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

    • 15,538,174 pageviews since inception

  • Archives

  • Follow The Rum Howler Blog on WordPress.com

Author Archive

« Previous Entries
Next Entries »

Review: Sortilège Prestige

Posted by Arctic Wolf on October 13, 2013

prestiqueSortilège Prestige is a Canadian Whisky based liqueur produced by Mondia Alliance Wine and Spirits in Montreal, Canada. According to the Sortilège website the product is handcrafted in small batches by combining Canada #1 – Extra Clear Maple Syrup (only available at the first thaw) with a 7 Year Old – 100 % Rye Grain Canadian Whisky. The final product is bottled at 40.9% alcohol by volume and is considered by the producer to be a more premium version of their Sortilège Original.

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

Review: Sortilège Prestige

“… The flavoured whisky is somewhat ‘thickened’ in my glass displaying a rich brown mahogany/copper colour that actually reminds me of dark maple syrup. The aroma from the glass is very reminiscent of the previously reviewed Sortilège Original, although there is perhaps a stronger push of maple into the breezes above the glass due to the higher alcohol content (40.9% vs 30 %) of the Prestige …”

Please enjoy my review!

And to all my fellow Canadians, Happy Thanksgiving Weekend!

Posted in Canadian Whisky, Liqueur, Liqueur Review, Whisk(e)y, Whisk(e)y Review, Whisky Liqueur | Tagged: , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Review: Sortilège Prestige

Review: Berrys’ Finest St. Lucia Rum (Aged 12 Years)

Posted by Arctic Wolf on October 11, 2013

SAM_0963 Brrey Bros. St. Lucia 12Saint Lucia is a Caribbean Island Country located south of Martinique and northwest of Barbados near the boundary between the Caribbean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. It is part of the Lesser Antilles chain of islands and supports a culture which includes both French and English influences. The rum produced on the island is produced solely by St Lucia Distillers who represent an amalgamation of the last two distillers upon the island, Barnard and Geest. The rum is produced in the English style from fermented molasses upon a variety of stills, both copper pot and column, and aged in oak barrels.

Berry Bros. & Rudd is one of London’s oldest Wine and Spirits Merchant with over 300 years of experience and tradition from which to draw upon. The company began its operation at 3 – St. James’s Street (in London, UK) in 1698, and still operates from that same location today. Although they are primarily merchants of wine, the company has a strong presence in the sale of distilled spirits as well. And in fact, this presence within the spirits industry had its beginnings approximately 100 years ago. (The Cutty Sark brand was developed by Berry Bros & Rudd in 1923.)

Today Berry Bros & Rudd acts as an independent bottler of Whisky, Cognac, Armagnac, and of course Rum. A few of their rum offerings are available in my locale, and I was able to obtain a sample of the 12 Year Old – Berrys’ Finest St. Lucia Rum, from the Western Canadian distributor Charton Hobbs.

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

Review: Berrys’ Finest St. Lucia Rum (Aged 12 Years)

“… The initial scents from the glass were quite nice. Things were both lightly sweet and lightly herbal carrying impressions of a butterscotch, sweetgrass and heather, bits of licorice, mint, and menthol. I also noticed a subtle underlying mustiness …”

The unique flavour of this St. Lucia Rum lended itself well to a nice Mai Tai recipe. For your enjoyment I have included such a recipe at the conclusion of the review, the St. Lucia Mai Tai.

Cheers Everyone!

Posted in Dark Rums, Rum, Rum Reviews | Tagged: , , , , , , | Comments Off on Review: Berrys’ Finest St. Lucia Rum (Aged 12 Years)

Review: Lemon Hart Demerara 151 Rum

Posted by Arctic Wolf on October 9, 2013

LemonHart_BottleRendering750_NEWYesterday, I learned that I was to receive a few new samples from Mosaiq (the brand owners of Lemon Hart Rum). These samples will represent new extensions of the Lemon Hart line-up. Many of you know that Lemon Hart has introduced a spiced rum, Lemon Hart Spiced, (one which I had a small role in helping to develop); however, I suspect that not many persons know of the new Lemon Hart Original One Hundred, British Proof Reserve which is soon to land in the North American travel (duty free) market.

As a warm-up to my reviews of the new Lemon Hart Rums, I thought it would be a nice idea to republish my review for the iconic Lemon Hart 151, which I reviewed two years ago. I have not changed anything except to add a brief history of the brand at the beginning of the review.

You may read the fully revised review by clicking on the following excerpt:

Review: Lemon Hart Demerara 151 Rum

“… The rum is bottled at 75.5 % alcohol by volume, and the evaporating alcohol gives everything a big push into the air causing this astringency. I can smell molasses and rummy burnt caramel which seems to come in waves at me. Dark dried fruits like prunes and raisins rise up as well in a bouquet that despite the astringency is very complex and enticing. Baking spices build quickly, and smells of rich brown sugars enter the fray as well as the sweet aroma of canned fruit (peaches and apricots) …”

At the conclusion of the review are two nice recipes, the Guyana Zombie, (credit to Tiare’s great website, A Mountain Of Crushed Ice) and my recipe, Hart Breaker.

Please enjoy the review!

(Of course my reviews for the new Lemon Hart Spiced and Lemon Hart Original One Hundred, British Proof Reserve will be forthcoming in the next several weeks.)

Posted in Cocktails & Recipes, Dark Rums, Overproof Rum, Rum, Rum Reviews | Tagged: , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Review: Lemon Hart Demerara 151 Rum

Review: Collingwood Handcrafted Canadian Whisky

Posted by Arctic Wolf on October 8, 2013

Collingwood Whisky Bottle shotCollingwood Handcrafted Canadian Whisky is produced at the Canadian Mist Distillery in Collingwood Ontario.This is of course the Distillery which produces its namesake brand, Canadian Mist, which is one of the best-selling Canadian Whiskies in North America. Most of those sales are in the USA where over 4 million cases of Canadian Mist are consumed annually.

This is a premium brand which is positioned a little higher on the rungs of the whisky ladder so to speak. However, it would be wrong to think of Collingwood as a more mature or refined Canadian Mist. It is produced from its own recipe and finished in a manner which gives the spirit a unique twist. Once the whisky is mature and has been blended, it is left in stainless marrying vats where its flavour is enhanced with staves of maple which have also been added to those vats. This process is unique as far as Canadian Whisky goes, and promises to bring a new flavour component into the landscape of Canadian Whisky.

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

Review: Collingwood Handcrafted Canadian Whisky

“… The breezes above the glass bring me the scents and smells of light butterscotch, sandalwood and rye spice. I also receive indications of vanilla and bits of sweet and sour fruitiness which reminds me of fermented grapes and apple cider …”

Please enjoy my review of the Collingwood Whisky!

Slainte’

Posted in Canadian Whisky, Whisk(e)y, Whisk(e)y Review | Tagged: , , , , | Comments Off on Review: Collingwood Handcrafted Canadian Whisky

Review: Ron Marques del Valle (8 Years)

Posted by Arctic Wolf on October 6, 2013

SAM_0956 Ron Marques del Valle 8Ron Marques del Valle (8 Years) is produced in Colombia by Industria de Licores del Valle. I was unable to learn much about this distiller of rum, however, the back of my sample bottle makes the following statement about this particular rum:

“Ron Marques is the result of the most refined sugar cane extract, distilled with the purest water from the Andes and aged in oak barrels for 8 years, this conjunction of events gives this unique Rum an intense amber colour, a fine viscosity, an excellent depth of mature aromas and a smooth taste”

I was given my sample bottle by A&B Canada who are based in Quebec. They have recently began to list and sell the rum in my home market of Alberta.

You may click on the following excerpt to read the full review:

Review: Ron Marques del Valle (8 Years)

“… The initial nose is quite sweet with a strong butterscotch aroma which is tainted with a sweet and sour fruitiness (dry apricots, peaches and pineapple). The aroma reminds me of old-fashioned candied tutti-frutti. There are also some nice wood spices which begin to turn the butterscotch into toffee, and an obvious citrus accent reminds me of one of those citrus juice blends full of oranges, grapefruit, lemons and lime …”

Please enjoy my review of this Authentic Colombian Rum.

Cheers Everyone!

Posted in Dark Rums, Rum, Rum Reviews | Tagged: , , , , | Comments Off on Review: Ron Marques del Valle (8 Years)

« Previous Entries
Next Entries »