Aroma visualization from community tastings
Chairman's Reserve Original
What surprises people most is how much wood and spice this pulls off at just 40%. Expect vanilla, coconut, chocolate and a light St. Lucia funk, with cinnamon and roasted nuts on top. The catch that comes up again and again: the body is thin, almost watery, and the finish is short. Most tasters treat it as an honest everyday pour that punches above its price.
The community says- Light St. Lucia funk
- Vanilla and spice
- But: Thin, watery body
View price history
10 more payment methodsSecure payment Sold by Armagnac.de Returns & cancellation
- Secure payment. You pay via RumX with PayPal, Klarna or card. Your payment data is encrypted and we never store your full card details.
- Clear seller. Sold and shipped directly by the partner shop. And you're never on your own: RumX handles support and communication with the shop, so you always get excellent service, whichever shop you order from.
- Honest shop ratings. The stars show your service experience with the shop, not the rum score. They come from RumX users, and critical ones stay visible.
- Returns & cancellation. Your purchase contract is with the shop, so returns and cancellations run through them under their own policy and your statutory rights. If anything goes wrong, RumX helps you sort it out.
Buy Chairman's Reserve Original:
Compare all 7 shop offers
Prices & availability last updated on
The look inside the bottle
How does Chairman's Reserve Original taste?
Aggregated from 195 community reviews.
Woody, spicy everyday blend, a touch thin Loved as an honest everyday blend with real St. Lucia character and light funk. The recurring gripe is a thin, watery body and short finish — many prefer it in cocktails over neat.
People wanting an honest, everyday St. Lucia rum for sipping or mixing
Those who want a full-bodied, long-finish sipper
How the community classifies this rum. Each category takes you to similar rums.
Which glass for which rum? The community guide →
68 of 195 left detailed tasting impressions · Click an aroma to explore similar rums
Recommendation
Your next rum
One difference each to this rum.
How is Chairman's Reserve Original rated?
RumX’s 0–10 scale is strict: 7.1 sits in the “Good” band. 51% of tasters rate it Good or better; only 2% rate it below average. See the full rating guide →
Community voices
What does the community say?
83% rate it between 6 and 8. 49 selected write-ups from 195 community ratings. You can view the complete list in our app.
Review by Steve the Barman
Most helpful positive review
All my Tastings and Scores are purely based on “Rums under £50”. I rarely look at Rums over £50 for my YouTube.
Review by rum_sk
Most helpful critical review
Well I am not a fan of this base version to be honest. 👃is not offering anything interesting for me. It is rather sharp, peppery and alcoholic. It is initially sweet on the 👅 with notes of vanilla, caramel blending into peppery elements and bitter tones of burned sugar / caramel, charred barrel (too much) but not in a good way. Finish is medium long with unpleasant burned woody taste. Master's selection or legacy is a completely different story though.
Review by Stefan Persson
Most people wants to find rum with good value for money. Well, here it is. It’s very hard to find anything better for this amount of money. The only one I found is the English Harbour 5yo. It’s a blend of separately aged rums in ex-Bourbon barrels distilled from Coffey and pot stills. After blended it’s aged for six months more in oak vats. The average age of the blend is 5 years. There’s really something special with its flavours and nice afterburn. After what I have heard it’s the most consumed rum in St. Lucia. So it can’t be more karibik. This is a very good everyday rum to a very low price.
Review by Rumpalumpa
Pretty good value for money. There is a decent little funk to this Rum and notable molasses. But it is a little harsh drunk neat. A very nice mixer though, also for Cocktails, like here in a Port Au Prince (St. Lucia adaptation😄)
Review by Tim
Considering the price, you get a lot here, with delicious and round flavors. However, I think the rum is too thin, which affects the mouthfeel in particular. Therefore a recommendation for cocktails or for beginners.
Review by Gregor
From the distillate itself is little perceptible. Instead, there are many barrel nuances. As if you would let wodak mature in bourbon barrels
Review by Eugene227
Ein ausgewogener Rum mit typischem St.-Lucia-Charakter. Vanille, Banane, Gewürze, Eichenholz und leichte Rauchnoten sorgen für ein harmonisches, angenehm trockenes Profil. Er bietet mehr Tiefe und Charakter als viele Rums seiner Preisklasse und überzeugt mit einem sehr starken Preis-Genuss-Verhältnis.
Review by Eric Frechin
Rhum d entrée de gamme à prix léger,convenant bien pour un débutant qui veut diversifier son bar ou pour une base de cocktails. C est loin d être mauvais, on a du boisé, vanillé, un peu de chocolat et fruits secs. Épicé un peu trop présent. Finale courte
Review by crazyforgoodbooze
surprisingly strong for 40%. very good PLV. and very nice entry into the world of st Lucia !
Review by LukaŽiga
7,7:On the nose, it feels like a dry and woody rum, with lots of tropical fruits, a bit estery, dried fruits. The American oak barrel has definitely left its mark. Aromas of tobacco and vanilla are also present. The rum is light, round and certainly fresh. 7,7:On the palate, it is pleasant, round, not sweet at all, quite dry. We feel nice tropical fruits, dried fruits, some saltiness. It is the woodiness that takes over the palate, after a while. 7,3:The finish is quite long, dry and dominated by dried fruits, vanilla and tobacco.
Review by Decky Hicks Doughty
The nose has some funky, molasses notes that dominate but that's some coconut and wood in there too. The palate has a good mix of honey and chocolate with some vanilla thrown in for good measure. Touch of leather which can be a little off putting but nothing major. The finish has a medium length and a charming roasted nut note that is very pleasant. Subtle hint of peaches too. Overall, it's a nice rum for sipping and it's not a bad price either.
Review by HenryL
Good, honest rum with a pleasant cinnamon spice note. A little thin in the mouth on its own, the finish is short. But I can imagine using it very well for mixing. Maybe in the Old Cuban? The price-performance ratio is definitely top!
Review by F. Kraemmer
Smagning på Oops Århus med Mr. S Hansen & D Jungberg. Duft: Fed honning sødme, kokos småkage. Smag: Kokos kakao småkage, Mirabelle, let sødmefuld fylde. Glas: Kokos kage. Smagning Romhattens St. Lucia & Den Store Rom Dag Oops Århus.
Review by Rowald Sweet Empire
In the nose it reminds me a lot of Wortht Park. Fruity. Floral. Some wood. A bit of funk. Tastewise the same. Some licorice. Plums. Peaches. A bit too light/mild/thin though. This would be awesome around 50% I think. A very alround tasty rum. Very Jamaican-esque...a lot more than I expected
Review by AlSting
Derzeit mein Lieblingsrum als easy Sipper. Honigsüße, etwas fruchtig und würzig. Ein leichter und eher unkomplizierter, warm und rund schmeckender Rum, den ich bevorzugt pur trinke. In der Preisklasse um 20€ für mich konkurrenzlos, nur der geringfügig teurere English Harbour 5 kann halbweg mithalten. Geschmack pur: 7,5 Punkte Wegen des überragenden Preis-Leistungs-Verhältnis erhöhe ich auf 9 Punkte.
Review by TheJackDrop
Notes prises lors du Rhum Fest 2024, Notes rapides et palais un peu lourd, désolé :) On a ici : de la vanille, mais aussi de la vanille... Un rhum : simple, basique. Finale : courte, un peu de noisettes grillées peut être...
Review by Steffmaus🇩🇰
Tasted this one from the 1423 christmas rum-calendar, of 2023. Have tasted it before though. I find it spicy in the nose, with some hints of raisin and oak. In the notes I found molasses, vanilla and more oak.
Review by Lutz Lungershausen
24 Days of Rum 2023, Blue Edition, Day 4 So this is it, the famous Chairmans Reserve. Beautifully fruity and fresh on the nose, powerful on the palate and in the finish - simply very "rum "ig.
Review by Daniel Jungberg.
Romsmagning på Oops D. 20.06.2026. Sammen med F. Kraemmer Tema St. Lucia. Næsen på eventyr👃: Fornemmer jeg godt med kokos, vanilje og generel sødme Tungen på eventyr 🥃 : Smager jeg honning, kokos og et snært af kakao. Halen på historien💫 : Den nøddet smag og kaffe noter dominerer for mig her.
Review by Jarrod Smith
This reminds me a bit of an Irish whiskey. Dried fruits, roasted nuts, spices. Wood and bitters on the finish.
Review by Schnapsschuesse
Toasty, woody and spicy on the nose. Vanilla, coconut, chocolate, caramel and some funk. Dried fruit and raisin very subtle in the background. Unfortunately then on the one hand a bit thin and partly alcoholic in the mouth. Not really bothersome, but quite noticeable. Woody toffee sweetness with coffee notes are up front here. Slight bitterness, dark chocolate afterwards. Becomes stronger with time. Overall in character very peculiar. I like. Bonus points for the great price / performance ratio.
Review by Fayaman971
On a eut la chance de visiter Sainte Lucie et de goûter plusieurs rhum de Chairman’s Réserve. Et bizarrement , on m’avait pas proposé l’original. Et ben , c’est un bon rhum qui se boit sans artifice . Il est fort agréable sec , en dirait un rhum arrangé tellement il est fruité. Il est très parfumé au nez comme en bouche . Une forte odeur de banane flambée et de caramel ! Moi j’adore ! Par contre le final est trop court , on en redemande et du coup , la bouteille se vide trop rapidement lol . C’est un rhum à avoir absolument dans sa collection .
Review by Tano
A classic for a reason. Really solid blend that lacks the complexity and refinement to be a top quality sipper (it's an ok sipper), but shines on cocktails. It has enough pot still to make the blend shine with some light funk notes, while retaining the smoothness. Makes a pretty good cuba libre and Daiquiri (you need to go hard on the rum IMO). Very good rum overall considering the price. We need more honest and undosed rums like this.
Review by paulgi86
Finally getting round to trying this rum - it’s like those whisky brands you see everywhere and you’re thinking “I really need to try that at some point” well this was my rum equivalent! Overall? Really nice simple sipper, nothing overly complex but the flavours and experience are nice On the glass, the legs are nice and thick despite this being a 40% rum (they’re not treacle like but they don’t bead down the glass with any hurry) On the nose, I get the sweet floral notes that you get from sugar cane rums but also the lovely combo of molasses done in bourbon barrels…. Vanilla, some oakiness and some barrel spice as well The palate has a lovely array of sweetness, primarily all the traditional bourbon flavours like vanilla, caramel and toasted oak alongside roasted coffee, chocolate and some faint tropical fruits (maybe banana but it’s hard to pin down any further than tropical fruits) The finish is short but it’s really easy going - quite surprised by this one! Better than I thought it was going to be
Review by Mateusz
Greatly blended rum. There are characteristics of differently distilled and aged mollases really coming through. Retasting and for its so far the best value for money rum so far :)
Review by Léo Delek
Au nez on retrouve la banane et à la profil des jamaicains ... assez intéressant. Dommage car tout se casse la gueule en bouche avec une longueur inexistante
Review by thomas fraboulet
Very slightly funky, woody and vanilla. Quite round. I use it in my Apple Pie Mai Tai and it works very well, but neat is not really to my taste.
Review by Steffen Feddersen
Et fantastisk dejligt glas
Review by Nivius
Den hab ich mir geholt, weil ich nicht immer die guten in Cocktails vermischen wollte. Der typische St.Lucia Klebstoff ist zwar da, aber leider so schwach, dass er in komplexeren Drinks auch schnell unter geht. In der Preisklasse kann man da aber wohl nicht großartig meckern.
Review by helloimduc
A very solid rum, for good money. Good for mixing.
Review by Irbis
Good sipper, nothing else to be honest. Strong taste of barrel and alcohol, pepper, dry and.. it is good. Sometimes you need just a simple classic rum. Would recommend for every day casual sipping :) Just chairman reserve as it is.
Review by RumCzar
St Lucia rums are fine. I rate them at the same pleasant level as Appleton and Foursquare. The low abv is disappointing. There's really not much to say about St Lucia rum, which is a shame. I drink this neat. I won't rebuy.
Review by Jasper van den Bovenkamp
Novice rum drinker here. I found the rum accessible to a beginner, though spicy and herbal. The mouthfeel remarkably thin, almost like water. Fun experience but I won't be buying a bottle of this right away
Review by Blaidor
Smell 6/10 Taste 6/10 Aftertaste 6/10 Image 6/10 (info about rum, bottle, carton-box, sugar free, marketing....) Total impression 6/10 ------------------ BTL No added sugar 👍 BTL II Price 👍
Review by Leslie Haigh
good stuff as a mixer
Review by Kieron Wood
My notes from 2016 are completely wrong "It's a smooth rum that does not burn on the throat . Delicate flavour and a lovel taste . Not a top shelf but a quality standard of rum ." I am now obsessed with the stills of St lucia and the taste of the rums are beautiful .. Lovely fruit mixed with aa blend of oak and natural sweetness .. Not legacy but a staple
Review by epicsune 🇸🇪
Sample no.4 of the 24 days of rum calendar 2023. Vanilla and wood from the barrels. Sweet dried and tropical fruits are also there, something from the pot stills can be hinted lightly. Palate is round and nice. Lightly sweet and dried fruits like raisins. A faint smoky touch to the woody barrels that also give that vanilla flavour.
Review by Alex22
Perfect allrounder, full bodied but also light, floral and a little fruity. A great base for any cocktail rum blend. Add +25%ish overproof unaged jamaican rum and you have a pleasant and easygoing jamaican style sipper. Or add OFTD and demerara syrup and you have a dark rum. Take it anywhere you want!
Review by Jakob Deiner
In Geruch und Geschmack holzig mit leichten Vanille Noten. Schmeckt weniger alkoholisch als er riecht. Drinks: - Pur: 3.5/5 - Rum Cola: 3.5/5 - Rum Mule: 3/5
Review by Miňo
Na čisté popíjanie fajn, ale na to, že má 40 voltov, prekvapivo silný a tuhý. Cítim v ňom veľa dreva po dozrievaní. Za mňa fajn.
Review by Thomas Renoud
For the price it cannot be better. Sipping this make me instantly think I'm in a chair listening to jazz music with a cigar.
Review by Rumclub Latvia
Top rum in this price category
Review by Pierre TTn
Voilà un bon rapport qualité prix. Je ne m'attendais pas à grand chose. Et bien très surpris en le dégustant pur. Je le laisse "travailler" dans le verre afin d'obtenir les notes boisé et grillé de ce rhum
Review by MoMcGurk
I had hoped for better, but suspected this would be the result. They have some really good ones. This is not one of them for me. I think it out to make it special. A bit better mixed, but not all that much.
Review by Ian Gilman
First time with a St. Lucian rum and, especially for the money, it’s been a great experience. This is not to my taste for supper, but is going to excel in cocktails.
Review by Ondra Blahovec
Poměr cena kvalita ok. Vůně pro mě příjemná. chuť mi v puse zůstává koření a to mám v drinkách rád se zázvorovým pivem paráda.
Review by Tomáš Jankovský
V chuti me překvapil výbuch chutě černého čaje s náznakem mentolu
Review by Robert Houba
Nekomplikovaný, slušný poměr cena/výkon. Konec alkoholový
Review by Richard Krupa
Za tuto cenu velice prijemny rum, ale jde poznat lihovost
No reviews match this filter.
Expert reviews
Reviews from RumX's blog partners, independent experts who have tasted, evaluated, and described this rum..
Expert review by Rum Diaries Blog
Read full review →
Expert review by Zucker und Zeste
I like the nose better than the taste. A little watered down
Live auctions
Current bids for this rum at Europe's leading auction houses.
Market value
Avg. community purchase price 24 €
What members paid for this bottle, self-reported. Not a market value — the purchases are over three years old at the median and unverified.
Details about Chairman's Reserve Original
A Pot & Column Still Rum from Saint Lucia, distilled by Saint Lucia Distillers, at 40%.
Community purchases
250 bottles logged by 219 collectors.
A drinker & collector.
32% opened, 45 emptied and repurchased.
What does Chairman's Reserve Original cost?
Community paid 18–34 €.
Current best price: 23.09 € – within the typical community range.
What members actually paid for their bottles. A typical range, not the current shop price. Full price & collection history in RX+ →
+17 purchases in the last 3 months.
Added to collections, last 12 months — dark bars are the last 3.
250 purchased · 208 tasted · 96 wishlist · as of
Read on in the RumX Guide
You may also enjoy
Rum enthusiasts who like this rum have also given the following rums high ratings:
Chairman's Reserve Legacy
Chairman's Reserve LegacyFunky, fruity Saint Lucia everyday sipper
R.L. Seale's Foursquare Finest Barbados Rum Export Proof
R.L. Seale's Foursquare Finest Barbados Rum Export ProofBalanced, woody Barbados sipper, mild but dry
Pusser's Rum Original Admiralty (Blue Label)
Pusser's Rum Original Admiralty (Blue Label)Coffee-caramel navy rum, great in cola
Chairman's Reserve 1931 2017
Chairman's Reserve 1931 2017Balanced, round Saint Lucia sipper, short finish
Chairman's Reserve The Forgotten Casks
Chairman's Reserve The Forgotten CasksWarm, easy oak-and-vanilla sipper, slightly thin
DDL El Dorado 15 (2020 Release)
DDL El Dorado 15 (2020 Release)Easy Demerara daily sipper, wood-forward
Never miss a price drop.
Set a target price in the app, and we'll let you know as soon as the rum becomes available at that price from one of our partner stores. This works for any rum on your wish list.
Oliver · FounderBy rum lovers, for rum lovers
I'm Oliver, and RumX began in 2018 as a small passion project in Stuttgart, back then under the name Rum Tasting Notes.
What began as my digital tasting diary is now the world's most comprehensive platform for rum fans, today carried by a small team with Jakob, Lukas and Katharina, with Robert supporting us as a freelancer. We combine the collective intelligence of our community with an integrated marketplace, so you can choose with confidence, without paperwork, detours, or expert jargon.
Oliver, Stuttgart
About RumX →YouTube channel (in German)
