Renaissance Puyuma Cognac Cask 6 Year Old Rum
Almost no Taiwanese rum leaves Taiwan — before this release, only a handful of casks from Renaissance Rum Distillery had ever been exported. The Puyuma Cognac Cask is a single cask (No. 18094) of molasses-and-dunder rum, fermented for fifteen days and distilled on a direct-fire Charentais pot still, then aged entirely in Taiwan's subtropical heat: three years in new Limousin oak and three more in a first-fill Hennessy Cognac cask. Bottled by Raising Glasses at 67.1% ABV as its premiere US Renaissance release, 180 bottles for America. It stands at the very top of our rum collection.
- Distillery: Renaissance Rum Distillery, Taiwan
- Distilled: April 4, 2018 · Age: 6 years · Bottled: November 2, 2024
- ABV: 67.1% (134.2 proof) · Size: 700mL
- Cask: Single cask #18094 — Limousin new oak, then first-fill Hennessy Cognac cask
- Outturn: 180 bottles (US release) · 15-day fermentation, Charentais pot still
The Story
Renaissance was founded in southern Taiwan by Frenchman Olivier Caen and Linya Chiou, who brought Cognac-country technique — Charentais pot stills, Limousin oak, dunder-driven ferments — to Taiwanese molasses. The results have made it one of Asia's most sought-after distilleries, yet the rum almost never travels. The cask is named for the Puyuma, one of Taiwan's Indigenous peoples. Raising Glasses, the US bottler behind this release, is known for exactly these rescue missions for great casks — see its Raising Glasses The Whistler 14 Year Old Rum — and this is its flagship import to date.
Tasting Notes
Plums and papaya lead, with allspice, vanilla bean and the spicy grip of French oak; the Cognac cask adds a vinous, rancio depth under the tropical fruit. At 67.1% it is immense but composed, finishing long on dark fruit and warm spice.
How to Enjoy
Neat in a tulip glass, rested — then a few drops of water to unfold the Cognac cask. A bottle for serious collectors and the rum-curious alike; find its peers in our Rare & Top Shelf collection and alongside the Spinnaker Worthy Park WPM 9 Year Old Rum 2015.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is Taiwanese rum so rare in the US?
Renaissance sells almost everything domestically in Taiwan; only about five casks had ever been exported before Raising Glasses secured this and one other cask for the US.
What casks was it aged in?
Three years in new Limousin oak followed by three years in a first-fill Hennessy Cognac cask — six years total, all in Taiwan.
How many bottles came to the US?
180 bottles of single cask #18094, bottled at 67.1% ABV.
A genuine rarity of the rum world, available to order online at Del Mesa Liquor — 180 bottles for the entire country.