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The Rum Howler Top 10 White Rum Countdown Begins With Potter’s White Rum

Posted by Arctic Wolf on October 23, 2013

op10RUM 550Last year in December, I published my 2012 Rum Howler – Top 30 Rums list based upon a series side by side tastings that my Rum Chums and I completed last fall. All of the rums upon the final list were aged sipping rums, and the list included some of the most expensive (Appleton Estate 50 Year Old) rums in the worlds, as well as some of the best rum bargains (Plantation Guatemala Gran Anejo Rum).

This past summer, I completed a similar list for those clear (what we call ‘white’) rums we love to mix in fruited cocktails like Daiquiris, and Mojitos. Over the next few weeks, as I fill out the list, I will be providing my most up to date review for each rum that makes the grade. These lists are really quite fun to create, and I hope that those who follow this countdown (and who read the reviews) have some fun. Disagreement with my Panel of Judges is welcome, as are your own opinions about the list.

Potters White Rum

If you are interested in such things, a detailed explanation of how I came up with this list is available here:

The Rum Howler 2013 – Top 10 White Rums

This web page also contains the complete list in reverse order. (I will be filling that list out over the next several weeks, one rum at a time, countdown style as a sort of unofficial kick-off to my Rum Howler – The Year in Rum Awards.

I shall begin The Rum Howler Top 10 White Rum Countdown with the 10th Best White Rum as determined by my judges:

(Just click on the excerpt to read my review):

#10 Potter’s Superior White Rum

The Potter’s Superior White is produced in High River Alberta at the Highwood Distillery from rums sourced in the Caribbean. According to my understanding, all the rum used in the Potter’s blend has been aged for at least a year its the country of origin. As well, some of the rum is also additionally aged in oak barrels at the Highwood facility in High River, Alberta. The blend is charcoal filtered to be clear, and then is bottled at 40 % alcohol by volume.

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I hope everyone enjoys the countdown!

Posted in Rum, Rum Reviews, White Rums | Tagged: , , | Comments Off on The Rum Howler Top 10 White Rum Countdown Begins With Potter’s White Rum

Review: Cross Keys Island Tradition Barbados Rum

Posted by Arctic Wolf on October 22, 2013

SAM_0978 Cross KeysCross Keys 5 Yr Old Barbados Rum is a spirits brand developed by Distiller Sales Company of Princeton, Minnesota. Distiller Sales is a division of a company called USDP (United States Distilled Spirits Co.). They describe themselves as a “leading developer of corporate brand distilled spirits programs”. The company boast sales in 32 countries worldwide, and some of those brands which are available in my home market include Ethan Koll 8 Year Old Canadian Whisky, Broken Bell Bourbon, Monkey Paw Rum, Luxus Vodka, Capatina French Vodka and Veil Premium Vodka.

The Cross Keys Island Tradition Rum is produced from Bajan rum stocks which have been aged at least 5 years. I was provided a sample bottle of the rum by Jfj Agency Inc. who is the distributor of Distiller Sales Co. brands in Alberta.

You may read the full review by clicking the following Link:

Review: Cross Keys Island Tradition Barbados Rum

“… The initial nose featured scents of treacle, charred marshmallows, and baked molasses. As the glass sat, additional aromas of toasted coconut and baking spices (vanilla, brown sugar and cinnamon) rose into the air as well along with some oven roasted walnuts …”

I included a very satisfying highball recipe with the review mixing the Cross Keys Rum with ginger-ale and bitters, the Bajan Highball.

Please enjoy the recipe and of course my review!

 

Posted in Dark Rums, Rum, Rum Reviews | Tagged: , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Review: Cross Keys Island Tradition Barbados Rum

The 2013 Rum Howler Awards – The Year in Gin

Posted by Arctic Wolf on October 20, 2013

RH-winner2013It is that time of year again when I present my annual Rum Howler Awards where I recognize the best spirits which I have had the pleasure of sampling over the past two years. You see, I save my sample bottles after writing my reviews, and have a fun little tasting competition (usually with a few friends to help me). The aim is to determine which spirits are truly the best. My gin tastings were completed a few weeks ago, and I have complied the results for The 2013 Rum Howler Awards – The Year in Gin.

This has been a good year for Gin. The Spirit has become more than just a base for Gin and Tonics and Martinis; it has become part of the cocktail revolution which is underway on both sides of the Atlantic (and threatening to cross the Pacific as well.) In fact, it could be said that walking side by side with the Cocktail Revolution is a new Gin Revolution. While London Dry Gin still dominates the landscape of juniper, we are at the forefront of the development of new variations upon the pinene theme. I see varieties of gin aged in oak (see review here); I see specialized flavoured gins (see review here); and I see distillers experimenting with local botanicals and spices in an effort to bring new taste profiles forward (see review here). We are even witnessing the resurrection of an heretofore almost forgotten styles of gin (see review here).

This year, I invited one of my gin loving friends to help me in the judging process which occurred during two lazy Sundays in September. Each spirit was served in three cocktails (Grange Cocktail, Gin and Tonic, and a Dry Gin Martini) as well as served neat with no ice.

And without further ado, it is time for me to reveal the recipients of my 2013 Rum Howler Awards for Excellence in the Production of Gin. These Awards are for the best Gin Spirits, I encountered in the year 2013:

The 2013 Rum Howler Awards – The Year in Gin

(Use the above link to find the Awards Page.)

Posted in Awards, Extras, Gin | Tagged: , , , , , , | Comments Off on The 2013 Rum Howler Awards – The Year in Gin

Review: Bernheim Original (Kentucky Straight) Wheat Whiskey

Posted by Arctic Wolf on October 17, 2013

Berheim Wheat WhiskeyAccording to the company website, Bernheim Original Wheat Whiskey is produced at the Bernheim Distillery in Louisville, Kentucky, and then aged in Rickhouse Y at Heaven Hill’s, Nelson County aging facilities. The primary grain in the mash bill is winter wheat, and as I have indicated in my previous review for Highwood’s Centennial 10 Year Old Canadian Whisky, the use of wheat (which is more easily digestible than other grains) gives the resulting whisky a softer smoother flavour profile than corn, barley or rye. The Bernheim Original contains no age statement. However, as a ‘straight whiskey’ it must be aged a minimum of two years in new, charred oak barrels, and distilled at less than 160 proof. (The website implies an aging regimen of about 5 to 6 years and specifies that the whiskey contains no coloring, flavoring or blending agents.)

You may read my full review by clicking on the following excerpt (link):

Review: Bernheim Original (Kentucky Straight) Wheat Whiskey

“… The aroma is a nice mixture of spicy oak sap and toffee with some nuances of maple rising into the breezes as well. Although the whisky is predominantly a wheat mash there appears to be enough corn in the blend to give the aroma a very bourbon-like nose with fresh corn scents and honeycomb building as the glass sits …”

For your enjoyment, I have included a classic cocktail recipe for this whiskey at the conclusion of the review, the Whiskey Sour.

Posted in American Whiskey, Cocktails & Recipes, Whisk(e)y, Whisk(e)y Review | Tagged: , , , , , , | Comments Off on Review: Bernheim Original (Kentucky Straight) Wheat Whiskey

Review: Pumpkin Face Reserve Rum

Posted by Arctic Wolf on October 15, 2013

Pumpkin ReservePumpkin Face Rum is a new rum brand distributed in Canada by Pure Global Imports. The rum inside the cool looking pumpkin shaped bottles is apparently a blend of selected rums from the Dominican Republic. According to the brand producer (Itsko Imports Inc. of Beverly Hills California), Pumpkin Face Reserve Rum  is an ‘ultra premium’ Dominican rum produced from selected stocks of rum which were produced in the decades of 1980′s, the 1990′s and 2000′s. Some of these stocks were aged up to 20 years before they were blended into this rum.

You may read my full review by clicking on the following excerpt link:

Review: Pumpkin Face Reserve Rum

“… I found the Pumpkin Face Reserve seemed to have a split personality when I sipped from my glass. Initially I tasted a push of alcohol and spice as the rum heated my mouth and throat. Orange peel, wood spice, and butterscotch dominated the flavour with spicy tobacco and alcohol heat not far behind. However, when I allowed the rum to breathe for several minutes, the character of the rum changed completely …”

Included at the conclusion of my review is a nice recipe which works well with the Pumpkin Face Reserve, the Rum Old Fashioned! 

Please enjoy the review and my cocktail suggestion. Cheers Everyone!

 

 

Posted in Cocktails & Recipes, Dark Rums, Rum, Rum Reviews | Tagged: , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Review: Pumpkin Face Reserve Rum

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