The Rum Howler Blog

(A Website for Spirited Reviews)

  • Copyright

    Copyright is inherent when an original work is created. This means that the producer of original work is automatically granted copyright protection. This copyright protection not only exists in North America, but extends to other countries as well. Thus, all of the work produced on this blog is protected by copyright, including all of the pictures and all of the articles. These original works may not be copied or reused in any way whatsoever without the permission of the author, Chip Dykstra.

  • Cocktails and Recipes

    Click Image for Awesome Recipes

  • Industry Interviews

    Interviews

    Click the Image for Great Interviews with the Movers of Industry

  • The Rum Howler Interview (Good Food Revolution)

    Click on the Image to see my interview on Good Food Revolution

  • The Rum Howler Blog

    Unknown's avatar

  • Rum Reviews

  • Whisky Reviews

  • Gin Reviews

  • Tequila Reviews

  • Vodka Reviews

  • Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

    Join 1,092 other subscribers

  • Subscribe

  • Visitors

    • 15,534,666 pageviews since inception

  • Archives

  • Follow The Rum Howler Blog on WordPress.com

Archive for February, 2018

« Previous Entries
Next Entries »

Review: Last Straw Distillery Blackstrap

Posted by Arctic Wolf on February 21, 2018

The Last Straw Distillery Blackstrap is one the few white spirits in the world actually made from blackstrap molasses rather than sweet molasses. One of the reasons there are so few is because blackstrap is much harder to work with than sweet molasses as the sugar content is lower, and the sugars are harder for the yeast to access. The trade-off is that blackstrap molasses gives a richer, more robust flavour when it is distilled. It took the Distillery about 6 months (of experimentation) to discover a method to obtain reasonable yields out of blackstrap molasses without sacrificing flavour.

You will note that I did not call this spirit rum. This is because Last Straw’s Blackstrap is a new make spirit which has not been aged. Interestingly, if the product were to be produced for the US market, it could legitimately be called a rum; but in Canada where we have stricter rules pertaining to the aging of spirits. To be sold in Canada, rum must be aged for one year in oak barrels. (This means that most white rums are aged in oak and then filtered clear before they are sold in Canada.)

Here is a link to my review of this unique spirit from Canada’s Last Straw Distillery:

Review: Last Straw Distillery Blackstrap

“… The initial aroma is what I call punky with light smells of resin and camphor. Very soon firm aromas of dark licorice, treacle and banana come forward as well as a bonanza of tropical fruit …”

Please enjoy my review as well as my cocktail suggestion, the Brooklynite.

 

Posted in Rum, Rum Reviews, White Rums | Tagged: , , , | Comments Off on Review: Last Straw Distillery Blackstrap

Review: Corralejo Añejo Tequila

Posted by Arctic Wolf on February 19, 2018

Hacienda Corralejo was established in 1775 by Don Pedro Sanchez de Tagle in the Mexican State of Guanajuato. The distillery (Nom 1368 CRT) uses traditional methods of fermentation and distillation with clay ovens used to cook the agave and copper pot stills for the distillation.

According to the Corralejo website their Anejo Tequila is a 100% agave spirit aged for 12 months in American oak barrels. The website indicates the Corralejo Añejo is bottled at 38 % alcohol by volume which is probably true for the domestic market; however, my sample bottle ( available in Canada) is labelled, 40 % alcohol by volume which is also the bottling proof of the spirit in the USA.

Here is a link to my latest review:

Review: Corralejo Añejo Tequila 

“… The breezes above the glass carried scents of fruity agave with fine wood spices, soft pepper, and light indications of ginger coming forward. Citrus zest with hints of lime followed along with soft vanilla and butterscotch. There is a light indication of almond and coffee with a smattering of cocoa as well. I am quite impressed. The aroma is balanced and inviting …”

Please enjoy my review which include my recipe for a Winter Margarita.

Chimo!

 

Posted in Anejo Tequila, Tequila, Tequila Review | Tagged: , , , , , , | Comments Off on Review: Corralejo Añejo Tequila

Review: Crystal Head Aurora Vodka

Posted by Arctic Wolf on February 18, 2018

Crystal Head Vodka is a Vodka Brand created by Dan Aykroyd (Canadian Actor and Comedian) and John Alexander (Artist) in 2007. I first encountered the spirit in 2011 at Edmonton’s Rocky Mountain Food and Wine Festival where a pleasant woman at the Crystal Head Vodka booth went to great lengths explaining how this is a quadruple distilled premium Vodka, filtered with real diamond filters, produced using only the freshest water found in Newfoundland. She gave a great presentation, but I’ll be honest, she already had my full attention with the Crystal Skull decanter.

Crystal Head Aurora Vodka is the newest creation in the Crystal Head line-up. It is produced by Globefill Inc.. at the Newfoundland and Labrador Liquor Corporation distillery in Newfoundland, Canada. The spirit is five times distilled in a traditional column still using English wheat from North Yorkshire, England.

Cocktail Suggestion: Hawking Radiation

After distillation and filtered using activated charcoal in a filtration which lasts 6 hours to remove any impurities. It is then filtered three more times through layers of Herkimer diamonds. A final micro filtration is performed, and then the is bottled at 40 % alcohol by volume. Crystal Head Aurora has won numerous awards recently, including a Gold Medal at the prestigious 2016 San Francisco World Spirits Competition.

Here is my Review for this new Aurora Vodka:

Review: Crystal Head Aurora Vodka

“… The aroma was clean with a little grain spice and a light scent of wheat flour in the air. When I took my first sip I was surprised at the firm grain-like spiciness which I encountered which was accompanied by an ever so light flavour of starch and a touch of both lemon citrus and mint. There was also a very light sweetness …”

Please enjoy my review which includes a nice cocktail suggestion, the Hawking Radiation.

Chimo!

Posted in Vodka, Vodka Reviews | Tagged: , , , | Comments Off on Review: Crystal Head Aurora Vodka

Review: Flor De Caña 25 Single Estate Rum

Posted by Arctic Wolf on February 16, 2018

Flor de Caña has a history of rum production which is dated to 1890 at the San Antonio Sugar Mill, in Chichigalpa, Nicaragua. The company was founded by Francisco Alfredo Pellas and today, over 120 years later, the company is still headed by the fifth generation of the Pellas family. It has grown to be not only one of Central America’s leading brands of rum, it is also one of the most recognized rum brands in the world. According to the company website all of the Flor de Caña rum is produced with molasses from sugar cane harvested in fields adjacent to the distillery in Chichigalpa. It is distilled in a continuous column still process, and then laid down to age in small American white oak barrels in traditional aging warehouses built without air conditioning in an undisturbed environment.

The Flor De Caña 25 Single Estate Rum was named “2017 Best Rum of the Year” by the International Rum Conference in Madrid, and it sits at the top of the ladder as far as the Flor De Caña family of rums is concerned. This is a super aged rum with the number 25 on the label representative of the average age of the rums in the blend with some variation in the actual age based upon blending to a consistent flavour profile.

Here is a link to my review of this outstanding rum:

Review: Flor De Caña 25 Single Estate Rum

“… the breezes begin to fill with a wonderful menagerie of oak spice, orange peel, and rich caramel. The longer the glass sits the more enticing the scents and smells above the glass become. The oak, and caramel are joined by vanilla and baking spices which all combines to form a mouth-watering toffee. Those baking spices abound with cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice …”

Please enjoy my review, Chimo!

Posted in Rum, Rum Reviews | Tagged: , , , | Comments Off on Review: Flor De Caña 25 Single Estate Rum

Review: Last Straw Distillery Blackstrap Rum (Cask Two)

Posted by Arctic Wolf on February 14, 2018

The Last Straw Distillery is Ontario’s smallest production micro-distillery located at 40 Pippin Rd. in Vaughan, Ontario (a wee bit north of Toronto) just off Highway 400 and around the corner from Vaughan Mills Shopping Centre. According to Mike Hook, the team at Last Straw Distillery come to the craft of distilling from a variety of different backgrounds, and surprisingly none have had prior experience in the beverage or alcohol business. They are self-taught, and developed their recipes in house, through research, and trial and error, without the use of outside consultants.

The Last Straw Distillery Blackstrap Rum is one the few rums in the world actually made from blackstrap molasses rather than sweet molasses. One of the reasons there are so few is because blackstrap is much harder to work with than sweet molasses as the sugar content is lower, and the sugars are harder for the yeast to access. The tradeoff is that blackstrap molasses gives a richer, more robust flavour when it is distilled. It took the Distillery about 6 months (of experimentation) to discover a method to obtain reasonable yields out of blackstrap molasses without sacrificing flavour.

Last Straw’s Blackstrap Rum is double distilled and aged for a year in a toasted new European oak cask. The rum contains no additives, flavours or colouring and is, of course, made directly from molasses in-house. Last Year I reviewed the Blackstrap Rum from Cask #1, this time I am having a crack at the Blackstrap Rum from Cask #2.

Here is a link to my full review:

Review: Last Straw Distillery Blackstrap Rum (Cask Two)

” … I sampled the rum from Cask #2 side by side with my previously reviewed sample from Cask #1. Although the scents and smells are obviously similar, scents of mushy banana and ripe plantain alongside some resin-like esters which remind me of camphor. And of course the telltale aroma of blackstrap molasses with hints of dark licorice and treacle …”

Please enjoy my latest review and my recommended cocktail, the Winter Daiquiri.

Posted in Rum, Rum Reviews | Tagged: , , , , , | Comments Off on Review: Last Straw Distillery Blackstrap Rum (Cask Two)

« Previous Entries
Next Entries »