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Posted by Arctic Wolf on December 16, 2015
Somewhere in the Highwood Distillery barrel aging warehouse is a darkened corner where all of the oak barrels are all stamped “Lot 1525“. This corner contains the oldest whisky in the entire facility, with the age of the whisky inside the barrels ranging from 15 to 25 years. (It has been hinted to me that some of these barrels contain whisky that is perhaps even older!) These whisky barrels were originally part of the consignment of whisky acquired when Highwood purchased the Potter’s Distillery in 2005. As such, these are barrels of whisky produced from a corn-based distillation by the old Potters Distillery, in Kelowna British Colombia. The barrels made the journey to the Highwood facility in 2005 and have been sitting in the darkened corner waiting for the right moment to be tapped and bottled. From this darkened corner, the Master Blender has carefully chosen just the right barrels, and then just as carefully blended the wonderful elixir within to create a blend of whisky which contains the distillery’s most prized aged whisky, the Lot1525 Century Reserve Custom Blend Canadian Rye Whisky.
Here is a link to the Rum Howler #9 Canadian Whisky of 2015:
“… Upon entry into my mouth, I taste a clean rye whisky which oozes honey and spice. A nice light corn flavour rests underneath supporting the whisky with a gentle elegance. Like the Centennial rye which I reviewed previously, this is polished, with the hard rye buffed and smoothed into a silky suave flavour experience. Oak spices and marzipan weave in and out of the corn, the rye, and the honey …”
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You may read about the Top 25 Canadian Whisky Countdown here:
The Rum Howler 2015 Top 25 Canadian Whiskies
Posted in Awards, Canadian Whisky, Extras, Whisk(e)y, Whisk(e)y Review | Tagged: 2015 Top 25 Canadian Whiskies, Canadian Whisky, Century Reserve, Lot 1525, Review, Rum howler, Whisky | Comments Off on The Rum Howler’s #9 Canadian Whisky of 2015 – Century Reserve (Lot 1525)
Posted by Arctic Wolf on December 16, 2015
We have entered into the top 10 of my rankings of the Best Rums of 2015, and an intimidating 23-year-old masterpiece from Rum Nation (their Demerara 23 Year Old) leads us into the top 10. My favourite expression from Appleton Estate (the 12 Year Old) grabs the number 9 spot with a wonderfully complex 9 Year Old Agricole rum from Reimonenq (the only agricole Rhum to make my list) making it to number 8. Diplomatico’s sweet and succulent Reserva Exclusiva is always one of my favourites and one of the World’s most sought after rum’s the Zacapa XO (25 Year Solero) just misses the top 5.
Any of these rums would make a wonderful Christmas Gift for any rum aficionado.
Here are the next five wonderful cane spirits in my listing of the Best 25 Rums of 2015:
10) Rum Nation Demerara 23 Year Old
09) Appleton Estate Extra Old 12 Year
08) Reimonenq Vieux 9 Year Old Rhum (Distilled 1999)
07) Diplomático Reserva Exclusiva
06) Zacapa XO (25 Year Solero) Rum
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You may read about and follow the Top 25 Rum Countdown here:
The Rum Howler 2015 Top 25 Rums
Posted in Awards, Extras, Rum, Rum Reviews | Tagged: 12 Year Old, 2015 Top 25 Rums, 9 Year Old, Appleton Estate, Demerara 23 Year Old, Diplomatico, Exclusiva Reserva, Reimonenq, Review, Rhum, Rum, Rum howler, Rum Nation, Zacapa XO 25 | Comments Off on The Rum Howler Top 25 Rums of 2015 – #’s 10 thru 6
Posted by Arctic Wolf on December 16, 2015
In the early 2000s, Wiser’s 18 Years Old Canadian Whisky carried the moniker ‘Very Old, and it was usually my whisky of choice when I wanted a special treat. By the time my website had opened, the spirit had been re-branded as Wiser’s 18 Year Old Limited Edition as such I never reviewed the whisky from the ‘Very Old’ bottle. However, in my collection of rare spirits, I still have a few that I purchased from that time before I began to write reviews. When I began my tasting deliberations for this countdown, I decided to sample one of these older bottles (purchased in 2006) next to some of my current favourites. It turns out, that in 2006 when the spirit was called still Wiser’s Very Old , it was quite spectacular (at least the 2006 version was).
Here is the review for that particular bottle of whisky which arrives as the #9 Spirit in my Rum Howler Top 100 Spirits Countdown.
“… as I waited for a moment, the nose coalesced into a deep dark rich baking spice aroma with dark brown sugars, rich toffee, vanilla, and wisps of cinnamon. It is a wonderfully rich aroma. Behind the rich baking spices is a rich oak sap imparting a sturdy backdrop of oak wood and tannin. This is the type of whisky aroma which makes my mouth water in anticipation of what is coming next …”
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You may follow my Countdown list of the 100 Best Spirits here: The Rum Howler 2015 – Top 100 Spirits
Posted in Awards, Canadian Whisky, Extras, Whisk(e)y, Whisk(e)y Review | Tagged: 18 Year Old, Canadain Whisky Awards, Review, Rum howler, Top 100 Spirits, Very Old, Wiser's | Comments Off on #9 Wiser’s Very Old 18 Year (Rum Howler Top 100 Spirits)
Posted by Arctic Wolf on December 15, 2015
Lot No. 40 is, make no mistake about it, a new style of Canadian Whisky. It is made with locally grown rye which has been distilled upon a single 12,000-litre copper pot still. The final whisky is aged in new oak barrels to showcase the creamy caramelized flavours which new freshly charred oak barrels bring. Hiram Walker Distillery Master Blender, Dr. Don Livermore. elaborated on the process for me:
“Without getting into specific recipes, Lot 40 is comprised of 100% of our (Hiram Walker) rye whisky. This whisky was made via pot distillation and subsequently aged in new casks. There is a proprietary proportion of distillers malt(s) used in the brewing process that allows for conversion of the rye grains into fermentable sugars. The brewing process is made in small batches according to the traditional recipes dating back to the early 1900s.”
Here is a link to the Rum Howler #10 Canadian Whisky of 2015:
“… The whisky has all the flavour that the nose implies with fresh new oak and lots of rye blazing a trail of flavour through the mouth. Bits of fruit (grapes and applesauce), some spicy wood sap, green tobacco, and orange peel join in the onrush of whisky flavour that threatens to batter the taste buds. Tempering the full throttle of oak and rye however, are sweet accents of honeycomb, toffee, maple and hints of chocolate …”
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You may read about the Top 25 Canadian Whisky Countdown here:
The Rum Howler 2015 Top 25 Canadian Whiskies
Posted in Awards, Canadian Whisky, Extras, Whisk(e)y, Whisk(e)y Review | Tagged: 2015 Top 25 Canadian Whiskies, Canadian Whisky, Lot No. 40, Review, Rum howler, Whisky | Comments Off on The Rum Howler’s #10 Canadian Whisky of 2015 – Lot No. 40 Single Copper Pot Still
Posted by Arctic Wolf on December 15, 2015
Although Ron Millonario, is headquartered in Italy (owned by Rossi and Rossi S.R.I.), the rums of Ron Millonario are distilled and aged in Northern Peru. The company website does not give us the exact location of the distillery which produces the Millonario rums although it does speak of a mid-sized Northern Peruvian distillery with three old Scottish column stills and a slow distillation process which is used to produce their rum from sugar cane molasses.
Ron Millonario XO Reserva Especial Rum is the premier rum produced by this Italian Company, and it has been one of my most favoured rums ever since I first tasted it.
Here is a link to my review of the #10 Spirit in my Rum Howler 2015 Top 100 Spirits Countdown:
#10 – Ron Millonario XO Reserva Especial Rum
“… The main flavours of caramel/molasses, oak spice and baking spices seem to be perfectly melded together. Hints of raisin, figs, tobacco and chocolate seem to provide just the right accent to make this a suave mouth watering rum. There is plenty of sweetness, but this sweetness is tempered by the more pungent flavours such that the rum never seems to be too sweet, it just seems delicious …”
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You may follow my Countdown list of the 100 Best Spirits here: The Rum Howler 2015 – Top 100 Spirit
Posted in Awards, Extras, Rum, Rum Reviews | Tagged: Reserva Especial, Rom, Ron Millonario, Rum howler, Solera Rum, Top 100 Spirits, XO | Comments Off on #10 Ron Millonario XO Reserva Especial Rum (Rum Howler Top 100 Spirits)
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