XXX/Five Saint Catherine Jamaica 2 Year

Normally, I associate Jamaican rums with extended aging. However, this one is only 2 years old. It's not quite unaged spirit, but at 65% ABV and just 2 years, it's the closest I've encountered to white dog from Jamaica. This certainly piques my interest. Nose: There's a significant alcohol presence, yet the profile is clean. A robust funk from vegetal notes and sweet sugarcane blends with molasses, creating a powerful hogo. I detect a whisper of charred meat, some indistinct spices, and a subtle wood influence. Hints of tropical fruit emerge, with mango and pineapple being the most prominent. Palate: Abundant tropical fruit! Mango, pineapple, orange, lime, and banana. Then, the bitter funk of blackstrap molasses hogo appears, transitioning to a vegetal character before the clean sugarcane flavor surfaces. The considerable burn is an expected consequence of its 65% ABV. A slight wood bitterness and a touch of ash are present, along with some hard-to-identify spices. Finish: A persistent burn accompanies notes of mango, orange, lime, banana (less so pineapple), and blackstrap molasses. - Conclusion - In comparison, Pusser's Gunpowder Proof (rated 15/23) offers more smoothness, bitterness, and refinement. This expression, however, boasts significantly more appealing fruit. Based purely on flavor, this might be the victor. Yet, due to the intense burn, the Pusser's ultimately prevails. The burn here is comparable to my cask strength bottle of Ry3 (rated 9/23). Both this and the Ry3 present quite good flavors. I'd say this has a more pronounced alcohol bite in its burn, while the Ry3 feels harsher, if that distinction makes sense. Buffalo Trace White Dog Mash #1 (rated 11/23) is noticeably less fiery than this, despite Buffalo Trace itself having a considerable burn. The flavor quality is also quite similar. This spirit is close in quality to the Ry3; not as close to the Buffalo Trace. There's considerable potential here, and it could excel in cocktails. However, the intense burn makes it challenging to sip neat, even with a little dilution. I might even prefer the Ry3. It's likely a 8 or 9, unfortunately, because of the excessive burn. I'm settling on an 8.