Today I am continuing with my Rum Howler Awards as I am selecting the best rum from the various rum producing regions of the world. I have an Award for Best Rum from Central America, and Award for Best Rum from South America, and Award for Best Rum from North America, an Award for Best Rum from the Caribbean Islands and an Award for the Best Rum from Outside the Americas and the Caribbean.
All of these awards are based upon side by side tasting sessions held over a period of several weeks. As with the Whisky awards I began at the start of August slowly tasting different Rums from my collection of reviews samples bringing only the very best forward for the final tastings which took place over the past month.
(Note: Many rums brands are distilled in one region but transported in bulk to be blended and even aged for a further time in another region. Other rums brands are actually blends of several rums which have been distilled in more than one region. In all cases, I have decided that the location where the rum is bottled will be considered the place of production for that particular rum brand.)
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
The Rum Howler Award for the Best Rum From Central America
and the winner is:
Honorable Mention to Traveller’s 3 Barrel Rum and Ron Abuelo 7 Year Old Rum
I had to think hard about whether to allow an over-proof rum to win this award. However, I really could not come up with a valid reason not to allow the Panama Red 108 to be considered. It is a tremendous rum which quickly became a favourite of mine and of my entire rum club. In side by side tastings with the Traveller’s 3 Barrel, and the Abuelo 7 year Old (which I have not reviewed yet); it seemed to have just that bit of extra flavour and richness which made me pick it out as the winner.
It is unfortunate that this rum has a rather limited distribution at this time but perhaps this award will help to change things, as I really would like to see this brand in my locale soon.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
And the Rum Howler Award for the Best Rum from South America
and the winner is:
Honourable mention to Dictador 20 Year Solera Rum and Dictador 12 Year Solera Rum
I tasted some great rums from South America this year. But leading the pack were the two great rums from Columbia (the Dictador Rums) and the great El Dorado Rums from Guyana. (I could easily have given the El Dorado 12 Year Old Rum an honourable mention here too). The El Dorado 21 Year Old Rum was chosen as the winner in the head to head tasting because of its superior complexity, and the beguiling way the oak flavours have melded into the rum. This is almost rum perfection.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
The Rum Howler Award for the Best Rum from the Caribbean Islands
and the winner is:
Honourable mention to Atlantico Private Cask, and Mount Gay Eclipse (Gold)
Last year’s winner in this category was a wonderful solera blend from Oliver and Oliver, and this year their blending expertise is on display again as they are the masters behind the blending of the wonderful Atlantico Private Cask. However, this year Mount Gay muscled its way into consideration as I finally had the chance to sample their full range of rums. I almost went against the grain of convention by awarding the prize to the younger Mount Gay Gold Eclipse, but after several side by side tastings I became convinced that the new Mount Gay Black Eclipse was the superior rum. The two Mount Gay Rums are both very good, and on another day I might have chosen the Gold Eclipse over the Black; but… it wasn’t another day, and on the day I did my comparison’s the Black reigned supreme.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
The Rum Howler Award for the Best Rum From North America
and the winner is:
Honourable mention to Lemon Hart Demerara 151 Rum
Both of the rums nominated in this category are rums brands from Canada, where almost all of the rum produced is purchased in bulk from the Caribbean and then transported to Canada to be bottled. The rums are usually also aged for a further time in Canada and then blended with other stocks to produce the desired flavour profile. In the case of the Newfoundland Screech, the rum is a 100 % Jamaican blend of 4 marques that are produced in the same distillery as Appleton Estate Rum. All of these marques are aged in Jamaica. This rum has a reputation of being a rather harsh blend recommended for only the brave of heart. Frankly the reputation is undeserved, as Screech is a smooth rum which tastes delicious on ice or mixed in cocktails.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
The Rum Howler Award for the Best Rum from Outside the Americas and the Caribbean
and the winner is:
Honourable mention to Plantation Barbados (Grande Reserve) 5 Year Old Rum and Plantation Grenada 1998 (Old Reserve Rum)
A clean sweep of the nominations for the wonderful Plantation Rums of Cognac Ferrand (located in the Cognac Region of France). These wonderful rums are purchased from a variety of distilleries throughout the Caribbean and transported to France where they are aged for an additional time in used Cognac casks. The result is a wonderful thread of cognac goodness which is imparted to the already deliciously aged rums. I have tasted just about the entire line-up of Plantation Rums and have not been disappointed by a single sip. Who would have thought that France could be a world leader in the production of Rum?
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
And there you have it, my Regional Rum Howler Awards for Outstanding Rum:
The Rum Howler Award for the Best Rum From Central America: Panama Red 108 Overproof Rum
The Rum Howler Award for the Best Rum from South America: El Dorado 21 Year Old Rum
The Rum Howler Award for the Best Rum from the Caribbean Islands: Mount Gay Eclipse Black
The Rum Howler Award for the Best Rum From North America: Famous Newfoundland Screech Rum
The Rum Howler Award for the Best Rum from Outside the Americas and the Caribbean: Plantation Panama 2000 (Old Reserve)
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Over the next two weeks I will be wrapping up my Awards with the best of the best in Rum and Whisky
Cheers!
Ceili (pronounced Kay-lee) is an Irish word for a sort of community get-together complete with music, song, dance, and of course, a little food and the drink. Thus Ceili’s Cream Cappuccino is meant to be a Cream Liqueur suitable for such an occasion. It is a product of Highwood Distillers, and is a rich and creamy liqueur which combines Canadian Whisky with a richly flavoured coffee cream. It is bottled at 15 % alcohol by volume, and occupies the same market niche as Bailey’s Irish Cream, and Kahlua.
Proof Rum is a relatively new brand of Rum produced by 
The Rum Howler Blog 