Tasting Notes for Samai Gold Rum
Nose: : Soft and salty with hints of sweet honey and tobacco.
Taste: Vanilla, dark chocolate, and caramelized honey, dried fruits.
Finish: Gentle sweet spice.
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Samai is Cambodia's first and only premium rum distillery. Started by 2 Venezuelans who were amazed at the quality of the sugar cane and molasses they found in Cambodia and decided to start their own distillery.
Samai uses only locally-grown sugar cane, nurtured by a warm Cambodian sun and fertile Cambodian soil to to produce the rich, caramel molasses that defines the complex base of all Samai premium rums. The molasses is fermented, then distilled in handmade, 1800’s-style copper alembic pots. A rectifying lentil enables a purer distillate at 75% to 90% alcohol/volume, while keeping the rich character of the raw ingredients intact. The distilled spirit is brought down to 65% alcohol/volume, aged in French & American Oak barrels and Sherry casks. These barrels impart delicate flavour characteristics into the rum and give Samai rum it's distinctive flavour. A small amount of honey from Ratanakiri is added to create the Samai Gold Rum. -
International Rum Conference: Double Gold - 2017
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Samai is the Khmer word for modern and represents a new generation of rum producers that are exploring new frontiers and flavours. The distillery is the brainchild of two Venezuelans Antonio Lopez and Daniel Pacheco, who went to high school together and reconnected years later in Cambodia.
Like the creation of any great concept, the idea for Samai started in a bar, while Lopez and Pacheco were throwing around ideas about what Cambodian rum could be like if it was made. That night of drunken genius became the catalyst for something special and in 2014, Samai opened its doors.
The normal route for rum distillers is to release an unaged white rum initially while waiting for dark rum to mature, but the owners of Samai are so set on their mission of only producing premium rum, they have taken the admirable decision to wait until they feel their rum is of ready before releasing anything. For this reason, and the fact that demand far outstrips what they are able to produce, we see a big future ahead for this distillery and will be watching out for future releases. -
Producer Samai Distillery Style Spanish style light molasses rum blended with honey Age No Age Statement (around 2 years) Volume 70CL ABV 41%