A Rum From Thailand? This Spanish Producer is Bottling One

Despite being located in the city of Jerez de la Frontera in southern Spain, which is world-renowned for its sherry production, Dos Maderas is a rum producer, of all things. It was established in 2006 as an outcropping of Williams & Humbert, a storied sherry house dating back to 1877, and it puts sherry cask finishing front and center. The brand’s name is Spanish for “Two Woods,” which references the process. Dos Maderas isn't a distiller, instead sourcing aged rums from Guyana and Barbados, which are shipped to the bodega where they’re blended and finished in a pyramid-style solera whose barrels include decades-old PX, oloroso, and palo cortado sherry casks. The brand’s latest release also features sherry finishing, but the rum comes from an unexpected place: Thailand.

Under the Radar

For many drinkers, Thailand may be among the last places you’d associate with rum. That’s because most of the rums available in North America come from Caribbean islands like Jamaica, Barbados, Puerto Rico, Martinique, and others. Rum-producing nations like Thailand and India have largely flown under the radar. Rum has a large following locally in Thailand—primarily stemming from the popular molasses-based rum label SangSom, introduced in the late 1970s. SangSom is prominently seen at Thai festivals and cultural events today, but its rums have never seen much play outside the country. There are a handful of Thai labels available in the U.S., including Phraya and Shakara, but the best place to find them is through independent bottlers like Raising Glasses, Roaming Road, and Rum Explorer.

Dos Maderas Origen Thailand was sourced from ThaiBev, the country’s largest alcohol company, which owns several distilleries throughout Thailand and produces the SangSom label. (ThaiBev also owns Inver House Distillers, which includes a number of scotch whisky distilleries, including Old Pulteney, Balblair, Knockdhu, Speyburn, and others.) The rum was distilled from molasses refined from local sugarcane and aged in bourbon barrels. After maturing for 12 years in Thailand, the liquid was shipped to Jerez, where it was finished for 6 months in casks that had previously held 80 year old oloroso sherry and bottled at 47% ABV. Only 4,000 bottles were produced.

This rum is the first release in Dos Maderas’s new annual Origen Series, which focuses on rum sourced from other far-flung areas around the world. Each expression will follow the same template: first aged in its country of origin, then shipped to Spain for finishing in sherry casks.

How Does It Taste?

Considering its age and relative rarity, many aficionados may prefer to sip this rum neat or over ice. But the brand recommends trying it in cocktails as well, leaning into its Asian provenance with a pandan-flavored rum riff on an Old Fashioned or with bird’s eye chili (a very hot chili pepper prominently used in Thai cuisine), coconut, and mango for a spicy take on a Mojito.

Dos Maderas 12 year old Origen Thailand Rum

ABV: 47%
SRP: $83
Availability: 4,000 bottles globally

The sherry influence is unmistakable on the nose, with dates, dried fruits, cherry, dark chocolate, vanilla cream, and a hint of citrus. The palate is similarly sherry-charged, adding fruit leather, oak, baking spices, and cinnamon amid dark chocolate and dark berries, which linger on the finish along with cardamom. It has a straightforward profile, one that skews slightly dry at times, but it’s pleasant all the same.