Probitas a.k.a. Veritas...

Probitas a.k.a. Veritas (47.0%): Probitas (Honesty) in US or Veritas (The Truth) as it was released in every other country in the world  is a white rum created by Richard Seale the Master Distiller and Master Blender of Foursquare Distillery in Barbados in collaboration with Vivian Wisdom the Master Distiller at Hampden Estate in Jamaica. After the very day it got launched this rum took the cocktail world by storm one country a day. Within a month every cocktail bar on the planet was editing their cocktail recipes and changing their inventory. Even we swapped our go to rum at home we use for daiquiris... The rum in the bottle is blended using unaged molasses based Coffey column still distillate of Foursquare with two different relatively low ester double retort pot still distilled rums sourced from Hampden Estate, one being unaged and the second one being matured for two years. Even though Probitas / Verbitas is meant mostly to be used in cocktails today I would like to sit down at my desk, pour a healthy measure in my glass neat and enjoy it while writing down some tasting notes. It is bottled completely unadulterated by the way. 

Color: Almost clear with a faint straw-like yellowish tint with thin, fast moving but quite oily legs.

Nose: It's kinda amusing that this is considered "low ester" in Hampden Estate scale... Let's address this first: Latex gloves, garden hose and fresh car tires. White vinegar, coal gas and soot. Dried fruit and earthy notes evolve in time after allowing it air: Plantains and dried mango slices and dried pineapple rings. Lime juice (I think I already started to dream of afternoon daiquiris...), creaminess of a key lime pie and coconut flan. Black gardening soil and fresh mushrooms. 

Palate: Jamaican component takes the back seat in the beginning here. Sea salt, lime wedges and bananas. American diner style coconut cream pie with its slightly salty crust, salted caramel and butter. More flaky and creamy pastries like mille-feuille or eclair. Old school rubber snorkels and fresh ginger.

Finish: Medium to long with lime zest, sea salt and fresh ginger notes.

Overall: Fantastic rum especially at this price point for all kind purposes. Till now I tried it in daiquiris, mojitos and with ginger beer, coconut water and pineapple juice. All winners... Don't get me wrong, it's perfect to sip neat or with a single ice cube as well. Highly recommended...

Price: $25

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