Rum, once a pillar of Boston’s economy, has returned to its harbor. Boston Harbor Distillery recently released their Lawley’s Small Batch Rums, available in silver and dark expressions.
Boston Harbor Distillery (also the maker of Putnam New England Rye) is located in a brick building built in 1859, and “Lawley’s” is a reference to one of its former tenants, George Lawley & Sons Shipyard. That firm won fame for building The Puritan, a yacht that once won the America’s Cup and now graces the bottle’s label.
Lawley’s New England Small Batch Rum
The silver expression has a nose heavy with ethanol, but also suggestive of sweetness and caramelized sugar. It starts round, smooth, and sweet and coats the tongue with a thick mouthfeel that recalls cream. Despite what the nose suggests, there is very little heat in the body of the rum. It has a long, sweet finish that ends in burnt sugar and the faintest suggestion of spice.
While Lawley’s silver rum is certainly on the sweet side, it is never cloying. It is round and satisfying, almost akin to a dessert rum. It also makes a fantastic daiquiri: where the flavor of some silver rums may be neutralized by the acidity of lime, the round, sweet flavor of Lawley’s punches above to add flavor to the cocktail.
Stats:
— 40% ABV
— $29.99
CE Rating: ★★★
Lawley’s New England Small Batch Dark Rum
Lawley’s dark rum is a light amber in color. It has a faint aroma of molasses on the nose. Its body is lighter, drier, and slightly hotter than the silver rum, but it still packs a certain sweetness. Its flavors are slow to develop, but more complex. It begins with butterscotch, then flows to oak, and is followed by a strong burst of vanilla before picking up oak once again. It finishes with a subtle hit of spice.
This is an excellent, slow slipper of a rum, best complemented by a free afternoon and a nearby body of water.
Stats:
— 40% ABV
— $29.99
CE Rating: ★★★
