Cadenhead's West Indies BRS (Rockley) 1986
Smoke, coffee and very dark chocolate up front, with an oily, "dirty" Rockley character running underneath — this is the classic old-Barbados pot-still profile, not a sweet Bajan. At 69.2% the alcohol shows its muscles, so give it air and a drop of water. Tasters note honey, olive brine, roasted nuts and a long tannic, medicinal finish. Youngest of the '86 Rockleys, and it shows.
The community says- Intense smoke
- Coffee & dark cocoa
- But: Hot at 69.2%
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The look inside the bottle
How does Cadenhead's West Indies BRS (Rockley) 1986 taste?
Aggregated from 10 community reviews.
Smoky, dirty old-Barbados pot-still at high proof Members rate it high but rank it below the older '86 Rockleys — the youth and hot alcohol are the catch. For fans of smoky, dirty pot-still, it's a treat.
fans of smoky, dirty old-Barbados pot-still
anyone expecting a soft, sweet Bajan
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5 of 10 left detailed tasting impressions · Click an aroma to explore similar rums
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How is Cadenhead's West Indies BRS (Rockley) 1986 rated?
RumX’s 0–10 scale is strict: 8.8 sits in the “Very good” band. 100% 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?
100% rate it 8 or higher. 4 selected write-ups from 10 community ratings. You can view the complete list in our app.
Review by w00tAN
Rockley Crosstasting mit Jakob In der Nase sehr rauchig, für mich der intensivste Rauch bei den vier Kandidaten aber auch Karamell. Im Mund dann intensiv und Komplex, der stärkere ABV versteckt sich nicht. Für mich Holz, Kaffee und sehr sehr dunkle Schokolade. Abgang sehr lang und auch hier nach einiger Zeit, für mich wieder Schokolade mit 95% Kakao Im Nachklang. War meine Nummer 2 in der Range!
Review by Jarek
RumX Cross Tasting 24-10-2025: WIRD Rockley 1986 by Jakob Thanks to Jakob for the chance! I also added a "leftover sample" of the Plantation Extreme No. 5. The surprise of the tasting today. Of course, the alcohol is more dominant here. But that suits the Cadenhead very well. I also like the pronounced sweetness. It strikes me that I rated all the 1986 Rockleys below the community average today. It's probably not my favorite profile, even though I find it interesting and exciting.
Review by Jakob
The run opens directly with a lot of power, the alcohol shows its muscles and carries the bouquet of honey, olive, wood, mineral notes and slightly medicinal-waxy hints. With a good dose of air, the spectrum opens up and makes room on the palate for classic Rockley flavors, which still show their youthful freshness in the form of somewhat impetuous alcohol. In a direct comparison with the greats of the vintage (which were allowed to mature much longer, mind you), Artesanal, Silver Seal, Nobilis and Duncan Taylor clearly stand out again for my taste, whereby the Cadenhead has a positive unique feature in its taste thanks to its youth. Impressive release - further proof of the pioneering role that Cadenhead played with its early releases.
Review by Adrianv
Rockley 86 tasting, direct comparison to RA, Nobilis and SS, I love coffee strongly present here, some chocolate and wood, good rum, different to others in the tasting. I scorer it highest, second was RA, then Nobilis and Silver Seal. Very subjective when looking at other reviews:)
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Details about Cadenhead's West Indies BRS (Rockley) 1986
A Pot Still Rum from Barbados, bottled by Cadenhead's, at 69,2%.
Community purchases
2 bottles logged by 2 collectors.
A drinker's rum.
100% opened, 0 emptied and repurchased.
2 purchased · 10 tasted · 6 wishlist · as of
Read on in the RumX Guide
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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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