2017 Rum Howler Awards for Rum
Posted by Arctic Wolf on January 13, 2017
This past year was a busy time for the Rum Howler as I not only wrote and published many new reviews, I also spent a great deal of time re-examining many of the rum spirits which I had previously reviewed. This work was done with the aim of providing my readers with specific lists they could use to help them choose the appropriate rum for their particular needs.
During the past year I examined and ranked all of the Spiced Rums I owned. I also built cocktails all year round to determine a ranking of the 50 Best Mixing Rums (a few internet trolls are unhappy with that term; so if you like, you can call them the ‘Best Young Cocktail Rums‘) I have tasted as well. Finally, I also combed through my reviews and determined what I believe are the 50 Best Rums of 2016.(Admittedly there is overlap in these three lists.)
Rum Old Fashioned
All this work done throughout the year meant that for this year’s Rum Howler Awards, I had the luxury of having already compiled the necessary lists which recognized the best rums in various categories:
- The Rum Howler – Top 50 Rums of 2016
- The Rum Howler 2016 Top 50 Mixing Rums Countdown
- The Rum Howler 2016 Spiced Rum Countdown
To determine my Rum Howler Award Winners, I merely had to examine these lists, determine which of the rums on each list had been tasted at some point in the past two years, and then select the best spirit for each of my categories.
It is time for me to bring forward my 2017 Rum Howler Awards Winners. These are the spirits which have risen to the top and provided me with my greatest enjoyment.
Here is a link to my 2017 Award winners for the excellence in the production of Rum:
The 2017 Rum Howler Awards – The Year in Rum
3 Responses to “2017 Rum Howler Awards for Rum”
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Russ said
Certainly will,and same to you..i agree with you,but i believe that sugar like any other white powder salt,cocaine,heroin is not what i choose to put in my body..i can respect the tradition but not enjoy it..for me santa t,a clean botran and a few others are the only rons i enjoy and as wine has more sugar added than any other spirit i do not enjoy most wine bottlings either.the lack of accountability as to how “wet ” the cask is before adding the rum to age is a concern as well..that said,being a sipper preferring overproof,aged,balanced,flavourful unadulterated juice my choices are not as broad based as yours.my list and what i carry in my bars is very different from yours and thats as it should be,each his own taste😊carry on,canajun brother
russ said
Hi chip,happy new year! Nice read. Although we differ in our tastes as i dislike the addition of any sugar etc, and am not a fan of 2nd ageing in wine casks,i like reading your impressions…salute. russ
Arctic Wolf said
THanks Russ
It’s okay if we disagree on taste, as everybody should enjoy what they like, not what they are told to like. On the whole wine cask issue, to me its always a matter of whether the flavour from the cask enhances the overall flavour or whether it detracts. Strong PX flavours tend to ambush the rum and detract from my enjoyment, but a subtle sherry enhancement can be a good thing. I tend more to the bourbon cask than the wine cask, but if a part of the blend is aged in that sherry cask, it can work really well.
As for sugar added in some form, as long as the rum produced is made in a manner that respects the traditions of rum making which go back hundred of years I judge it in the glass, and if the sweetness I tase is yummy (like in Dictador and Ron Millonario) then I score it well, but if the sweetness is overbearing and detracts from my enjoyment (Like Zaya) I lower the score.
Have a great new year Russ!