The Rum Howler Blog

(A Website for Spirited Reviews)

  • Copyright

    Copyright is inherent when an original work is created. This means that the producer of original work is automatically granted copyright protection. This copyright protection not only exists in North America, but extends to other countries as well. Thus, all of the work produced on this blog is protected by copyright, including all of the pictures and all of the articles. These original works may not be copied or reused in any way whatsoever without the permission of the author, Chip Dykstra.

  • Cocktails and Recipes

    Click Image for Awesome Recipes

  • Industry Interviews

    Interviews

    Click the Image for Great Interviews with the Movers of Industry

  • The Rum Howler Interview (Good Food Revolution)

    Click on the Image to see my interview on Good Food Revolution

  • The Rum Howler Blog

    Unknown's avatar

  • Rum Reviews

  • Whisky Reviews

  • Gin Reviews

  • Tequila Reviews

  • Vodka Reviews

  • Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

    Join 1,092 other subscribers

  • Subscribe

  • Visitors

    • 15,526,691 pageviews since inception

  • Archives

  • Follow The Rum Howler Blog on WordPress.com

Archive for the ‘Dark Rums’ Category

« Previous Entries
Next Entries »

Review: Old Port Deluxe Rum

Posted by Arctic Wolf on June 7, 2011

Old Port Deluxe Rum is distilled and aged at Amrut’s facility in Bangalore India from Indian sugar cane. This cane has a unique and exotic taste all its own making this a truly different taste experience for a ‘Western’ palate like mine.  My original review was published in October of 2009 very shortly after I opened my website. As with all of my early reviews it is terse and to the point. Some persons have told me confidentially that they enjoyed my early reviews which, although they were not as professionally written as my current reviews, seemed to reflect a certain enthusiasm and passion.  I guess I will let you see for your self.

Here is an excerpt from my very first review of a rum produced in India:

“…I can taste real complexity here. Touches of soy sauce, caramel, cinnamon and Brazil nuts. Very Complex but there is a slight touch of bitterness just hiding around the corner. Sometimes I get it and sometimes I don’t. This easily ranks up in texture and richness with the best rums I have tasted but I will warn you that it is a very different sort of taste….”

Please enjoy this early review re-posted for those who may have missed it.

Review:  Old Port Deluxe Rum

If you are interested in rums from India then this review may also be of interest to you:

Review: McDowell’s No. 1 Celebration Rum

Enjoy the reviews!

Posted in Cocktails & Recipes, Dark Rums, Rum, Rum Reviews | Tagged: , , , , , | Comments Off on Review: Old Port Deluxe Rum

Review: Panama Red 108 Overproof Rum

Posted by Arctic Wolf on June 5, 2011

Panama Red 108 is a Panamanian rum brought to you by PANAMONTE BRANDS. The rum is handcrafted by the creator of Zafra Master Reserve, Master Blender, Francisco “Don Pancho” Fernandez. It is produced from the sugar cane that grew in Las Cabras de Pese, the same region where the Distillery is located. Although the rum is stated as overproof, Don Pancho has assured me that the rum will feel much smoother in the mouth than a typical overproof rum. It has as its base, a 5 year molasses based rum which is aged in used Bourbon casks at the distillery warehouse in Pese.

There is a bit of a romantic story behind the name of this Rum and it was related to me via email by the Mr. Carlos E. Esquivel G., the Executive Director of PILSA (A Rum distillery and production company, specializing in Aged Rums, and Rum related products in Panama and South America). With his permission, I have reproduced the story here on my website and you may access it through a link in the review.

Here is an excerpt from my review:

“…A rum with 54 per cent alcohol strength by volume packs quite a punch!  And that punch is full of concentrated flavours. These flavours practically leap into the mouth out of the glass. Sweet flavours of caramel candy take the lead with more pungent flavours of tobacco and leather riding the coat-tails….”

You may of course read the full review here:

Review: Panama Red 108

Posted in Cocktails & Recipes, Dark Rums, Overproof Rum, Rum, Rum Reviews | Tagged: , , , , , | Comments Off on Review: Panama Red 108 Overproof Rum

Review: Legendario Elixir de Cuba

Posted by Arctic Wolf on May 31, 2011

I get a lot of emails from persons trying to find information on Legendario Rums. The only help I can offer is to explain that the export of this Cuban Rum to Canada is actually via Spain rather than Cuba. Jesus Lester Pomo is the Export Manager for the Legendario Rums from Cuba. I met Mr. Pomo (who is s a Cuban National living in Spain) last September at a tasting event held here in Edmonton, and he allowed me to sample the entire Legendario line-up.

Because I receive so many questions about the Legendario Elixir de Cuba, today I am re-posting my review for this Cuban Rum for those persons who may have missed it. I have not changed the scores, but I have edited the review for clarity although the essence of the original review remains the same.

Here is an excerpt from the review:

“…This is really rich. Very very sweet, and more like a rum liqueur than a true rum. It has a hazelnut accent reminding me a bit of  Frangelico except the rum is heavier in the mouth, less viscous and of course tastes much more of molasses and caramel… If I have described some rums as oily, I would have to describe this one as almost honey like in its texture…”

The full review is available here:

Review: Legendario Elixir de Cuba

Please enjoy the Review!

Posted in Dark Rums, Rum, Rum Reviews | Tagged: , , , , | Comments Off on Review: Legendario Elixir de Cuba

The Juan Santos Rum Reviews

Posted by Arctic Wolf on May 24, 2011

When I opened my website in October of 2009, my early reviews were accepted by the rum community as something worthwhile almost immediately.  In fact, various rum companies and importers began to offer me samples of their products to review pretty much from the get-go. The first such company (The Libor Group) was the Alberta importer for a Colombian Rum called Juan Santos.  They had four well aged dark rums in their portfolio, and I was given a bottle of each to review on my website.  Not once was there any suggestion that I should do anything but just give my honest about each rum.

Because I have so many readers now that I did not have before, I am re-posting these original reviews to allow my new readers a fresh chance to enjoy them as well.

Here are my original Jan Santos Rum Reviews:

Review: Juan Santos 5 Yr Old Rum

Review: Juan Santos 9 Yr Old Rum

Review: Juan Santos 12 Yr Old Rum

Review: Juan Santos 21 Yr Old Rum

It was when I wrote the Juan Santos reviews that I began to add cocktail at the end of each review. It is my firm believe that even the best rums can be enjoyed in a cocktail as well as sipped neat. Since a  few of these cocktails never made it into my recipe section, I thought would be a good time to add them. So if you like cocktails please enjoy the following suggestions:

For the Juan Santos 5 Yr Old Rum, my cocktail suggestion was a Rum and Ginger.
For the Juan Santos 9 Yr Old Rum, my cocktail suggestion was a Rum Manhattan.
For the Juan Santos 5 Yr Old Rum, my cocktail suggestion was a Rum Sloe and Sour.
For the Juan Santos 5 Yr Old Rum, my cocktail suggestion was a Sloe Rum Cocktail.

Please enjoy these original reviews and recipes from my early postings. Cheers!

Posted in Cocktails & Recipes, Dark Rums, Rum, Rum Reviews | Tagged: , , , , | Comments Off on The Juan Santos Rum Reviews

Review: Plantation Grenada 1998 (Old Reserve Rum)

Posted by Arctic Wolf on May 22, 2011

In Miami, at the big rum festival, I (along with the other RumXp Judges at the festival) was invited to a special breakfast hosted by Cognac Ferrand, the creators of a very distinct new brand of rum called Plantation. Cognac Ferrand has long had 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. Cognac casks in particular are highly sought after as ideal oak vessels for maturing quality rums. Based upon this relationship, Cognac Ferrand began to acquire certain very old and unique batches of rum from various Caribbean sources, which they brought back to France to finish in their own Cognac Casks. These rums have been bottled in a series of special Vintages under the umbrella of Cognac Ferrand’s own label, Plantation Rum.

After the event in Miami, I was given eight sample bottles, each 200ml in size, which represented a good portion of the Plantation Rum line-up. The Plantation Grenada 1998 (Old Reserve Rum) is the first of these sample bottles which I have chosen to review here on my blog.

Here is an excerpt from my review:

“…The rum enters my mouth with a nice caramel and oak flavour which tickles the taste buds with an undercurrent of fruity green grape and zesty orange citrus peel. As I take further sips from my glass I notice that the rum develops a spicy bite which is full of more citrus peel, oak spice, and candied apples…”

You may read the full review here:

Review: Plantation Grenada 1998 (Old Reserve Rum)

Please enjoy the review!

Posted in Dark Rums, Rum, Rum Reviews | Tagged: , , , , | Comments Off on Review: Plantation Grenada 1998 (Old Reserve Rum)

« Previous Entries
Next Entries »