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Archive for the ‘Howls’ Category

Howls are my main method of posting on the front page. They are my way of communicating to you the general information of the site.

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The Rum Howler Awards – Part 2

Posted by Arctic Wolf on October 20, 2010

Yesterday I began to bestow my first ever Rom Howler Awards for Rum and Whisky. These awards are based upon my peculiar palate, and my peculiar way of enjoying these rums and whiskies. (Although to be honest I do not think that I am that far off of the norm when it comes to rum and whisky.) I had an award for the best rum in a Daiquiri, and the best whisky in a Horses Neck.  And an award for the best overall White Rum, and the best overall Blended Whisky.  I wrapped up Part 1 of my awards with an award for the best spiced/flavoured rum and the best Single Grain Whisky. I think I deviated a bit from how others hand out their awards by choosing in each case to mix some cocktails as part of the judging system. That’s because it is my belief that is exactly how most person’s actually enjoy those particular spirits.  I also sipped most of the spirits neat, again as part of the judging. I think for the most part, everything worked out rather well.

So it is today that I am going to continue my awards.  I plan to concentrate on regional distinctions between various rums, and therefore my awards today will be bestowed in a regional manner.  I must apologize at the outset, as I cannot represent every region equitably, nor even fairly. My experience is just too limited. But I can do my best, and that is what I shall do.

Unlike yesterday judging for the regional categories did not include any cocktail construction.  All nominated rums were sipped at room temperature with no ice in side by side comparisons.

The Rum Howler Award for the Best Central American Rum goes to:

Flor de Caña 12 Year old Rum

Honourable mention to Zafra Master Reserve.

In all I sampled five rums which I thought were worthy contenders for the best rum of Central America, but in the end it was a two-horse race between the Zafra Master Reserve and the Flor de Cana 12.  And it was the consistent excellence of the Flor de Cana from start to finish which left me no choice but to declare it the winner. (I must apologize for being unable to place the Ron Zacapa XO 25 into the mix, as alas I had no left over rum from that particular bottle.)

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The Rum Howler Award for Best South American Rum:

Diplomático Reserva Exclusiva

Honourable mention to Juan Santos 21 Yr Old.

It was difficult to know where to start when choosing the best rum of  South America. The El Dorado Rums were obvious contenders, as were the rums from Diplomatico . In the end I sampled four rums from Venezuela, two rums from Guyana,  and one rum from Colombia. The Colombian Rum (Juan Santos 21) was the big surprise taking Diplomatico Exclusiva to the limit and almost winning.  For those interested the Colombian Rum is sold as Ron Santero 21 in other markets and is well worth looking into.

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The Rum Howler Award for Best Caribbean Island Rum:

Cubaney 25 Solera

Honourable mention to Appleton Estate Master Blender’s Legacy, Havana Club Barrel Proof, and Bermudez Anniversario.

There was so much to choose from! The Appletons from Jamaica, Havana Club and Legendario from Cuba,   Doorly’s from Barbados, and so many more. In the end it was a little known rum from the Dominican Republic that stole the show. I thought perhaps it was because I had so recently reviewed the rum that I was still in love with it. So I had a few friends help me out…. I should not have worried, the palates of my friends confirmed my impressions and the result was unanimous, Cubaney Ron Tesero Grand Reserve was the best.

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The Rum Howler Award for Best Non Caribbean/South American Rum:

Renegade Panama 1997

Honourable mention to Old Port Deluxe (Amrut).

Those Renegade Rums made my life difficult. Do I classify them based upon the country of origin, or based upon the country where they are aged and bottled? In the end I decide they were a product of the United Kingdom and that decision pretty much ensured the victory for the Don Jose Panama Rum in this category.  The Old Port from Amrut gave it a small challenge and a Mexican Rum called Macombo was in the mix briefly as well. But the Port enhanced wonder from the Renegade Rum Company could not be denied.

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And there you have it, the next four Rum Howler Awards!

The Rum Howler Award for the Best Central American Rum, Flor de Caña 12 Year old Rum.

The Rum Howler Award for Best South American Rum, Diplomático Reserva Exclusiva.

The Rum Howler Award for Best Caribbean Island Rum, Cubaney 25 Solera.

The Rum Howler Award for Best Non Caribbean/South American Rum, Renegade Panama 1997.

Tomorrow I tackle Regional Whiskies.

Posted in Dark Rums, Howls, Rum | Tagged: , , | Comments Off on The Rum Howler Awards – Part 2

The Rum Howler Awards – Part 1

Posted by Arctic Wolf on October 19, 2010

It is hard to believe that my blog has been online for one year now.  I have sampled over 70 bottles of rum, and over 40 bottles of whisky in that time, (and built 4 new bookcases to hold all the bottles). Of course the question I always get from people who read the blog is, “So what is your favourite Rum or Whisky?”

Today I am going to attempt to answer the question by presenting the first annual Rum Howler Awards! Of course, everyone should understand that I must introduce some provisos when I make the claim to tell you what I like best. I obviously cannot judge any spirit which I have not tasted during the past year. I also cannot make a comparative final tasting when the sample I received for my review, was so small that I now have none left to compare.  Fortunately, in most cases I saved a small sample of my favourite rums and whiskies just for this purpose, as to be honest my Rum howler Awards have been in the works for a while now.  So without more adieu perhaps I will begin.

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The first Rum Howler Award is presented for the Best White Rum in a Daiquiri (I consider the daiquiri to be the quintessential cocktail for white rum).

And the Winner is:

Kōloa White Rum

Honorable mention to El Dorado 3 Year, and Bermudez Ron Viejo Blanco.

Judging this category involved me making me a daiquiri using each nominated rum and doing a side by side comparison on a hot summer evening. The Kōloa daiquiri was the runaway favourite.  A surprising result perhaps, but then again this rum is so clean and pure perhaps I should have anticipated its magnificence in a classic cocktail like the daiquiri!

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The next award is for the best overall white rum. White rum has recently experienced a substantial category change where we have the new so-called premium white rums which have been aged for up to six years (perhaps more) and then filtered clear to give the rum a superior sipping and mixing profile. This means a second award for White Rum is in order.

The Best White Rum Overall:

El Dorado 3 Year

Honourable mention to Bermudez Ron Viejo Blanco, and Highwood Imported White who were the other nominees.

For this category I considered not only the flavour in a daiquiri but also the overall flavour in The Cuba Libre, and the Mojito, (the triumvirate of classic white rum cocktails). I took that overall score and gave it 50 % of the weighting, then I also compared the taste of each rum neat which accounted for the other 50 percent of the score.

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The spiced/flavoured category of rum is all the rage right now. For my awards I decided I would include the so-called Black Rums and the dark Navy Rums in this category as they appear to my palate to be essentially the same as flavoured rums.

The Rum Howler award for the Best Spiced or Flavoured Rum is:

Gosling’s Black Seal

Honourable mention goes to Juan Santos Coffee Rum,and Lambs Blacksheep Rum.

Of course this category was difficult to judge based upon the extreme differences in the rums involved. So I could not follow a rigorous format. I decided to go to the producers websites and see if i could build the recommended cocktail for each spirit. I balanced this off with the flavour drinking the spirit neat. It was a very close battle between the Gosling’s Black Seal which was tremendous in a Dark ‘n Stormy versus the Juan Santos Coffee Rum which is a great sipping dessert rum.

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Now I am going to turn my attention to Whisky.  Anyone who has read my blog realizes that I love to mix cocktails and bar drinks. I believe that the vast majority of whisky drinkers do the same. The Horse’s Neck (Whisky and ginger-ale) is the quintessential bar drink that I like to serve, and as such a suitable drink to use for judging the mixability of whisky.

Therefore, I created The Rum Howler Award for the Best Whisky in a Horse’s Neck:

Gibson’s Finest 12 YR

Honourable mention to Hiram Walker Special Old and Centennial 10 Year Old.

I loved judging this one. I made small whisky and ginger ale drinks from just about every one of my Canadian Whiskies and tasted them over several nights to arrive at the last three.  (I also tried several American, Irish and Scotch Whiskies as well but they just didn’t measure up.)  The final three were judged side by side in a final evening of pure enjoyment.

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Next I turned my attention to Blended Whisky. I did not discriminate between age, or cost. If the whisky was labeled as a blend it qualified for an award.

The Rum Howler Award for the Best Blended Whisky goes to:

Wiser’s 18 Years Old

Honourable mention goes to Johnny Walker Black Label, and Forty Creek Portwood Reserve.

I decided to judge this award based first upon the whiskies flavour in two classic whisky cocktails, The Old Fashioned, and the Manhattan.  50 percent of the score was derived from the flavour the whisky presented in these cocktails. The other 50 % of the score was derived from the flavour the whisky displayed when drank neat.  I sampled three Scottish whiskies, Johnnie Walker Black Label, Johnnie Walker Gold Label, and Old Parr Superior. As well I sampled three other Canadian Whiskies, Forty Creek Portwood Reserve, Crown Royal Cask No. 16, and of course Wiser’s 18 Years Old.

The Wiser’s 18 Year Old won by the slimmest of margins in a final taste off with a whisky which continues to surprise me, Johnnie Walker Black Label.

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Of Course if I select the best Blended Whisky, I should also select the best Single Grain Whisky. Included in this category is any whisky which is made from a single grain with the exclusion of Single Malt Whiskies.

The Rum Howler Award for the Best Single Grain Whisky goes to:

Greenore Single Grain Irish Whiskey

Honourable mention to Alberta Premium Rye 25Yr Old, and Century Reserve 21 Yr Old.

I decided to judge this award in the same manner as  I judged the best blended Whisky. Based first upon the whisky flavour in the two classic whisky cocktails, The Old Fashioned, and the Manhattan. Then based upon the flavour the whisky displayed when drank neat.  I was very surprised when the side by side comparison revealed a winner which was not Alberta Premium 25 yr Old (one of one of my personal favourites) . Instead the Greenore Single Grain Whisky from Ireland reigned supreme!

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And there you have it, the first six Rum Howler Awards:

The Best White Rum in a Daiquiri, Kōloa White Rum.

The Best White Rum Overall, El Dorado 3 Year.

The Best Whisky in a Horses Neck, Gibson’s Finest 12 YR.

The Best Blended Whisky, Wiser’s 18 Years Old.

The Best Spiced or Flavoured Rum, Gosling’s Black Seal.

The Best Single Grain Whisky, Greenore Single Grain Irish Whiskey.

More Rum Howler Awards will be posted over the next several days as I continue to award the rums and the whiskies which pleased my palate the most since I began my blog a year ago. Stay tuned!

Posted in Canadian Whisky, Flavouerd Rums, Howls, Irish Whskey, Rum, Whisk(e)y, White Rums | Tagged: , , , | Comments Off on The Rum Howler Awards – Part 1

An Evening with Bols

Posted by Arctic Wolf on October 3, 2010

Lucas Bols advertises itself as the oldest distillation company active in the world today. With an origin that traces itself back to 1575, it is hard to argue the claim. After 435 years the company has grown to become one of the leading global concerns in the spirits industry. Bols has a presence in over 110 countries selling liqueurs, vodka, gin, and genever. The wide range of  liqueurs is particularly impressive. With 36 naturally flavoured liqueurs, the company can boast the widest range of liqueur flavours in the world.

Bols flavour Specialist Peter Van't Zelfde

Thus, when I was invited to spend an evening at the Devlin Lounge in Edmonton, to meet Bols Flavour Specialist, Peter Van’t Zelfde, I was delighted by the opportunity. It was an evening designed to bring bartenders, spirits aficionados, (and at least one blogger), together with the person actually responsible for some of the newest and coolest Bols flavours.  I mentioned bartenders first, because the evening was structured particularly to showcase the wide range of cocktails that Bols products can produce.  It is a fact that Lucas Bols boasts the largest database of cocktails in the world on their website.

I met and talked with Peter Van’t Zelfde and learned that all of Bols Liqueurs are made from natural flavours. These flavours have been extracted and/or distilled from natural base ingredients like fresh fruits and spices. Thus Bols Banana is flavoured using real banana flavours extracted from ripe fruit. Bols Cacao White is flavoured with real cacao  flavours distilled from roasted cacao beans.

I was able to talk with Peter after wards and inspect the real extracted and distilled flavours.  I was allowed to open the small sample containers and smell the actual essences and extracts used to make the wide range of Bols flavours.  Peter told me that all his created flavours are approximations.  Extracted flavours must be produced through an extraction medium.  Bols Banana, for example is extracted in a molasses spirit medium which imparts a light yet noticeable rum flavour into the extract.  Distilled flavours, on the other hand, like the Bols Cacao White, are usually true to the heart of the flavour, but subtleties of flavour at the head and tail of the distillation are lost.  The job of the Bols Flavour Specialist is to capture as much of the flavour essence as he can with as little alteration as possible.  Peter’s job is to literally play with flavour extracts and essences to determine new ways to capture them and of course to create new flavours for the Bols brand.  Recently Peter created the Bols Green Tea liqueur to add yet another flavour to the line-up.

Of course the evening would not have been complete without sampling a few of the Bols flavours and Bols cocktails made by the Devlin Lounge bartenders. Here are a few of the Lucas Bols liqueurs (and recipes) which were served:

Bols Blue (in Electric Lemonade)

Bols Blue is a distinctive blue colour and its flavour is distilled from a blend of herbs, sweet red oranges, bitter Curacao oranges, and the Kinnow oranges.  Blue Bols has a complex, full orange aroma and taste.

15 ml Bols Blue
45 ml Bols Vodka
30ml fresh lemon juice
15 ml rich sugar syrup (2:1)
Ice
Lemon Lime Soda

Mix the first four ingredients over ice
Top with lemon lime soda.
(Served in a short tumbler)

Bols Melon (in Pearl Harbour)

Bols Melon liqueur is light green liqueur flavoured with real melon extracts.  It carried flavours of cantaloupe, honeydew and even a hint of kiwi onto my palate.

30 ml Bols Melon Liqueur
30 ml Vodka
120 mls Fresh Pineapple juice

ice

Shake with ice
Strain and serve in a short tumbler

Bols Banana (in Banana Moo)

Bols Banana is a rich yellow liqueur with the extracted flavour of ripe banana. The flavour is enhanced with vanilla and almond as well as herb and spice extracts.

45ml Bols Banana
45ml Cream

Shake over ice
Strain into a short tumbler with ice

Garnish with a maraschino cherry

Bols Cacao White

In order to achieve a clear colour for Bols Cacao White, the roasted cacao beans  are not percolated (extracted), rather they are distilled. This gives this Cacao White a light aroma and flavour.

I missed the Bols Cacao White cocktail, but I was given a very small plastic cup of the liqueur to sample on its own.  The flavour was reminiscent of sweet European chocolates.

* All Photos courtesy Andrea Cooper, Account Executive. NKPR
* All Bottle shots courtesy Lucas Bols

My thanks to the guys and gals at Beam Global who forwarded the invitation to the event from Lucas Bols to myself.  I shall revisit these Bols flavours in a future posting when I plan to showcase a new cocktail which I have created in honor of the 5th annual Bols Around The World Cocktail Competition. Stay tuned!

Posted in Cocktails & Recipes, Howls | Tagged: , | Comments Off on An Evening with Bols

An Evening with Legendario

Posted by Arctic Wolf on September 23, 2010

A few weeks ago I received an email from Owen Fieldberg of götchya pröducktos Inc. inviting me to a special industry tasting of the Legendario line-up of Rums. The tasting was set for September 21, at one of my favourite stores Aligra Wine and Spirits.  All of the local Venders  who sold the Legendario Elixir de Cuba were invited, and it was basically a sneak peek into the new Legendario Rum line-up.  Here is what we tasted:

Legendario  Elixir de Cuba 34% – 2 – 4 Year

Legendario Añejo 38% – 1 to 6 year

Legendario El Dorado 38 % – aged  Gold

Legendario Blanco 40% – aged White

Photo Courtesy Legendario.com

The highlight of the evening was meeting Jesus Lester Pomo the Export Manager from the Legendario headquarters in Spain. Mr. Pomo is a Cuban National (living in Spain) who is responsible for the world-wide export of the Legendario Rums.  Mr. Pomo spoke briefly about each rum and then poured generous samples for all of us to try.  He even showed me a trick for sampling and tasting I had never seen before.  When he poured my sample of the Anejo, he also poured a tiny bit on my wrist.  I was asked to spread it around a little and then to take a nice deep wiff.  Nice!  The warmth from my wrist carried the aroma upwards and gave me a delicious invitation to sample the glass.

I have already reviewed the Legendario Elixer de Cuba here on my blog, but I would feel remiss if I didn’t also give a little indication of each of the other spirits:

The Lengendario El Dorado and Legendario Blanco each exhibited a bevy of character and aroma in the glass. I found the white rum (Legendario Blanco) carried much more flavour in the mouth than many of these new well aged whites which have recently entered the market.  The Gold rum (Legendario El Dorado) was even more flavourful, and each of these rums had a satisfying ‘kick’ to impart to my tonsils.

The Legendario Anejo was silky smooth and suave with excellent favours of rummy caramel and oak spice. It was easily my favourite spirit of the afternoon.  The rum was very well-balanced and at 38 % alcohol strength the Anejo satisfied at all levels.  I am looking forward to mid November when this rum should enter the Alberta marketplace.

I plan to obtain a sample bottle so that I can share a review.

Posted in Dark Rums, Howls, Rum, White Rums | Tagged: , , | 6 Comments »

What is Rum?

Posted by Arctic Wolf on September 12, 2010

I have been engaged in various discussions of late with various individuals trying to get a grasp on the burning question:

What is Rum?

Robert Burr, from Gifted Rums, has directed me to the appropriate regulatory framework; Capn Jimbo, from The Rum Project, has offered me his insights; and even the Scotch Brand Ambassador for Highland Park, J L. Wheelock has admitted to me that he is studying the question with some interest.  You see, the answer is not as clear as the question.

The first major problem with the question, is that the answer depends upon jurisdiction. National Governments all have the right to legislate their own rules and regulations pertaining to the identification and labelling requirements of alcoholic spirits.  So to answer the question we must first choose a jurisdiction. For initial convenience, I have chosen the United States as the jurisdiction for this particular discussion page.  This means that the discussion and its conclusions may not have relevance for locales outside of the USA.

With that in mind I have done an analysis of the US regulations as they pertain to the identification and the labelling requirements of Rum. The link to these regulations can be found here.

The reason I have engaged in this possibly fruitless exercise is because I have noticed that there is a huge discrepancy in the blogosphere, and on public internet forums as to what persons believe is allowed, and what is not allowed with respect to the labelling of additives, the addition of color, the description of age statements, and the like.  I am hoping to offer clarity and to increase my understanding.

Now hopes such as these are often dashed against the rocks of intentions, and my write-up is riddled with references to legal regulations and my own conjectures.  I am not a lawyer, so my interpretations and conjectures must be treated as purely that. Perhaps I am muddying the waters rather than clarifying them.

I should also point out that I expect, as a result of the publication of my discussion,  that other interpretations may be brought forward and as such  the understanding may become somewhat fluid. As more understanding comes forward, the write-up may be revised accordingly.

So if you are brave, and if you have a lot of time on your hands, click on the link provided.

What is Rum?

Feel free to add your own comments at the bottom especially if you believe I may have missed an important key point.

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

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