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Review: Calico Jack Spiced Rum

Posted by Arctic Wolf on July 20, 2013

calicojackJohn “Calico Jack’ Rackham was a pirate of the early eighteenth century who seems to have two primary claims to fame. The first was that his design of the ship’s flag may actually have been the first use this design for a Jolly Roger flag ever on a pirate ship. The second is that his crew featured two female pirates, Anne Bonny and Mary Read (Rackham actually believed Mary Read was a man when she joined his crew).

Researching Calico Jack, I learned he received his nickname due to his fondness for colourful cotton calico clothing. Apparently some of hes crew liked his flashy look to as he and Anne Bonny were apparently lovers. (It is also reported that Ann Bonney was actually another man’s wife.) Calico Jack’s pirate days seem to have begun in 1718 when he was elevated to the Captaincy on an English warship during a mutiny, and it ended at the end of a hangman’s noose in November of 1720 after being captured off the shore of Jamaica. His short career of piracy was highlighted by the plundering smaller ships near the coastal shorelines in a stolen sloop and ended shortly after it began.

I hope that  the Calico Jack Spiced Rum fares better in terms of appeal and quality than its namesake.

You may read the review by clicking the following link:

Review: Calico Jack Spiced Rum

“…. I took a nice deep wiff and found that the nose of this rum is quite nice. I’m guessing Madagascar vanilla, (which is all the rage for spiced rum these days), and fragrant rummy caramel rose up in a nice mixture …”

This is a re-posting of my original review from March of 2010. I have edited a few typos and added a nice cocktail, Spiced Rum and Root Beer.

Posted in Cocktails & Recipes, Rum, Rum Reviews, Spiced Rum | Tagged: , , , | Comments Off on Review: Calico Jack Spiced Rum

Review: Pike Creek 10 Year Old Canadian Whisky

Posted by Arctic Wolf on July 19, 2013

Pike CreekPike Creek is a 10-year-old Canadian whisky produced from a double distillation in small column copper stills, and aged in ‘first-use’, white oak bourbon barrels. (The term ‘first use’ refers to an oak barrel which has been used only once previously, in this case to age American bourbon whiskey.) Once aged and blended, the whisky is finished in vintage port wine barrels.

Pike Creek was originally released in the late 1990s as part of Corby’s initiative to introduce new high-end Canadian whiskies into the North American market. Unfortunately the whisky was discontinued after only a brief time as consumers seemed uninterested in a the new premium product. The whisky was re-introduced last year as the profile of Canadian Whisky has recently undergone a bit of a renaissance world-wide and demand for whisky at the premium end of the market has seen a sharp increase.

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

Review: Pike Creek 10 Year Old Canadian Whisky

” …The immediate nose is of caramelized  brown sugars, rye grain, field berries (blackberries and raspberries) and bits of red licorice. Some wood spices build in the glass as it breathes (or maybe I just took my time about noticing them). I also seem to sense a bit of dark fruit and chocolate similar to Christmas fruitcake in the air …”

Please enjoy my review of this outstanding new edition to the landscape of Canadian Whisky!

Cheers Everyone!

Posted in Canadian Whisky, Single Malt Whisky, Whisk(e)y | Tagged: , , , , | Comments Off on Review: Pike Creek 10 Year Old Canadian Whisky

Review: Quinta de la Rosa Late Bottle Vintage Port (2007 )

Posted by Arctic Wolf on July 18, 2013

SAM_0749 Quinta de la Rosa LBVQuinta de la Rosa was established in 1906 when the Port house was given to Claire Feueheerd as a Christening gift. Although the family rum Port shipping company was shut down in the 1930s, Claire maintained the vineyards and ran la Rosa. In 1988, Claire’s Grandaughter, Sophia and her father, Tim Bergqvist decided to relaunch Quinta de la Rosa as a small family run winery producing a variety of wines including Port.

Quinta de la Rosa Late Bottled Vintage Port wines are produced from grapes grown in a single year at Quinta de la Rosa. They are matured for between four and six years; but they are not filtered prior to bottling. In the case of the 2007 LBV, this wine was produced from grapes harvested in mid September 2007, and it was bottled almost four years later  in July 2011.

Normally, I would leave a bottle like the Quinta de la Rosa LBV 2007 in my cellar (actually it is a cold room) for several years before I would open it to receive the benefit of bottle aging. However, the particular bottle I have pictured below was given to my by the folks at Thristy Cellars for the purpose of a review. I would expect that whatever scores I assign during this review would actually increase if I were to allow the wine to mature in my cold room.

You may click on the following excerpt for my full review:

Review: Quinta de la Rosa Late Bottle Vintage Port (2007 )

“… Over time some faint raisin and cherry notes arose, alongside some some sort of mealy vegetal aroma. It was obvious to me that this wine was going to require a lot of time to bring forward the rush of berry and fruit sensations which I relish in a good Port. So I waited …”

Please enjoy my latest Port Wine Review from the small house of Quinta de la Rosa.

Posted in Dessert Wine Review, LBV Port, Wine Reviews - Port | Tagged: , , , , , , | Comments Off on Review: Quinta de la Rosa Late Bottle Vintage Port (2007 )

Important Update to my Menu Pages

Posted by Arctic Wolf on July 17, 2013

I have had so many requests to add my scores to my Main Menu Review Pages that today I finally began the huge task.

Check out my new and improved Menu Pages for Gin Reviews, Tequila Reviews, and Vodka Reviews.

Hopefully everyone finds this helpful, and I will continue the work transforming the other menu pages when I catch another stretch of free time.

  Slainte!

 

Posted in Howls | Tagged: , , , | 5 Comments »

Review: Solan Number One Full Bodied Malt Whisky

Posted by Arctic Wolf on July 16, 2013

SAM_0837 Indian SummerSolan Number 1 Malt Whisky is produced by Mohan Meakin Limited at the Kasauli Distillery which is found in the Himalayan Highlands at an elevation of over 6,000 feet. (The town of Kasauli in located in the Solan District, Himachal Pradesh, India.) The distillery was founded in the late 1820s by Edward Dyer who apparently chose this location because the climate in this area of India was quite similar to his native Scotland, (and because the British troops in the nearby Punjab had a taste for Scottish style whisky).

Solan Number One is blended with mature Malt Spirits produced using traditional Scottish methods of malting, kneading, and distillation on vintage copper pot stills and aged in oak casks. I was recently sent a sample bottle by the local Alberta distributor, Madira Spirits Inc. and asked if I could provide a review here on my website. I was more than happy to oblige.

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

Review: Solan Number One Full Bodied Malt Whisky

“… The initial nose is honeyed with a mixture of sweet malt and butterscotch, some clean oak spices and hints (but only hints) of a rum-like cane syrup. I let the glass sit to see how the nose developed, and I was rewarded with a few new notes of orange peel, heather and tobacco. I find the aroma appealing …”

Included at the conclusion of my review of this surprisingly good whisky is my latest cocktail, Indian Summer.

Please enjoy my latest review!

Posted in Cocktails & Recipes, Indian Whisky, Whisk(e)y, Whisk(e)y Review | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Review: Solan Number One Full Bodied Malt Whisky