A Year. A Cask. A Rum Without Adjustments

This is Chairman's stripped back to its core. No blend across vintages, no post-aging finish, no correction. Just one year's distillate - from 2009 - aged in ex-bourbon barrels and bottled when it was ready. Nothing more.

The base is classic Saint Lucia: a mix of column and copper pot still rum, all molasses-based, all distilled at St. Lucia Distillers. But here, the individuality isn't smoothed away - it's preserved. This is a bottling that treats variation not as a flaw, but as evidence. It doesn't chase balance. It documents it.

After over a decade in cask, the result is a spirit that feels precise, not polished. The nose opens with baked orchard fruit, dry oak, dark spice. You'll find hints of tobacco, cocoa, roasted cashew, and a touch of citrus peel. It's not loud. It's structured. There's air between the notes.

On the palate, it holds shape. No softness, no excess. Flavours move cleanly - treacle, fig, cinnamon, black tea - but never crowd each other. You can feel the impact of the barrel, but not its interference. The weight of the pot still is there, but it's measured. The column distillate carries it forward, line by line.

The finish is extended and dry, with lingering oak, spice, and a faint bitterness that feels earned. Nothing here is added to lengthen the experience. It simply lasts.

This isn't a rum that performs. It doesn't need to. It asks only for attention - neat, in a proper glass, with a little time. A splash of water opens up the texture, but doesn't change the tone. It's not about unlocking new flavours. It's about seeing them more clearly.

For those familiar with Chairman's broader range, Vintage 2009 offers something very different: not a refinement of house style, but an exception to it. A single year, held without revision. No marketing finish. No added sweetness. Just the original shape of the spirit - made visible by age, not obscured by it.

This is rum for people who value intention. And trust the barrel to do the talking.