Bumbu Original

A lady at the local liquor store told me that was a nice smooth sipping rum. It is not... It's not smooth. It is very fruity and sweet but ends with a rather harsh bite. I agree with other comments that have described this more like a liqueur than a rum.

One of my favorite rum. Perfect neat or with ice.

Easy to drink but its a little overpriced and the flavour is more of a novelty. At first it sips like a decent dark rum, then, like a wave of students crashing onboard your ship, you are dragged into a novelty tiki lounge that squirts a dose of fake banana down your throat and throws refinement out the window. I am sure this one would sit quite well with many people, but this doesn't hold a candle to plantations pineapple rum in regards to rumxfruit flavours. Have a dabble, its okay, but don't go for a second round in a bar when for this price there are usually far better alternatives.

Update: So I bought a bottle on sale, and actually, I would say it holds its ground. Still a tad overpriced, avoid if you arent a fan of sweet/dessert rums. but it has its place and is a great alternative. Dont think it deserves a 7 but I would reiterate the 'worth a try' aspect. Avoid if you dont like sweet rums, try it if you love a good quality mixer. (dangerously so).

Really zweet. Not for the normaal rum drinker. It tasten morgen like a liquor. Nonetheless i really enkoyed it

Its tasty. But not My thing. Dont really like the fruity stuff. However its good enough

Very nice taste but I am confused if this is a rum.

Over the years I've been an avid single malt whisky man, revelling in the myriad tastes and frolicking wildly in the history and prestige of it's ownership and consumption.

But the years have caught up with me and like some of my political and societal views, my taste in spirits has veered steadily toward the rebellious.

And what spirit evokes more dreamy swashbuckling rebellious romance than the once humble rum?

So here I am, with scant experience in this field.

Bumbu was one of the first rums I had.

On removal of the pretty, oversized cork I marvelled at the scent rising out of the arguably very stylish bottle. Immediately on the nose was my mother's Banoffee pie! I could happily have just smelled this rum rather than drink it! But drink it I did.

Coming from a whisky background and having fatigued of the sometimes sweet but overly crisp sharpness of the spirit, I found a sweet salvation in Bumbu. It was a mild but flavoursome 35% which didn't hit my throat like most of the Single Malts I was drifting away from. I didn't realise how much rum in general was going to take over my spirit desires. And this rum (amongst a few others) provided me the mellow entryway into another vast rabbit hole of expenditure!

Yes, Bumbu IS a rum. It might not be to the taste of the time served aficionado who's palate is as dextrous as their hands, and whilst it might be criticised for being too sweet, it is only too sweet for those who aren't happy to provide a place for it in the journey of someone new to the spirit world.

Call it a "dessert rum" like many others on here if you want, I'm sure that's a pigeonhole it'd be happy to fill if only to continue to be acknowledged as a rum. But for me this is also a fine bridging spirit when moving from one species of spirit to another.

Also, it is, for want of a better term, a "Welcome" mat of a rum. It's a great ground level starting point for the severely inexperienced to start getting their "nose in" and to wash their taste buds in bold, easily separable flavours. Sure, people tend to spend little time around the welcome mat and usually end up "exploring the house," but if it lures that person in to this world and entices them to try newer, complex varieties and sharpen their ability to separate and discern one element of a rum's makeup from another, then hasn't it been a worthwhile foray?

I'd say it is.

Would I return to it? Yes, I think I would. I'd happily have a bottle of this for a tasty alternative and to share with inexperienced friends or ladies who'd like to experience neat spirit drinking, but would benefit from something mild to begin with.

I like Bumbu. I'm happy to admit it. As a stepping stone spirit it now forms part of my own drinking history. And I'll remember it for that.

One day when I look back it'll invoke nostalgia and the emotions I felt at the first sip and it'll be a happy memory.

How can anyone deny it a place then?

Enjoy.

I did.

I've been wanting to try this for a while, and was lucky enough to sample it at the Exeter Rum Festival. So good I bought a bottle. Great banana taste. Very, very smooth. Highly recommended.

If you like a sweet rum this will not disappoint. A heavy yet smooth hit of vanilla starts off with some Carmel and banana finish. Very sweet but I do enjoy on occasion.

I still like sweet rum, but this one is missing the "natural" sweet character (like A.H.Riise Famili Reserva)
Instead you can taste many added sugar and flavor (banana, vanilla, caramel ) and the real rum taste is coming for short moment at the very end... Very nice aroma - good for girls, mixing etc.