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

    • 15,539,240 pageviews since inception
  • Archives

  • Follow The Rum Howler Blog on WordPress.com

Author Archive

Review: Revel Stoke Deluxe Canadian Whisky

Posted by Arctic Wolf on July 2, 2016

Revel Stoke WhiskyRevelstoke SAM_2621 is a product of the Phillips Distilling Company and is named for the town of Revelstoke, located in the mountains of British Columbia. The whisky itself is however not produced in British Columbia but instead it is distilled on the other side of those mountains at an undisclosed Canadian Distillery.

According to the producer’s website, the whisky is produced by blending a young 3-year-old whisky (the youngest allowed by Canadian Law) with a more mature 8-year-old whisky. The final blend is bottled at 40 % alcohol by volume.

Here is a link to my review of this new Canadian Whisky:

Review: Revel Stoke Deluxe Canadian Whisky

“… The flavour of the whisky leads out with a lightly sweet impression of toffee alongside both bitter and spicy rye grain. The mouthfeel is soft, however the whisky has plenty of wood spice to both heat and pucker the palate between sips.  This is a dusty dry whisky, and as I sip, impressions of ripened grain fields and dry grassy hay lands both find their way into my consciousness …”

Please enjoy this new Canadian Whisky review!

Chimo!

Posted in Canadian Whisky, Whisk(e)y, Whisk(e)y Review | Tagged: , , , | Comments Off on Review: Revel Stoke Deluxe Canadian Whisky

2016 Spiced Rum Taste-off: Sailor Jerry Spiced Rum

Posted by Arctic Wolf on July 1, 2016

Sailor Jerry SAM_2686Sailor Jerry Ltd. was formed when Ed Hardy and Mike Malone partnered with a small Philadelphia clothing store to make running shoes, t-shirts and other assorted products featuring the tattoo artwork of Norman Collins (Aka Sailor Jerry). Collins, who was also a writer and a poet, as well as a radio show host, is best remembered today as one of the great pioneers of tattoo art and culture.

Sailor Jerry Spiced Rum was created in 1991 as a logical extension of the Sailor Jerry brand. At 96 proof it is a relatively strong spiced rum, and like the tattoo artwork of its namesake, word of Sailor Jerry Spiced Rum has slowly spread around the world.

In fact, it is now one of the best-selling spiced rum brands in the world.

Here is a link to my new review:

#12 Sailor Jerry Spiced Navy Rum

” … What I taste is reminiscent of black cherry soda with accents of dark caramel, licorice, and vanilla. There is also a smattering of cinnamon and cloves, and some hints of nutmeg and allspice. This makes the flavour profile for Sailor Jerry quite different from most of the other vanilla enhance spiced rums currently in the marketplace …”

_________________________________________

I hope everyone finds this spiced rum countdown enjoyable, and I hope you are following 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: Sailor Jerry Spiced Rum

Cocktail Hour: The Jerrycan

Posted by Arctic Wolf on June 30, 2016

Jerrycan SAM_2690Spiced rums are not necessarily just mixing spirits for soda filled deck drinks (hey, I love refreshing tall bar drinks; but sometimes I prefer shorter more refined cocktails). One of the best examples of a short spiced rum cocktail is the Cable Car which was created in 1996 at the Starlight Room in San Fransisco by Tony Abou-Ganim. Tony’s recipe is based upon the Classic Sidecar; however the Cable Car uses Captain Morgan Original Spiced Rum as the base of the cocktail instead of brandy.

When I recently revisited Sailor Jerry Spiced Rum, I decided that this popular spirit deserved to be featured in a refined serving as well. Taking my inspiration from my popular gin based cocktail, the March Lion, (which was in turn inspired by the classic cocktail the Red Lion), I set about to make a such cocktail using Sailor Jerry as the base of the libation.

The result of my machinations was the very tasty, Jerrycan.

The Jerrycan

1 1/2 oz Sailor Jerry Spiced Rum
1/2 oz Bols Triple Sec
1/2 oz fresh Orange Juice
1/2 oz fresh Lime Juice
dash Sugar Syrup (to taste)
Ice
Orange Peel

Add the first five ingredients into a cocktail shaker with ice
Shake until the outside of the shaker begins to frost
Strain into a chilled cocktail glass (double strain to remove all pulp)
Garnish with a thin coil of orange peel and a small lump of ice

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: Sailor Jerry enters my summer spiced rum taste off tomorrow as the 12th best spiced rum currently on my bar shelf.

Chimo!

Posted in Rum, Rum Reviews, Spiced Rum | Tagged: , , , | Comments Off on Cocktail Hour: The Jerrycan

Review: Cabresto Don Silver Reserve Series Extra Añejo

Posted by Arctic Wolf on June 29, 2016

Extra Anejo (Cabresto) SAM_2574On March 7th, 2016 Tequila Cabresto released the latest addition to their line of premium tequila, Don Silver Reserve Series Extra Añejo. This is a 100 % agave tequila which (according to the media information sent to me) has been aged for seven years in American white oak former whiskey barrels.

Although the Cabresto website does not specify the exact distillery which produces this agave spirit, I did notice that the identified NOM on the bottom of the label 1509. This NOM identifier is required by the Mexican Government to be placed on the label of each bottle of tequila to verify that it is produced legally from agave sourced in the Tequila region of Mexico. Each distillery has its own NOM, and thus we can trace the distillery of origin. In this case the producing distillery is Tequila Embajador who incidentally also produce Alma de Agave and of course Embajador Tequila.

Here is a Link to my full review of this rare extra-anejo tequila from Cabresto:

Review: Cabresto Don Silver Reserve Series Extra Añejo

“… The extra-anejo spirit brings light sandalwood and oak spices into the air alongside a nice rich agave presence. Light caramel scents accent the agave and the oak, and as I continue to nose the glass the three aspects of the aroma seem to merge together forming a lightly sweet impression of agave oak syrup. Peppery spices build up as does the firm earthy agave presence. Tea leaves, bits of milk chocolate and hints of cinnamon round out the nose which is very inviting …”

Please enjoy my review of this outstanding aged spirit.

Chimo!

Posted in Extra Anejo Tequila, Tequila, Tequila Review | Tagged: , , , | Comments Off on Review: Cabresto Don Silver Reserve Series Extra Añejo

Cocktail Hour: El Hereje (the Mexican Heretic)

Posted by Arctic Wolf on June 28, 2016

A few years ago I spent some time exploring Brandy and Cognac cocktails here on this website. I worked through a few of the classics, and I created a few of my own recipes. One of my favourite creations was a serving called the Heretic Cocktail. This was a serving I constructed with the aim of demonstrating that expensive spirits which many would consider to be reserved solely for sipping can and should be used in delicious cocktails as well. My Heretic Cocktail not only featured a fine Cognac (Pierre Ferrand Original 1840 Formula Cognac), it also featured an excellent 20 Year Old Brandy (Miguel Torres 20 Year Old Brandy).

El Herejo SAM_2602Today I am demonstrating that the heretical idea of mixing two Tequila spirits of different ages and characters within one cocktail can yield wonderful results as well. My recipe combines the slightly rougher Cabresto Reposado Tequila with the more full flavoured Cabresto Extra Anejo Tequila (advertised as a seven-year-old spirit).

Although some of my critics may insist that mixing a wonderful sipping tequila with its younger sibling in a sour style cocktail is a heresy; I counter with the observation that the results are delicious!

El Hereje
(the Mexican Heretic)

1 oz  Cabresto Reposado Tequila
1 oz Cabresto Don Silver Exta Anejo Tequila
1 oz fresh Orange Juice
1/2 oz fresh Lemon Juice
1/4 oz Sugar Syrup (1:1 ratio)
2 dashes Orange Bitters
Ice
Lemon Slice

Add the first six ingredients into a cocktail shaker with ice
Shake until the outside of the shaker begins to frost
Strain into a chilled cocktail glass
Garnish with a lemon slice

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!

Please Note: My review for the wonderful Cabresto Don Silver Extra Anejo will publish tomorrow. Chimo!

Posted in Cocktails & Recipes | Tagged: , , , , , | Comments Off on Cocktail Hour: El Hereje (the Mexican Heretic)