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Review: Famous Newfoundland Screech Rum

Posted by Arctic Wolf on August 4, 2011

The Famous Newfoundland Screech is a Jamaican blend, the roots of its ancestry tracing back over 300 years to when fishing fleets from Newfoundland, with their cargo of Northern Cod and North Atlantic Tuna, traveled south and established a tradition of trade with Jamaica for that elixir of the Caribbean, known as rum. This trade established Newfoundland as one of the major portals for the legal import (and of course a little illegal smuggling) of rum into Canada. There have always been a good variety of rum brands on the shelves of my local liquor store which began their journey westward across Canada from the easternmost Province of Newfoundland and Labrador; the most famous of these brands is certainly the Screech Rum.

According to my correspondence with the Newfounland and Labrador Liquor Corporation (NLC), Screech is a blend of 4 marques that are produced in the same distillery as Appleton Estate Rum. All of the marques are aged in once used white oak bourbon barrels for a minimum of 2 years. The final blend is bottled at 40 % (abv).

Here is an excerpt from my review:

“… As you fist sip the rum you will find that it full of molasses flavour with those typical Jamaican Rum flavours of banana and orange peel heating the palate alongside that molasses. As the rum sits in the glass, the heat subsides and you can notice charred caramel and baking spices beginning to build. The rum is moderately complex, and there are nice nuances of flavour if you look for them…”

Here is a link to the full review:

Review: Famous Newfoundland Screech Rum

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Review: Black Stallion Vodka

Posted by Arctic Wolf on August 2, 2011

Black Stallion Vodka is a product of Black Stallion Spirits, a Calgary, Alberta based company which has been importing Russian Vodka since 2002.  This is an authentic Russian Vodka distilled at the Kratos Distillery, one of the oldest producers of liquor products in Russia. The distillery was fully reconstructed and modernized in 1997, and a new main building was constructed with modern equipment installed.

There is a lot of information on the back of the bottle; but, unfortunately for me it is all written in Russian.  I would have liked this information to be translated as I like to read about the heritage of the spirit I am sampling, but I can glean from the bottle that it is a 750 ml size, and the spirit is bottled at 40 % alcohol by volume.

Here is an excerpt from the review:

“… As we all took our first full swallow of the Black Stallion, I noticed the spirit imparted some real warmth to my palate and the back of my throat. The vodka was carrying some hotter rye-like spices from the grain distillate forward….”

You may read the full review here:

Review: Black Stallion Vodka

As well I hope you enjoy the recipe at the end of the review, The Vodka Darby Cocktail.

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Review: Canadian Mist Whisky

Posted by Arctic Wolf on July 31, 2011

Canadian Mist has been on the landscape of Canadian Whisky since the 1960’s when Barton Brands, Inc. of Chicago, contracted with a Quebec distillery, (Melcher’s), to supply bulk whisky to the United States for bottling and marketing. Based upon the potential of the new brand, Barton established their own plant in Collingwood, Ontario. Sales caught on south of the border very quickly, and Canadian Mist was soon the second most popular Canadian Whisky brand bottled stateside. In 1971, Brown-Forman Corporation bought Canadian Mist, and with further investments in marketing and promotion, Canadian Mist’s sales quadrupled in the ’70s and ’80s, to more than four million cases.

The brand is still owned by Brown-Forman, and it is still produced in Collingwood, Ontario. The whisky has always been produced for the American market where sales have remained strong. It is a triple distilled blended grain whisky made from corn, malted barley and rye. The water source for the distillery is the waters of Georgian Bay, part of Lake Huron, one of the largest (and purest) fresh water lakes in the world. The whisky is aged in charred oak barrels and blended in Collingwood, Ontario under the supervision of the Canadian Government.

Here is an excerpt from my review:

“…The initial entry in the mouth is mellow with a flavour of soft, lightly dank corn leading the way. There is a sweet tinge to the whisky with a honeyed spiciness quickly following making the whisky lively in the mouth but not sharp or uncomfortable…”

Here is a link to the full review:

Review: Canadian Mist Whisky

As well I have included a nice cocktail suggestion, the Buckeroo.

Please enjoy the review!

Posted in Canadian Whisky, Cocktails & Recipes, Whisk(e)y, Whisk(e)y Review | Tagged: , , , , | Comments Off on Review: Canadian Mist Whisky

Review: Plantation Barbados (Grande Reserve) 5 Year Old Rum

Posted by Arctic Wolf on July 28, 2011

The Plantation Barbados Grande Reserve 5 Year Old Rum is a Bajan rum blend which has been aged for five years in bourbon casks. The rum was transported from Barbados to France by Cognac Ferrand to be placed in used Cognac casks to enhance the rum before it was bottled as part of Cognac Ferrand’s growing line-up of Plantation Rum.

Cognac Ferrand has a special relationship with a variety of Caribbean rum producers. This relationship is based upon the rum producer’s need for quality oak casks to age their rum. Based upon this relationship, Cognac Ferrand is able to acquire certain old and unique batches of rum from various Caribbean sources, which they bring back to France and finish in their own warehouses and of course their own Cognac Casks.

I was given eight sample bottles, each 200 ml in size, which represent a good portion of the Plantation Rum line-up. The Plantation Barbados Grande Reserve is the third of these samples which I have chosen to review here on my blog.

Here is an excerpt from my review:

“…As the glass decanted the leathery mustiness evaporated into the breezes, and was replaced by a smell of tarnished blue-green pennies with perhaps a bit of seaside brine and kelp rising in the air as well. The caramel molasses I noted earlier has began to release baking spices into the air, and some charred aromas of coconut have begun to lift from the glass along with some banana and vanilla. I like how the complexity continues to build as the glass sits…”

Here is a link to my full review:

Review: Plantation Barbados (Grande Reserve)

Please enjoy the review!

Posted in Dark Rums, Rum, Rum Reviews | Tagged: , , , , | Comments Off on Review: Plantation Barbados (Grande Reserve) 5 Year Old Rum

Review: Alamo Reposado Tequila

Posted by Arctic Wolf on July 26, 2011

Alamo Tequila is a 100 % Agave Tequila from Agaveros y Tequileros Unidos de Los Altos, S.A. de C.V. distillery in Jalsico, Mexico. I received my bottle for review from Ravinder Minhas, of Mcbsw Sales Company Inc. who is the local importer of this spirit in Alberta, where I live. When I tried to research Alamo Tequila and the distillery from which the spirit is produced, I was unable to find out very much information at all. Agaveros y Tequileros Unidos de Los Altos appears to be an independent distillery in Jalisco Mexico who specializes in a small range of small market tequila.

Here is an excerpt from my review:

“…When I brought the glass to my nose I discovered a lightly sweet, mildly punky agave aroma lifting from the glass. It has a fruity smell but it is not a sharp citrus aroma. Rather it is a more of an earthy aroma resembling the scent of fresh cooked young zucchini. I get a few whispers of vanilla and oak with a very subtle scent of coffee and cream in the breezes as well…”

You may read the full review here:

Review: Alamo Reposado Tequila

As well the review features a brand new cocktail playfully called, A Purple Place for Dying.

Please enjoy the review and my new cocktail!

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