefan Persson
This Indonesian rum is molasses based and distilled in pot stills. During the fermentation they use some red rice in the yeast. After distillation it’s aged in teak barrels before transported to the Netherlands where it’s transferred to oak barrels. The final blend consists of rum aged 8 months, 3, 5 and 8 years. The finish is medium long mostly depending on the alcohol content. I was expecting a lot more flavor of arrack and overall I think that everything is much too weak to catch my interest.
Review by MJ72
Lösungsmittel mit leicht undefinierter Würze nach Harz. Flach im Geschmack, dennoch mild für 46*. Wenig Ausgeprägte Noten. Abgangs kurz und sprittig.
Expert reviews
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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Community purchases
88 bottles logged by 52,000+ RumX members. The ratio of closed / opened / emptied, indicates whether this rum is meant to be drunk or is a collector's item.
Also on the wishlist of 9 members.
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I'm Oliver — together with Jakob, Robert and Lukas, we started RumX in 2018 as a small passion project in Stuttgart, back then under the name Rum Tasting Notes.
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