Tanduay

one of the few things that makes sense
when you’ve rid pretentions of knowing
that everything ever is still the same; a
glass of Tanduay dark in hand, whether
you’re sure you’d never tasted it before,
try and incredibly can’t easily place it, a
rum with less Naval antecedents than a
curiously blessed sailor’s hangover

but it’s so damn drinkable one wonders
who kept its origin secret and hidden in
the Philippines – even their spelling has
an aura of ages, ‘Rhum’ they slur with a
matelot’s tongue curled around flavours
that will make even Jamaicans cringe
© 22 November 2012, I. D. Carswell