Introduction and background
As I’ve noted before, perhaps the best rum shop in Germany is the Rum Depot in Berlin, run by Dirk Becker, the man behind the annual German Rum Festival, itself one of the top rum-focused spirits expos in the world. I’ve been coming to this place regularly since 2012, a practice that I have followed ever since, and these days, I always drop in any time in the city.
Sometime around that same year (2012), Rum Depot began not only selling rums, but bottling them for its branded line of “Rum Club Private Selection” editions. Like most indies, there’s a preponderance of Caribbean distilleries’ rums – Jamaica, Guyana, Barbados, Trinidad, St. Lucia, Cuba, DR, Haiti, Martinique and so on – as well as from further afield (like Fiji). Every now and then, though, Dirk goes off on a tangent and finds something offbeat — the Galapagos edition I looked at recently is one such – or indulges himself with something of his own design.
Enter “The Beast,” which is Edition No. 63, a limited release of 247 bottles, which was issued in April of 2026. The bottle is the standard shape, the label is similar to previous editions, and essentially, we know very little about it. This is, Dirk remarked to me, deliberate. Much like Mr. Romero in Calgary refused to tell me the age of his rum, the reasoning behind not disclosing the components of this blended rum (for that is what it is) is to prevent the casual imbiber from walking in with expectations. “Just taste the damned thing,” Dirk told me. “It’s a rum, and I think it’s a good one. That should be enough.” (I’m paraphrasing a little – I was a little tipsy at the time).
What I can tell you, is that it’s a blend of pot and column still rums, more than ten and less than fifteen, from all over the map, components of which are aged between 9 and 24 years. Dirk blended it himself and he did it against the advice of several beta tasters, who sniffed it would never sell. “Insane” was a word used more than once, he told me with a self satisfied smirk as he poured me a generous tot.
Tasting notes
62% is a surprising strength for a blend of this kind – they tend to be tamer, for the most part. What that proof point does, however, is front load a nasal experience of serious oomph. The nose starts off with wet leather shoes, and old rubber galoshes filled with stale water, in an artist’s studio redolent of stale paint, turpentine and glue (no, really). There are some waxy and acetone notes, before the whole thing goes sideways and releases aromas of green Thai mangoes, overripe papayas, guavas, licorice, honey, blancmange, vanilla, cinnamon and a touch of brown sugar. That these contrasting smells don’t kill each other stone dead in a war of mutual attrition is quite remarkable, but no, they really work rather well together, honestly.
And the taste is no slouch either. It’s very dry, with the acerbic sharpness of a spirituous Professor McGonagall in fine form and full flow. The initial flavours of acetones and wax and glue blow away like yesterday’s news, leaving more distinct notes of sawdust, dry paper and freshly sawn cedar. What’s impressive about it is that while it repeats some of what made the nose so good, it goes off at a tangent after a minute: burnt brown sugar, brine, olives, caramel, coconut shavings, vanilla and cinnamon and honey to start. Then there are some fruits – watermelon, papaya, yellow mangoes, red grapes, dark cherries, for the most part. There’s a flirt of citrus, not a whole lot, and if you pressed me, I’d say that I sensed a touch of herbs (dill, rosemary and fresh parsley), but not a whole lot. It’s a solid, very strong rum with intense tastes, yet the sharpness I expected was not there, and the finish is long lasting and aromatic – honey, red wine, some prunes, and all the aforementioned bits and pieces coming together in a pleasing, well-balanced synthesis. Honestly, the rum is in no way a let down or disappointment.
Thoughts and wrap up
All right, so, what’s my take, after all that? Well, I think that there’s definitely some Jamaican, Guyanese and an agricole or two in here, maybe some high ester (Reunion? South Africa? Jamaica? Australia?). It would be pointless to speculate further, ‘cause Dirk was as silent on the matter as a Government taxman’s audit.
But of course, the question asks itself, is this: is it any good, or were the initial detractors who cautioned Dirk against putting this certifiable blend on the market, correct? After all, enthusiastic amateurs who play with their own supply to mix and mash something new, often create something only they (or their mothers) would love, and the market usually issues harsh correctives to such perceived hubris.
I think that for an indeterminate blend of a whole raft of distilleries’ rums at full proof, the thing is really freaking cool. No, really. It’s good. Put aside all preconceived dismissive notions that a blend of this kind just has a bunch of rowdy components that jam up against each other, don’t play nice and get in each other’s way, the way Ocean’s Atlantic 1997 did. Not a bit. The rum works, and it works well, perhaps because its very indeterminate nature is its strength in this case. The fact that it almost sold out in a fortnight should tell you something, and for my money, I think it’s a great buy if you want to try a well assembled blend that dares to colour just a bit outside the lines.
(#1145)(86/100) ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Other notes
- YouTube video review link
- Dirk’s market for physical bottles is mostly within Germany so people from further afield don’t always get to try his stuff. Rum Depot does have an online presence though. And if the €100 price tag for a 50cl bottle gives you pause, just remember that you can get a 4cl sample bottle for 1/10th of that price.
- The Rum Depot put out their own 16-minute intro video to the rum at this link.
- On the label, the beast looks like a giant octopus, but given the amount of tentacles on it, I’d more suggest it’s a badly drawn squid…a Kraken, if you will.