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Archive for the ‘Dark Rums’ Category

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Review: Lemon Hart Demerara 151 Rum

Posted by Arctic Wolf on October 6, 2011

A few weeks ago I received a bottle of the ‘new’ Lemon Hart Demerara 151 Rum from the Canadian Brand Owner, Mosaiq for the purpose of a review on my website. I call it the ‘new’ Lemon Hart Demerara 151 Rum because of a few changes that the rum has undergone after it was sold by Pernod Ricard to Mosaiq.

When the brand was owned by Pernod Ricard the rum was bulk shipped from Guyana to the Hiram Walker Distillery in Ontario, Canada. It was aged in Canada, and for tax purposes, it was blended with 1.5 % of the content being Canadian distilled rum.

Mosaiq has changed things a little. The rum is now blended with 100 % Guyanese rum and all of the rum is aged in Guyana rather than in Canada. It is bottled in Canada by the Newfoundland and Labrador Liquor Corporation (NLC) for Mosaiq. I wish I had a bottle of the old blend to compare against, but since I do not, my review will concentrate solely on the merits of the newest blend. Here is an excerpt from that review:

“…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)…”

You may read the full review here:

Review: Lemon Hart Demerara 151 Rum

As well I have included a nice recipe from Tiare (A Mountain of Crushed Ice) called the Guyana Zombie as well as a brand new recipe of my own called Hart Breaker.

Please Enjoy the review and the recipes!

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

Review: Travellers 3 Barrel Aged Rum

Posted by Arctic Wolf on September 29, 2011

A few weeks ago I published my review of the Travellers 1 Barrel Rum. I never mentioned it at the time but this review was actually the first of several which I plan to write as I work my way through the Traveller’s line-up. The rum which is the focus of my review today is a brand new rum in that line-up, Travellers 3 Barrel Rum. The 3 Barrel is only available (for now) in Alberta which is the first place the rum has been exported, and in Belize where the rum is produced.

Belize is the northernmost mainland country of Central America. it is a former British Colony and lies just south of Mexico with the Caribbean Sea to the east and Guatemala to the west and south. Travellers Liquors Limited has been involved in the production of  Rum in Belize since the early 1960s originally working with independent distillers. In 1989 Travellers acquired full control of their own distillery and has remained in full control of their 1 Barrel brand ever since.

I was given a bottle of 3 Barrel Rum by Blake Christensson of  Travellers’ Liquor Canada for the purpose of this review. Here is an excerpt:

“…The 3 Barrel Rum has much more to offer as a sipper than the 1 Barrel Rum. The flavour is smoother and richer as the oak has set its imprint into the rum in a delightful way. Butterscotch and baking spices lead out onto the palate with a nice marmalade accent from the oak. The vanilla and the light tobacco flavours are in ample evidence and everything is easy to sip and easy to appreciate…”

Here is a link to the full review:

Review: Travellers 3 Barrel Aged Rum

As well I have included my recipe for 3 Barrel Punch.

Please enjoy the review and the recipe!

Posted in Cocktails & Recipes, Dark Rums, Rum, Rum Reviews | Tagged: , , , , | 1 Comment »

Review: Pusser’s (Blue Label) Rum

Posted by Arctic Wolf on September 29, 2011

Pusser’s Rum is advertised as the original rum of the British Royal Navy. And it is a fact that for over 300 years it was a tradition in the British Navy that each member of the crew was issued a daily ‘tot’ of rum. This tradition began in 1655, and by 1731, the tradition of the daily ‘tot’ was in general use throughout the British Navy. As it was the ship’s purser who was responsible for issuing the rum. The Rum became known as Pusser’s Rum in a sort of slang derivation of the term ‘Purser’s Rum’.

Although the naval tradition of the daily tot had ended, in 1979 Charles Tobias obtained the rights and the blending information for the British Naval Rum, and formed Pusser’s Ltd. on Tortola in the British Virgin Islands. His company produces their Pusser’s Rum following the blending information and the traditions of the Admiralty, including producing the rum from wooden pot stills just as the had been the tradition for over 200 years.

Here is an excerpt from my review:

“…This is a little hot and spicy in the initial mouth feel. The rum has a fresh oaky flavour with tannins disguised as tangy orange zest. As well, a firm vanilla and a light toffee complement this spicy oak and serves to temper its bite. There are some caramel flavours and some baking spices which give the rum depth…”

You may read the full review here:

Review: Pusser’s (Blue Label) Rum

As well I have included my cocktail suggestion for the Pusser’s Rum, The Pain Killer Cocktail.

Please enjoy the review and the cocktail suggestion!!

Posted in Cocktails & Recipes, Dark Rums, Rum, Rum Reviews | Tagged: , , , , , | 1 Comment »

Celebrating: Appleton Estate Reserve Rum

Posted by Arctic Wolf on September 24, 2011

Recently I was afforded a chance to revisit Appleton Estate Reserve Rum when  the media company representing the brand in Canada asked me if I would like to receive a bottle. Although I have already reviewed this rum, I was not about to turn down a rum bottle which would fit very nicely on the Appleton shelf of my liquor cabinet.

I have found that the Appleton Estate VX and the Appleton Estate Reserve are two of my favourite cocktail rums. The Appleton Estate Reserve has the same signature Appleton flavour and aroma which I noted in my review of the Appleton Estate VX a few weeks ago. However, things seem to be brought up a notch with a higher level of smoothness, and more complexity in the Reserve Rum. The high level of complexity in the Reserve arises because this Appleton Rum uses a large number of  rums in its blend, 20 in all, and because the rums which are used in the Reserve blend are aged for a longer period of time than for the Appleton VX Rum.

Of course, receiving a bottle of Appleton Estate Reserve deserves a Celebration:

The Appleton Celebration

2 oz Appleton Reserve Rum
2 oz  Fresh Squeezed and strained Pink Grapefruit Juice
3/4 oz  London Dry Gin
1/4 oz Sloe Gin
1 teaspoon Simple Sugar (or grenadine)

Combine ingredients into a metal shaker with ice.
Shake until the metal shaker chills.
Strain into a chilled cocktail glass
Garnish with lemon slice

And sometimes I just cannot resist putting the ice from the shaker into the cocktail glass as well.  Sitting on the back deck in the shade with a Celebration Cocktail is one of the best ways I can think of to spend a Saturday afternoon.

For those who are interested, here is my review of Appleton Reserve Rum:

Review: Appleton Estate Reserve Rum

Cheers my friends!

Posted in Cocktails & Recipes, Dark Rums, Rum, Rum Reviews | Tagged: , , , , | Comments Off on Celebrating: Appleton Estate Reserve Rum

Review: Caroni 1997 (Aka Ron Sherbrooke Private Cask) Rum

Posted by Arctic Wolf on September 22, 2011

The Ron Sherbrooke, “Drink Like a Pirate” Rum Festival is was held on September 19 at the Citadel Theatre in Edmonton, Alberta. Nineteen liquor agencies put up tables, and all told over sixty rums were poured. The event went off without a hitch, and everyone I saw left the evening happy, (and full of rum). And it wasn’t just the wide selection of rums which was impressive, it was also the quality of the selection that was special. Diplomático Reserva Exclusiva, Flor de Caña 18 Year Centenario Gold, and the Ron Zacapa 23 Solero were just a few of the Premium Rums available to be tasted. Ron Abuelo, Bacardi, and Mount Gay were all there. Of course, I cannot name everyone but you get the idea. The first ever full fledged rum festival in Edmonton, Alberta was a big success!

One rum really caught my eye at the festival, I guess you could call it the ‘signature rum’ of the event. A Single Cask Rum from the departed Ron Caroni Distillery of Trinidad and Tobago. This rum was bottled for a local collective of stores called, the Signature Group and at the festival it was labelled,  Ron Sherbrooke-Private Stock, Caroni 1997 – 13 year old Dark Rum.

I was intrigued enough that after the Rum Festival I decided I should provide a review of this signature rum. The kind folks at  Sherbrooke Liquor, provided me a sample and the review is now complete.

Here is an excerpt from that review:

“…Caramel toffee, baking spices, and a nice dollop of vanilla will join the oak and the orange peel, and you will experience a rum which is not only very different from any rum you have tried before, you will experience a rum with a rich flavour that matches the nose which I described earlier…”

You may read the full review here:

Review: Caroni 1997  (Aka Ron Sherbrooke Private Cask) Rum

Please enjoy the review of what I consider to be a very special rum!

Posted in Dark Rums, Rum, Rum Reviews | Tagged: , , , , , | 4 Comments »

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