Aroma visualization from community tastings
Nobilis West Indies No. 3 Rockley BBR 1986
Honey and honeycomb up front, wrapped in wood smoke, dark spice and a medicinal, herbal edge that marks the 1986 Rockley profile. There's ripe mango and orange peel underneath, a creamy texture, and at 54.7% the alcohol sits remarkably well integrated for its age. The finish turns dry and bitter — oak, dark chocolate, licorice, coffee. A rare, deeply complex old Barbados.
The community says- Smoke-and-honey nose
- Integrated alcohol
- Long complex finish
View price history
10 more payment methodsSecure payment Sold by Excellence Rhum Returns & cancellation
- Secure payment. You pay via RumX with PayPal, Klarna or card. Your payment data is encrypted and we never store your full card details.
- Clear seller. Sold and shipped directly by the partner shop. And you're never on your own: RumX handles support and communication with the shop, so you always get excellent service, whichever shop you order from.
- Honest shop ratings. The stars show your service experience with the shop, not the rum score. They come from RumX users, and critical ones stay visible.
- Returns & cancellation. Your purchase contract is with the shop, so returns and cancellations run through them under their own policy and your statutory rights. If anything goes wrong, RumX helps you sort it out.
Buy Nobilis West Indies No. 3 Rockley BBR 1986:
Offer details
Prices & availability last updated on
The look inside the bottle
How does Nobilis West Indies No. 3 Rockley BBR 1986 taste?
Aggregated from 79 community reviews.
Smoky honey Rockley, old and deeply complex Members rate it near-universally high — a complex, smoky honey-and-wood Rockley of exceptional quality. Many who cross-taste it place the RA and Silver Seal bottlings a hair ahead.
collectors chasing the 1986 Rockley profile
anyone new to smoky, medicinal old rum
How the community classifies this rum. Each category takes you to similar rums.
Which glass for which rum? The community guide →
37 of 79 left detailed tasting impressions · Click an aroma to explore similar rums
Recommendation
Your next rum
One difference each to this rum.
Sweeter
Silver Seal Enmore Demerara Rum EHP 1977
9.2/101999 €
Milder
Enmore Rumclub Private Selection Ed. 22 REV 1994
9.2/10999 €
Similar rating, cheaper
Bristol West Indies Rockley Still 1986
8.8/10595 €First choice: 15 of 25 tasters who tried both prefer it.
How is Nobilis West Indies No. 3 Rockley BBR 1986 rated?
RumX’s 0–10 scale is strict: 9.1 sits in the “Excellent” 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?
99% rate it 8 or higher. 18 selected write-ups from 79 community ratings. You can view the complete list in our app.
Review by LukaŽiga
9:On the nose, the first impression we get is a bit estery with tropical fruits like pineapple, dried fig, hay and honey/honeycomb notes are strong, the rum is a bit smoky with roasted wood, a molasses brings licorice... On aeration, it becomes flowery, spicy and nutty, ripe mango cannot be overlooked.The rum is balanced and pleasant. 9:On the palate, the attack is sweet with honey, delicious with charred wood notes like praline, cream toffee, coffee, nuts, confectionery/pastry and smoky.Again we notice dried figs, sweet spice like vanilla, some anise and tropical fruits like mango.It is very creamy with buttery biscuits, the molasses is flowery, herbal and with tea, licorice.Some red bell peppers arise, bitter orange, when the rum is rested.Otherwise, very round and tasty. 8,8:The finish is long with spicy and dry wood, roasted with smoky, nutty notes.The molasses is vegetal, a bit bitter with waxes, then flowery, herbal and tea notes, licorice.Dried fruits like raisins and figs with banana pleasantly round up the finish..
Review by Jakob
Great release. Typical notes of the 1986 Rockley profile, honey, tropical and citrus fruits, vanilla, roasted and smoky aromas, dark spices. In direct comparison with the other greats of the 1986wr vintage, there is a clear barrel impact on the palate, with a recognizable bitter note of wood, dark chocolate and some coffee on the finish. Not enough for the throne, but we are in the Rockley Champions League. Absolutely impressive quality, an excellent release.
Review by TheRhumhoe
A rum whose vintage is often considered a benchmark in the field, and it's easy to see why. The nose is very full and complex, with a multitude of flavors: exotic fruits, floral notes, aromatic herbs, tobacco, spices (ginger, licorice, anise, chili, vanilla, pepper), smoky wood, nuts, caramel, honey, chocolate and medicinal notes form an aromatic bouquet as special as it is detailed, deep and lively. The palate is very elegant and sophisticated. The rum is lively, rich in spices, aromatic herbs and floral notes that extend to honey. Wood, smoke, leather and chocolate follow the complex, fresh palate. Some medicinal and fruity notes lie in ambush on the tongue. The alcohol is very well integrated. The finish is long, dark, bitter, medicinal, woody and slightly herbaceous. There are also dried fruits, leather, spices and chocolate. For a profile of Barbados, this is an original, complete and accomplished rum, with remarkable and delicious flavors.
Review by RumTaTa
This is one of the oldest rums I've had in the glass (thanks to saibotztar). The nose is already unusual with forest and buckwheat honey, ripe tropical fruit, vanilla, fig cake and less barrel-heavy than expected. The alcohol is absolutely unobtrusive on the nose. On the palate, a blast! Then aromas from the nose are joined by resin. The rum shows a very creamy mouthfeel and again the alcohol is at no time superficial. The finish is eternally long and also here I find all the flavors of the nose again, supplemented by a trace of oak / barrel. What a great rum!
Review by Rhum Mirror 🇧🇪
Le nez est particulièrement envouteur ! Tout n’est que charme et volupté, on retrouve des notes de miel, d’amandes, de tabac, de fruits (banane-orange), ce nez est magique ! C’est attracteur à souhait, on veut s’y plonger et le gouter ! La bouche est crémeuse et ce n’est que gourmandise … ouf le nez ne nous a pas fait un coup de Trafalgar ! Effectivement, la bouche est mielleuse et tire sur la vanille, et plus le temps passe et plus c’est fun et agréable. On est devant un gâteau au fruits le tout saupoudré d’épices. Parfait équilibre entre complexité aromatique et gourmandise.
Review by Christoph H.
Ein guter und interessanter Rockley, gar keine Frage. Wäre das der Einzige auf diesem Planeten, stünde ein Kauf außer Frage. Hier ist die Konkurrenz meines Erachtens allerdings zu stark. Im Vergleich zum DT und RA, ist dieser hier relativ kratzbürstig. Sehr viel mehr Rauch/ Schwarzpulver, Fass, wenig Frucht und insgesamt eher auf der herben Seite. Auch ist der Alkohol in der Nase im Vergleich nicht ideal eingebunden. Hier fehlt die pure Rockley DNA, die beim RA und DT definitiv grandios vorhanden sind.
Review by Tschusikowsky
My first 86 WIRD🎉 Wonderfully engaging perfumed profile. Very round, complex. Tea, honey, barrel, thyme, chocolate, smoky, coffee ice cream. Great balance, the rum takes you on a journey. Multi-layered and complex. Presents itself in all its diversity. Smooth, super smooth, yet powerful on the nose. It lingers and lingers and lingers. The finish is very long and complex. One of the best I have drunk so far
Review by crazyforgoodbooze
Absolute grenade! Rockley in perfection! Honey, honeycomb, fig and rosemary, fully ripe mango. Incredibly beautiful viscosity, sweetly fruity and extremely complex. Like flaming a sprig of rosemary, dipping it in honey and eating dried mango with it. The finish is almost endless and the alcohol is perfectly integrated! Really, really good! For a perfect rating I would have to do a cross tasting with RA and silver seal...
Review by Alexander Rasch
Auf dem 13. GRF probiert und es war das absolute Highlight für mich. Besonders in der Nase fand in den Unterschied zu den 2000er Rockly spannend da wesentlich weniger Rauch. Der 1986 war als wenn ich an frischer Wäsche rieche. Frisch, leicht, lecker und super komplex. Eine einmalige Aromen Welt. Einfach genial und lecker. Top Rum mit hohem Alleinstellungsmerkmal. Leider geil.
Review by Thunderbird
The Nobilis Rockley in direct comparison to the Rendsburger... both top class rums... with a slight advantage for the Rendsburger... which is a little more present... Otherwise, they are very similar... it's a shame that something like this is no longer produced. The complexity is simply fantastic and the blend of smoke and honey flavors is unique.
Review by mto75
the RA 86 in comparison with the Nobilis 86. Both with that unique herbal, medicinal, floral, smoky-honey note on the nose. The Nobilis still has orange peel. The RA seems a bit more edgy or expressive, even though the Nobilis is slightly higher in ABV. On the palate, both toasted cask, grapefruit.
Review by Basti
Fair review. First of all, this is my first WIRD and it would probably be more appropriate to enjoy this rare bottling in peace. For me, it is not comparable to the bottlings I know from Barbados. The taste is absolutely unique and I am glad that I was able to try it.
Review by Serge
Insanely cool. Happy to finally be able to try this rum: Honey, honeycomb, beeswax in its purest form. Plus smoke, vanilla and a medicinal note. Awesome stuff and very slightly charred in the finish and the most beautiful honey toast
Review by Kevin Sorensen 🇩🇰
Oak and smoke all the way with a hint of fruit, spice and chocolate. I do like the licorice and smoky finish. Price to quality is not that good. There are other old Rockley's out there equally good or better and cheaper.
Review by Orfer Santos
'nobilis comme souvent ne déçois pas. Ils nous font plaisir avec un produit exceptionnel. Le seul bémol est sur la longueur, malheureusement elle manque un chouï mais très agréable à boire. Je recommande sans hésiter
Review by Johannes
In direct comparison to the RA, SS and Plantation, it does not seem quite as intense and can not quite keep up with the top 3. Nevertheless, still a high, exceptional quality!
Review by Johnny Rumcask
Ist er gut? Ja. Ist Rockley überbewertet? Oh ja. Klar: Gutes Zeug, zweifelsfrei. Kräuter, etwas Rauch, lang und komplex, Alkohol gut eingebunden. Für den aufgerufenen Preis eher Nö.
Review by CaRaph
I'll make it short : a hell of a good one. Incredible nose, pretty soft in mouth with perfectly integrated alcohol, finish long and delicious :) Empty glass smells very good too !
No reviews match this filter.
Expert reviews
2 critics scored it, averaging 9.3/10. Reviews from RumX's blog partners, independent experts who have tasted, evaluated, and described this rum..
Expert review by Single Cask Rum
Read full review →
Expert review by Tasting Bro's
Read full review →
Live auctions
Current bids for this rum at Europe's leading auction houses.
Market value
What this bottle last achieved at auction. A research indicator, not a forecast.
Auction results 605 € – 804 €
from 2 sales, latest 01/2025
Prices incl. buyer's premium — what a buyer pays, not what a sale nets you.
Avg. community purchase price 633 €
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 Nobilis West Indies No. 3 Rockley BBR 1986
A Pot Still Rum from Barbados, bottled by Nobilis Rum, at 54,7%.
Community purchases
44 bottles logged by 35 collectors.
A collector's bottle.
15% opened, 3 emptied and repurchased.
What does Nobilis West Indies No. 3 Rockley BBR 1986 cost?
Community paid 436–794 €.
Current best price: 1350.00 € – above the typical community range.
What members actually paid for their bottles. A typical range, not the current shop price. Full price & collection history in RX+ →
44 purchased · 82 tasted · 35 wishlist · as of
Read on in the RumX Guide
You may also enjoy
Rum enthusiasts who like this rum have also given the following rums high ratings:
Cadenhead's Rockley Green Label 1986
Cadenhead's Rockley Green Label 1986Honey, smoke and wax Rockley at easy strength
Enmore Rum Artesanal Guyana Rum REV 1994
Enmore Rum Artesanal Guyana Rum REV 1994Oily, plum-and-leather Enmore, deep and balanced
Enmore Rum Artesanal Guyana Rum VSG 1985
Enmore Rum Artesanal Guyana Rum VSG 1985Intense graphite-and-herb Enmore, singular stuff
Nobilis Diamond No. 39 SWR 1997
Nobilis Diamond No. 39 SWR 1997Heavy coffee-and-cocoa Demerara, glorious nose
Enmore Rum Artesanal Guyana Rum KFM 1991
Enmore Rum Artesanal Guyana Rum KFM 1991Dark, woody old Enmore with a minty edge
Distilia Enmore (Versailles) Greenheart REV 1994
Distilia Enmore (Versailles) Greenheart REV 1994Dark, woody old Versailles with dried plum
Never miss a price drop.
Set a target price in the app, and we'll let you know as soon as the rum becomes available at that price from one of our partner stores. This works for any rum on your wish list.
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.
What began as my digital tasting diary is now the world's most comprehensive platform for rum fans, today carried by a small team with Jakob, Lukas and Katharina, with Robert supporting us as a freelancer. We combine the collective intelligence of our community with an integrated marketplace, so you can choose with confidence, without paperwork, detours, or expert jargon.
Oliver, Stuttgart
About RumX →YouTube channel (in German)
