Kill Devil 2003
Loved by zabo, lukasdrinkinghabits
For experienced palates: a dry, high-strength Trinidad TDL that leans more on toffee, caramel and moist oak than on bright fruits. Menthol, mint and a light Caroni‑style “dirty” note add interest. Certified unsweetened.
- Toffee/caramel profile
- Menthol mint freshness
- Interesting dirty notes
Details about Kill Devil 2003
How does Kill Devil 2003 taste?
Aggregated from 13 community reviews.
Dry, woody TDL with menthol twist For experienced palates: a dry, high-strength Trinidad TDL that leans more on toffee, caramel and moist oak than on bright fruits. Menthol, mint and a light Caroni‑style “dirty” note add interest. Certified unsweetened.
Fans of dry, high‑ABV continental TDL who enjoy caramel, roasted wood and a touch of dirty menthol character rather than a fruit‑bomb profile.
Those sensitive to 60%+ ABV or looking for an easy, fruity sipper; also anyone expecting top‑tier early‑2000s TDL expressiveness.
How is Kill Devil 2003 rated?
RumX's 0–10 scale is strict , 7.7 lands squarely in the "Good" band. 84% of tasters rate it Good or better; only 7% rate it below average. See the full rating guide →
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Rum reviews
A selection of the most popular reviews from our community. You can view the complete list in our app.
Review by zabo
Very mysterious rum. A T.D.L but after a longer time in the glass the Caronino notes come out easily. I'm torn as to whether I think it's a great rum or just average. But right now the wacky outweighs the average. But it needs a long time in the glass, then the alcoholic taste gradually disappears. Tasted another 2003 Samaroli and Nobilis. In my opinion, this one is not at all comparable to these profiles. It somehow picks me up. Edit: went through the obligatory CubaLibre test again. I still find it interesting. A slightly different flavor than Mixer, but a pretty good one. I like the taste. More like the slightly dirty CubaLibre.
Review by lukasdrinkinghabits
Mal wieder mein großes TDL Crosstasting. Der Nobilis TDL 2003, der Kill Devil 13 yo 2003, der Tamosi 2003, der erste TWJ 2003 19yo und der neue WDC 22yo. Vom Nobilis, Kill Devil und WDC wissen wir, dass sie aus 02/2003 stammen. Bei den anderen ist der genau Batch unklar. Leider fehlt mir heute einer der CDIs aus dem April 2003 - ich gehe davon aus, dass der TWJ aus dem April ist. In der Nase bildet der TWJ die eine Seite des Spektrums: Volle Ladung frische Minze, saftiger Pfirsich, etwas Mango, minimal Tee im Hintergrund. Der Kill Devil bildet die andere Seite, erinnert an den OR&S, Nougat, Karamell Schokolade ind getrocknete Früchte, schwer und süß. Der Nobilis ist auch auf der spanischen Seite, aber gelbfruchtiger getrocknete Mango und Pfirsich. Dem Tamosi sehr ähnlich, aber etwas fruchtiger, weniger rauchig. Im Mund wiederholt sich das Spiel. Im TWJ strahlt die Minze und der saftige Pfirsich, im Kill Devil finden sich Nüsse und Trockenobst. Die Alkoholintegration vom Kill Devil ist nicht optimal. Der Nobilis bringt überraschend viel Menthol im Schwarztee, schwerer und dreckiger als die Nase vermuten ließ. Im Abgang überrascht eine recht saure Zitrusnote, auch die gelben Früchte sind überraschend saftig. Minze ist hier kaum zu erkennen, schon gar nicht in der intensiven Frische des TWJ. Der Nobilis ist der einzige andere aus der Runde der Minze als deutliche Mentholnote im Abgang mitbringt. Die Abgänge aller Rums sind sehr schön, denn es gibt keine übermäßige Bitterkeit und die Fruchtaromen bleiben selbst beim Kill Devil lange erhalten. In der Bewertung gefällt mir der TWJ am besten, der Kill Devil fällt ab - aber nicht unter das Niveau des OR&S und des Swells. WDC, Tamosi und WDC sind weitestgehend auf Augenhöhe mit leichten Vorteilen für den Tamosi. Sehr lecker alles, aber weit entfernt von der Spitzenklasse des Jahrgangs, den CDIs für 1802, Caksus oder Premium Spirits.
Review by Jakob
Interestingly, the toffee note dominates here at first, before the tropical fruits and some mint are added on the palate. Interesting, aromatically versatile, but without the freshness of other TDLs from the 2000s, as the toffee flavors mentioned at the beginning and the alcohol are still too present.
Review by Jarek
For me, more of a TDL with a Caroni note than a Caroni with TDL notes. Not top class, but still tastes good to me. It lacks some fruit on the nose.
Review by DomM
More on the „classic“ column still side of things with roasted and dark notes in focus. Some dirt is present, yet not much in terms of fruits and/or herbal notes on the nose. While it feels a bit thin on the palate (tastewise) it is still quite alcohol forwards. While not devastatingly bad, this clearly is in the lower tier of early 2000s TDLs.
Review by Wernie
Hier haben wir einen TDL der bissl aus der Art schlägt. Die Nase ist ungewöhnlich karamellig und erinnert eher an einen Fourquare. Alles andere ist recht leicht gehalten, gelbe Früchte, Erdnussbutter,Kakao und ganz am Ende ein ganz wenige Minze. Der Erste Gaumenkontakt ist verdammt alkoholisch, gibt sich aber mit der Zeit. Viel Holz und verbranntes Karamell folgen, dazu karmellisierte Früchte, Pfeffer und leicht Minze. Der Abgang ist recht lang, holzig, röstig und mit Mentholnoten versehen. Fazit: ungewöhnlich aber doch recht gut.
Review by Oliver
Quite straightforward and alcoholic on the nose. On the palate, lots of vanilla and a fairly dominant sweetness (burnt sugar?). The alcohol is quite present. Had I by the light mint associations and missing Caroni notes rather Ruchtung T.D.L packed.
Review by mto75
On the nose, initially chemical in the direction of PVC soil / phenol, then later yellow fruit, baked goods, vanilla, plus light mentholated, dirty notes. Workshop, passion fruit and mocha on the palate. For me a TDL, but the 2003s I've had in my glass so far (Excellence Rhum, Whisky Jury) were much better.
Review by Kevin Sorensen 🇩🇰
05.01.2019 A very nice tasting event where I met new local rum nerds. Notes. Medium dark colour. Npse: wood, roasted, dried fruit, floral, citrus, mint. Palate: light, wood, sweet, citrus, chocolate, mint, caramel. Finish: medium long, sweet, wood, dried fruit, chocolate.
Review by Johannes
A rather weaker Caroni without much character and depth.
Expert reviews
Reviews from RumX's blog partners, independent experts who have tasted, evaluated, and described this rum..
Expert review by The Fat Rum Pirate
"The problem is it just isn't really all that great. It has quite a lot going for it but it just doesn't have enough complexity of flavour to make it stand out. It has a slight imbalance with the sweetness being just a bit too dominant and its not particularly..."Read full review →
Community purchases
11 bottles logged by 52,000+ RumX members. The ratio of closed / opened / emptied, indicates whether this rum is meant to be drunk or is a collector's item.
Also on the wishlist of 2 members.
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Oliver · FounderBy rum lovers, for rum lovers
I'm Oliver, together with Jakob, Robert and Lukas, we started RumX in 2018 as a small passion project in Stuttgart, back then under the name Rum Tasting Notes.
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