Sovereign XO 22 was never going to last. It was a limited release of 924 bottles — a 22-year-old dark Guyana rum, armagnac cask aged, bottled at 43% ABV. The oldest thing we have ever put in a bottle.
Most of those 924 are gone.
What makes it the one we are proudest of
Twenty-two years of tropical ageing is a long time in a hot climate. The angels take a great deal, and what survives has to be worth the loss. Sovereign came out gold in the glass, with kiwi, green plantain, sarsaparilla and cinnamint on the nose, and a long warming finish of roasted pineapple, tamarind and toasted brioche closing on cinnamon.
Like every Bombarda expression, it carries no added sugar, no caramel colorant and no chill filtration. At twenty-two years old, there is no reason to add anything and nowhere to hide if you did.
Named for the Sovereign of the Seas
Launched in 1637, she carried more guns than any ship afloat and cost so much that the tax raised to build her helped push England toward civil war. The Dutch called her the Golden Devil. There was no ship she feared.
What comes next
Our blending team is laying down casks for the next expression in the Sovereign line. It will again be limited, and the crew will hear first.
See what remains of Sovereign XO 22 · Sovereign On Deck, with a handmade garrison carriage
Back to Blog