After finishing our delightful lunch at 15 Stamford, we stood up and headed out of the restaurant. Along the way, we walked past the bar and noticed a pair of golden pineapples. They caught our attention because we’ve been on the casual lookout for pineapple ornaments to display at home.
Yes, I know it sounds a bit random, but hear me out. Pineapples are called 黄梨 in Chinese, and pronounced as “ong lai” in the Hokkien dialect. Which also happens to be the same pronunciation as 旺来, or “fortune has arrived!”
For similar reasons, we have a pair of mini gold-plated radishes (“cai tow” ~ 财到) that The Wife bought from Risis some time back. The shop sold mini pineapples as well, but they were kind of skinny and didn’t look particularly prosperous.
Those on display at The Bar at 15 Stamford, however, were plump, golden and definitely exuded abundance. It was a quiet day and the bartender wasn’t busy, so I caught his attention and asked where they got their ornaments.
He was visibly amused by the question, and replied that they were display sets provided by Bacardi, and fit in with their tropical jungle-themed décor. I tried my luck and followed up by asking if they were on sale. Unfortunately, they were not.
Since I had his attention, I asked Tim about the wonderful Hampden rum that we had as part of our lunch pairing. He went back behind the bar and fished out a bottle of the Hampden Estate 8 Year Old ABV 46% rum from their extensive rum collection.
My exposure to rum until then had been quite minimal, and I didn’t know that the delicious golden elixir known as overproof rum even existed. Sensing a willing and eager audience, Tim proceeded to give an engaging and super informative mini tutorial on rum, the wild wild west of distilled spirits.
He shared that the 15 Stamford Bar specialised in rum, with a collection that was among the top three in the whole of Singapore. In addition, they also had a large retail store that sold many of the bottles available at the bar.
Tim walked us there and gave us an extensive tour of the world of rum, from Jamaica to Cuba to Puerto Rico and even Thailand. He highlighted the various types of rum, and shared with us the differences between the English, French and Spanish styles.
I asked him which bottle was his favourite, and he took a while to ponder and scan the shelves. He narrowed it down to the Long Pond VRW 2006 15 Year Old ABV 59%, which happened to be the last bottle in stock.
As we continued browsing, several bottles caught our eye due to their interesting Asian aromatics of lemongrass and kaffir lime. They turned out to be from Thailand, which made a lot of sense. I was curious as to how they would taste, and asked Tim if he could mix us a cocktail using the Chalong Bay rum.
He gladly obliged and whipped up a cold and refreshing beverage, full of bright and herbal notes. As we stood at the bar and sipped on the rum highball, our fascinating rum tutorial continued as Tim pointed out the different bottles behind the bar, originating from the different rum-producing countries.
We eventually ended up back in Jamaica, when a bottle of the aforementioned Long Pond was presented at the bar counter in front of us. Both the Hampden Estate and Long Pond were aged and overproofed rums, but one was clearly more superior in terms of age and ABV.
But how would that superiority translate to taste? Well, there was only one way to find out.
The nose was heavy and left an intoxicating fragrance. Compared with the Hampden Estate, the flavour of the Long Pond was deeper, richer and warmer as it flowed down the throat. Even after one sip, the warmth spread throughout my chest and stomach, lingering there for a long time.
It reminded me of our experience at the Nikka distillery in Hokkaido, where we had the opportunity to sample the rare Yoichi 15 year single-malt whisky and the even more elusive Yoichi 20 year at the distillery’s bar.
When we finished lunch and first stepped into the bar, it was around 1pm. By the time we finished the very last drop of the Long Pond, it was way past 3pm. The warmth from the rum lasted even longer, staying happily in our bellies late into the night.
A couple of months later, we were back at 15 Stamford, this time for dinner with some good friends. After finishing our food, we transitioned to drinks and after scanning the QR code, I immediately clicked on “Rum Flight” in the online menu.
Five choices were available, with each flight comprising four glasses of 20ml tasting portions each.
There was the Magnifique Martinique “showcasing rums from Martinique and appreciating the flavours of Agricole Rum”, and the Spanish Connection “solera-aged rums that give you notes of oak and a blend of vanilla and spices.”
If you’re into exploring the Caribbean, there was the Island Hop with “rums that give you the experience of tasting different styles of different islands side-by-side”. Closer to home, there was the Asian Expedition since “Asia is one of the largest producers of sugar cane, and rums from this region give you a whole new experience.”
But there was no doubt in my mind that I would be choosing the Jamaica Love with “rums known for their high esters, [allowing you to] enjoy the fruity and funky flavours of the island.”
While the Long Pond didn’t make an appearance, there was a Hampden Estate featured in the lineup. This time though, the ABV of the Overproof Pure Single Jamaican Rum was jacked up from 46% to 60%, putting it on par with the Long Pond VRW 2006.
The Wife and I took turns to sample the selection, going from the recommended left to right sequence. A side-by-side tasting really accentuated the differences between the different bottles. Our conclusion after finishing all four glasses was that Hampden was the clear winner.
Next time I’m back at 15 Stamford, I’d want to try the Island Hop and sample the different flavours of rum from Cuba, Panama, Belize and Barbados. I’m not sure how different they will taste compared to those from Jamaica, but that’s the fun of having flights.
When we stopped at the bar that afternoon, all we wanted to know was where to get the pretty golden pineapples on display. But we ended up accidently falling down the rum rabbit hole and spending an enjoyable and boozy two hours, courtesy of Tim the awesome bartender.
It’s going to be a challenge fitting in another type of alcohol in our ever growing list of sake, wine and whisky, but I’m quite sure we’ll have fun trying.
