Rum tasting at the Kee Club

The Kee Club (796 HuaiHai Lu) is a beautiful private restaurant, bar and retail complex in a mansion just off the well-worn track of Huai Hai Lu. Now if you haven’t heard of it yet, it’s because you are poor and they don’t want your type in there. Now move along please.

Shanghaiist was invited to a rum tasting at this Dunhill / Vacheron Constantine show-palace to drink expensive alcohol and nibble on rich chocolate bonbons (and we did it all for you, dear reader).

JM Rhum and Damoiseau are producers of Rum’s answer to single malt Whiskey: single estate, single vintage, aged in oak barrels for years, it is to a Bacardi and Coke what Nina Simone is to Scary Spice.

For this tasting, both companies rolled out their big guns — Damoiseau had an excellent Reserve Special that showed why Rum can hold its own amongst the best Cognacs, JM had two Rum Vieux vintages: the 1997 which was a knock-out mouthful of spice and sunshine, and the rarer 1993 vintage which has a far richer, smoother, caramel taste with a long, long finish (and a high, high price).

Other than at the bar of the Kee Club (where a glass of the 1997 is 140RMB) and a Cigar shop in 1933, the only place where you’ll currently find these top-end spirits is on the top shelf of the new Park Hyatt in the World Financial Centre.

The Kee Club is more or less open to the public for the next month but after that, don’t be surprised to find their oak-panelled doors politely closed to non-members.

JM Rum boss explains all (James Creegan)

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