Originally commissioned by Death & Co, The Scarlet Ibis is rum from Trinidad that is aged 3 to 5 year in American white oak casks. The rum is not chill filtered to help preserve the full character. Haus Alpenz has been distributing this out to the market as it’s become available. While the reputation would suggest a top shelf rum, the price is actually reasonable around the mid $20s. The pedigree of this rum suggests great things, so how does it fare?
The Scarlet Ibis
Sight: Between hay and 14/18k gold.
Smell: The nose opens with elements of brown sugar, slight rum esters, papaya, and other tropical fruits. There’s a light element of alcohol burn, but it gets supplanted by roasted banana, touches of spice, and caramel.
Sip: The body moderate, and begins with touches of brown sugar and sugar cane juice. The tropical fruit flavors then start to climb out of the woodwork. Papaya, lush guava, limes, pineapple, and other tropical fruits join in. A touch of wood and spice joins in, and a green sugarcane note starts to show up toward the end. Despite all the fruity notes, it remains dry throughout.
Savor: The finish carries off a juicy, tropical caramel start before sliding into sugarcane juice and touches of spiced oak. The finish lingers with an herbal earthy funk that is also quite tannic.
The Scarlet Ibis is a juicy tropical rum with an element of sugarcane and oak. The nose wouldn’t lead you to believe anything super complicated going on. The flavor profile matches and seems straightforward, but opens up in new directions as it you keep sipping. The fruity elements are nicely forward here, while still maintaining the rum characteristics that make it round and inviting.
In Cocktails
In a daiquiri, The Scarlet Ibis continues to convey it’s fruity character, but the lime and sweetness help mute some of the more tannic notes. The overall result is a daquiri that feels lively and tropical, but that also has a long, lingering, almost skin-on fruit like finish (like when you eat an apple with the skin attach or have a bit of pith on an orange. The flavor is really enticing, and it seems to help boost the drink in a satisfying way. The only detractor here is complexity, where it may not bring as much to the party as other rums.
In Review – The Scarlet Ibis
The Scarlet Ibis is enjoyable and lively for the price point. The flavors are well defined, easy to sip on, and have a decent diversity to them. In a cocktail it holds it’s own, and brings some lively new dimensions without reinventing anything. The net result is a good rum that isn’t something you need to go out of your way for, but worth trying if you’re looking for something new.