Holmes Cay Single Cask 11 Year Old Rum Trinidad 2012
59% ABV (118 proof) | 700mL | 11 years | Distilled 2012 at Ten Cane Distillery, Trinidad (now defunct) | 100% fresh cane juice, French alembic pot still | Cask strength, no additives — Holmes Cay Single Cask 11 Year Old Rum Trinidad 2012 comes from one of rum's great what-ifs: Ten Cane, the luxury cane-juice distillery Moët Hennessy built in 2003 and shuttered in 2015. Double-distilled in a French alembic pot still from 100% fresh cane juice, aged 11 years, bottled at full 118-proof cask strength with no additives and no chill filtration. A Fall 2023 limited release — part of a nine-year vertical series. Available to order online at Del Mesa Liquor in San Diego, CA.
Ten Cane was rhum agricole's Trinidadian cousin — cane juice, not molasses — and its closure made every remaining cask irreplaceable. Holmes Cay releases this stock year by year in a vertical series, each release a year older, so the 2012 11 Year is a snapshot of a distillery that no longer exists. Among cask-strength rums, cane-juice Trinidad pot still at 118 proof is about as rare as it gets.
Tasting notes
Official notes: delicate floral nose; herbs and pepper (black pepper) on the palate with vanilla custard and oak; a medium-length finish. Herbaceous, peppery, and unmistakably cane-juice rum.
Why buy it from Del Mesa Liquor
- 118 proof (59% ABV) cask strength — 100% fresh cane juice, French alembic pot still
- Distilled 2012 at Ten Cane, Trinidad — a defunct distillery; these casks are the last of their kind
- 11 years of maturation; no sugar, color or other additives; non-chill filtered
- Fall 2023 limited release in a nine-year vertical series
- Available to order online at Del Mesa Liquor
How to serve it
Neat with water alongside — at 118 proof, a few drops transform it. This is a sipping rum for the experienced, not a mixer.
Frequently asked questions
What was Ten Cane distillery?
A luxury cane-juice distillery in Trinidad built by Moët Hennessy in 2003 and closed in 2015. It distilled 100% fresh cane juice in French alembic pot stills — making its surviving casks irreplaceable.
How old is the Holmes Cay Trinidad 2012?
11 years, distilled in 2012 and released in Fall 2023 as part of a nine-year vertical series (ages 10–19, one release per year).
Is this rum cask strength?
Yes — bottled at its full barrel strength of 59% ABV (118 proof), with no additives and no chill filtration.