What is it? Ron Canuto Highland Rum is a molasses based, pot still rum from Ecuador, produced by the Zhumir distillery, making this Pure Single Rum. The molasses used is local stuff and they age in Ecuador too, but whilst this is hot it is aged at altitude which actually slows the maturation somewhat. The rum is aged for 7 years in ex-bourbon casks and I note that whilst it doesn’t say it’s single cask rum my bottle has a barrel number on it (barrel number 7) and bottle number 29 – so it does look like it’s come from a single cask.

Coloured, chill filtered and bottled at 40% abv.

Sugar? Yes. 35 g/l of the stuff….

Nose: Bananas. Immediately lots and lots of bananas. Banana sweeties, banana flavour Angel Delight (a powered, ready to make blancmange we have in the UK), Crème de banane and banana bread. Some oak spices pop up with light clove, a little ginger, cedar wood and some vanilla. A touch of caramel and then that’s it.

Palate: Full mouth, sweet, very much so. Clearly obvious that this has been fiddled with. Bananas again, bah! Bloody bananas! That’s all I can get, and fake banana stuff too, so a banana milkshake or banana chews (banana split toffees if you’re in the UK and old enough to remember going to a proper sweet shop). Not much else sadly, no pot still notes at all and not even any heat from the alcohol. I’ll be kind and say there is some vanilla in here too, if anything.

Finish: It does, and quickly too. Blink and you’ll miss it. Guess what is here – banana.

Thoughts? Pass. I’ve had worse rums, I’m struggling to remember when but I’m sure I have. Sweet and just tastes of bananas. I picked this up having not seen anything from Ecuador before and thought I’d give it a go, not one I’ll be getting a repeat of.

£32? Nah, no way. Poor show I’m afraid, don’t waste your money.