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2016 Rum Howler Spiced Rum Taste-off: Bacardi Oakheart

Posted by Arctic Wolf on August 18, 2016

Oakheart and ColaMy 2016 Spiced Rum Taste-off has reached the final stages, and if you are looking for trends in my countdown, the one that shines through most clearly for me is that barrel aging matters. It’s not a perfect correlation; but if you have been following my Countdown List of spiced rums as it has grown over the summer you will have seen that the spiced rums which exhibit a little of the depth and character which come from oak aging are outperforming those that do not.

Bacardi’s Oakheart Smooth Spiced Rum is one of those spirits which shows firm signs of age in the glass. It is produced from a blend of column distilled rums which have been aged in charred oak barrels. This aged rum is then spiced to reach a flavour profile which walks the path of a vanilla accented by fragrant spices the combination of which is meant to compliment the aged rum but not to dominate it.

Here is a link to the second best spiced rum on my rum shelf:

#2 Spiced Rum: Bacardi Oakheart

“… I taste a lot of vanilla, some nice rummy butterscotch and a little dollop of maple syrup. The rum has a bit of spicy heat as well, with some orange peel, cinnamon and cloves heating the palate. The oak seems a little lost in the spice when you sip the rum neat. I suspect it is adding to that orange peel zest flavour I noted, but it is hard to decide where the light spice flavours end and the oak begins …”

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I hope you all find this countdown enjoyable and you can follow the rankings here:

The Rum Howler 2016 Spiced Rum Countdown

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Cocktail Hour: The Flying Machine

Posted by Arctic Wolf on August 17, 2016

A few weeks ago I introduced a spiced rum cocktail (The Fog Horn) which paid homage to one of my favourite short story authors, Ray Bradbury. I thought that today was a good day to introduce another. The Flying Machine is a very short story written in 1953 when the world was still feeling the aftershocks of World War II and Hiroshima.

Flying Machine SAM_2725This is perhaps one of Bradbury’s lessor known tales, it is nonetheless an important work with a theme often taken up by other writers. I do not want to give too much away, suffice it to say that it is a Pandora’s tale which warns of unintended consequences. You can find the story in two separate Ray Bradbury short story collections: Golden Apples of the Sun and S is for Space.

May I present The Flying Machine.

The Flying Machine

1 1/2 oz Bacardi Oakheart Spiced Rum
1/2 oz Bols Triple Sec
1/2 oz Fresh Lemon Juice
2 dashes Angostura Bitters
Ice
2 oz Old Thyme Ginger Beer

Add a slice of Lime to the bottom of your favourite tall drinking glass
Fill with Ice
Pour the first three ingredients into the glass over the ice
Add two dashes of Bitters and complete with Ginger Beer
Stir to mix thoroughly
Enjoy Responsibly!

If you are interested in more of my original cocktail recipes, please click this link (Cocktails and Recipes) for more of my mixed drink recipes!

Note: Tomorrow, my 2016 Spiced Rum Taste-off continues with a look at Bacardi Oakheart Spiced Rum.

Chimo!

 

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Review: Harbour Rum (Yongehurst Distillery)

Posted by Arctic Wolf on August 15, 2016

Harbour Rum SAM_2704The Yongehurst Distillery is a brand new Micro-Distillery located at 346 Westmoreland Ave near Dupont and Dovercourt in Toronto, Ontario. The facility is owned by long-time friends, Rocco Panacci and John-Paul Sacco, and what has me particularly excited is that Rocco and John-Paul are making what just might be Toronto’s first micro-distilled rum upon their brand new small pot/column combination still.

Yongehurst Distillery’s Harbour Rum is produced on their new still from imported (certified organic) South American molasses (from Paraguay according to my secret sources) which has been fermented with wild Ontario yeast.

Here is a link to my review:

Review: Harbour Rum (Yongehusrt Distillery)

“… A light sweetness which reminds me of cotton candy drifts upwards into the breezes with feathery indications of mint and menthol alongside. The breezes indicate that the rum has somewhat firm vegetal nature, and this presents itself beside scents of mushy banana and ripe plantain. There are also intriguing aromas in the air (resin-like esters which remind me of camphor) that resemble the notes I would find in Jamaican pot still rum. The nose is rounded out with hints of lemon and orange zest, banana peel as well as  grassy herbal notes akin to the aroma of freshly mowed hay …”

Please enjoy my review.

Chimo!

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Cocktail Hour: The Yongehurst Daiquiri

Posted by Arctic Wolf on August 14, 2016

Yongehurst Still IMG_4727

Yongehurst Distillery Combination Pot/Column Still

The Yongehurst Distillery is a brand new Micro-Distillery located at 346 Westmoreland Ave near Dupont and Dovercourt in Toronto, Ontario. The facility is owned by long-time friends, Rocco Panacci and John-Paul Sacco who are making what just might be Toronto’s first micro-distilled rum upon their brand new small pot/column combination still.

A little over a month ago I was contacted by fellow rum lover Blair Phillips, who like me reviews the odd spirit or two. He had just received a rum sample from the Yongehurst Distillery and was curious about the taste profile he encountered which to him was quite unlike other white rums he had sampled in the past (see his review here).

When Blair described what he was tasting, a vegetal white rum with grit and character, I immediately began to think of citrus based cocktails which might be pushed to a new level by this sort of rum, and when the folks at Yongehurst reached out to me for an independent review I had my chance to put theory to the test.

Yongehurst DaiquiriSAM_2708The Yongehurst Daiquiri was the result. (Yumm!)

Yongehurst Daiquiri

2 oz Yongehurst Harbour Rum
3/4 oz Fresh Orange Juice
3/4 oz Fresh Lime Juice
1/2 oz sugar syrup (1:1 ratio)
Ice
Orange Peel

Add the first four ingredients with ice into a metal shaker
Shake until the outside of the shaker begins to frost
Strain into a chilled cocktail glass
Garnish with a strip of orange peel

(Please enjoy Responsibly!)

If  you are interested in more of my original cocktail recipes, please click this link (Cocktails and Recipes) for more of my mixed drink recipes!

Note: My full review of Yongehurst Distillery’s Harbour Rum will be published tomorrow.

Chimo!

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2016 Spiced Rum Taste-off: Screech Spiced 100 (Proof) Rum

Posted by Arctic Wolf on August 12, 2016

Spiced ScreechThe Famous Newfoundland Screech is an amber rum which has become part of Canadian folklore. The tale I found upon the company website a few years ago goes like this:

“… the commanding officer of the (American) first detachment was taking advantage of Newfoundland hospitality for the first time and was offered a drop of rum as an after dinner drink. Seeing his host toss back the liquor with nary a quiver, the unsuspecting American adhered to local custom and downed the drink in one gulp.

The look of shock and the glorious shades of color on the American’s face were overshadowed by the bloodcurdling howl made by the poor fellow as he managed to regain his breath. Sympathetic persons from miles around rushed to the house to assist the poor man in such obvious agony and of course to satisfy their curiosity as to what was going on. Among the first to arrive was a garrulous old American sergeant who pounded on the door and demanded “What the cripes was that ungodly screech?”

The taciturn Newf who had answered the door replied simply, “The screech? Tis the rum, me son.”….”

Screech Spiced 100 (Proof) Rum is crafted from the same 4 separate marques of Jamaican rum which are used to produce the Famous Newfoundland Screech which are aged anywhere from 2 to 5 years. However, because this is a spiced rum which is bottled at 50 % alcohol by volume, the treatment of these marques will necessarily be slightly different.

Here is a link to the review of the third best spiced rum upon my rum shelf:

#3 Screech Spiced 100 (Proof) Rum

“… As the glass sits those baking spices seem to take over giving the rum in the glass a rich scent similar to fresh cinnamon buns taken from the oven. There are also aromas of roasted pecans and walnuts, a touch of treacle as well as a meandering scent of marmalade. I cannot say for certain, but it seems to me that I also notice some evidence of oak in the air floating beside the baking spices …”

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I hope you all find this countdown enjoyable and you can follow the rankings here:

The Rum Howler 2016 Spiced Rum Countdown

Posted in Rum, Rum Reviews, Spiced Rum | Tagged: , , , | Comments Off on 2016 Spiced Rum Taste-off: Screech Spiced 100 (Proof) Rum