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Archive for the ‘Rum’ Category

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Review: Old Lahaina Gold Rum

Posted by Arctic Wolf on June 10, 2012

Just before last Christmas some friends of mine visited Hawaii. Because they are friends, and they know I like to try rums from different parts of the world, they brought back a bottle of rum for me called Old Lahaina Gold Rum from Maui Distillers. It is an authentic Hawaiian rum made from sugar and molasses from Hawaii’s HC&S Maui Plantation.

Maui Distillers was originally conceived in 1999, and the work to build a distillery within the site of the Old Paia Sugar Mill began in 2003. In 2009, the new distillery was producing rum which was sold throughout the state of Hawaii. According to the distillers website, their rum is produced on two 500 gallon, steam fired, Badger “pot stills”, which were originally constructed in 1946. One of these stills has been fitted with a “multi-tray fractioning column”, and this still is used to produce their base rum.

This Old Lahaina Gold Rum is described as both a mixer and a sipper on the Maui Distillers Website

Here is an excerpt from my review:

“… Caramel and toffee lead out with a light spiciness that heats up the mouth just a little. I taste a light influence of cinnamon and tobacco as well as imprints of charred sugars…”

Here is a link to my full review:

Review: Old Lahaina Gold Rum

I have included a nice cocktail with the review which I call, the Chinook.

Please enjoy the review and my cocktail recipe!

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

Review: London Dock Rum (Favell’s 100 Proof)

Posted by Arctic Wolf on June 3, 2012

 

Favell’s London Dock Rum is (according to the label anyways) blended and bottled in Canada for White Favell (Vinters). The Canadian agency responsible for blending and bottling this rum is the Newfoundland and Labrador Liquor Corporation (NLC).

The label tells us that London Dock is a Demerara Rum produced in Guyana; therefore I can deduce that the rum was distilled on the East Bank of the Demerara River at the facilities of Demerara Distillers Ltd. (DDL).  (This information was confirmed to me by both the NLC and Demerara Distillers.) It is apparently produced from original marques of rum which in the past would have been shipped to England to mature in the London Docks, hence the name London Dock Rum. Of course, the rum no longer travels to England to mature, rather it travels from Demerara County in Guyana in bulk to St. John’s Newfoundland to be blended bottled by the NLC. London Dock is an old style Demerara rum, with strong flavours of molasses and treacle.

(I was given a sample bottle by the NLC for the purpose of a review here on my website.)

Here is an excerpt from my review:

“… The Rum has a strong aromas of molasses and burnt caramel. There is also a bit of astringency rising into the air which is not unexpected from a young overproof rum. I say young because I detect only a light  ‘woodiness’ rising from the glass. Other scents drift up from the glass into the breezes, in particular I notice a bit of orange marmalade and banana peel …”

You may read the full review here:

Review: London Dock Rum (Favell’s 100 Proof)

As well please enjoy my suggested cocktail, the Cosmopolitan Rum Swizzle!

Cheers!

Posted in Cocktails & Recipes, Dark Rums, Overproof Rum, Rum, Rum Reviews | Tagged: , , , , , , | Comments Off on Review: London Dock Rum (Favell’s 100 Proof)

Review: London Dock Rum (Favell’s 70 Proof)

Posted by Arctic Wolf on June 3, 2012

Favell’s London Dock Rum is (according to the label anyways) is blended and bottled in Canada for White Favell (Vinters). The Canadian agency responsible for blending and bottling this rum is the Newfoundland and Labrador Liquor Corporation (NLC).

The label tells us that London Dock is a Demerara Rum produced in Guyana; therefore I can deduce that the rum was distilled on the East Bank of the Demerara River at the facilities of Demerara Distillers Ltd. (DDL).  (This information was confirmed to me by both the NLC and Demerara Distillers.) It is apparently produced from original marques of rum which in the past would have been shipped to England to mature in the London Docks, hence the name London Dock Rum. Of course, the rum no longer travels to England to mature, rather it travels from Demerara County in Guyana in bulk to St. John’s Newfoundland to be blended bottled by the NLC. London Dock is an old style Demerara rum, with strong flavours of molasses and treacle.

(I was given a sample bottle by the NLC for the purpose of a review here on my website.)

Here is an excerpt from my review:

“… The London Dock Rum has a strong aroma of molasses and burnt caramel, and there is only a light essence of ‘woodiness’ rising from the glass. (My general impression from the aroma is that the rum has been aged somewhere in the range of two years or so.) Other smells drift up from the glass, a bit of orange and banana peel, some indications of vanilla and some  medium sweet baking spices …”

You may read my full review here:

Review: London Dock Rum (Favell’s 70 Proof)

Included with the review are two cocktail suggestions for this rum, the Mandeville, and Baron Bliss.

Please enjoy the review and the cocktails suggestions that follow, Cheers!

Posted in Cocktails & Recipes, Dark Rums, Rum, Rum Reviews | Tagged: , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Review: London Dock Rum (Favell’s 70 Proof)

Review: El Dorado Spiced Rum

Posted by Arctic Wolf on May 27, 2012

I was privileged recently when I received an invite to visit the facilities of Demerara Distillers Limited (DDL) in Guyana, South America. During this visit I was given a complete tour of the Diamond Distillery where DDL’s famous El Dorado Rums are produced. This included a tour of the old plant which houses the heritage stills (famous stills from various estates in Guyana some as old as 250 years, all working and still producing rum), and I saw DDL’s new high-capacity four-column distillation plant which is now in operation.

During this trip, I also was able to taste the entire line of El Dorado rums including the new El Dorado Spiced Rum. In fact at the guest house where I was staying, a full bottle of the El Dorado Spiced (and a few others as well) were left for our small Canadian group to enjoy each evening. I snapped a nice picture of the bottle while I was there and spent a little time gathering some tasting notes.

Here is an excerpt from the resulting review:

“…. As the glass sits, I receive firm indications of allspice and cloves rise as well as a nice updraft of cinnamon. A brief appearance of oak also reaches the breezes above the glass coinciding with some quiet notes of orange peel and citrus. I was expecting more of a molasses push from this spiced rum, but the El Dorado Spiced seems to be a lighter style of rum than what I was expecting …”

Here is a link to the full review:

Review: El Dorado Spiced Rum

As well you should try my great punch recipe at the end of the review, Georgetown Punch!

Cheers Everyone!

Posted in Cocktails & Recipes, Flavouerd Rums, Rum, Rum Reviews | Tagged: , , , , , | Comments Off on Review: El Dorado Spiced Rum

APPLETON ESTATE BARTENDER CHALLENGE (CANADA)

Posted by Arctic Wolf on May 26, 2012

I was sent an interesting press release yesterday, Apparently Appleton Estate Jamaica Rum is having a nationwide contest to find the best bartender in Canada as part of their Appleton Estate Bartender Challenge. I love cocktails so I thought I should throw up the essential details from the presser here on my website.

If you think you can mix a mean cocktail, then maybe you should head over to the Appleton Estate Bartender Challenge Canada Facebook page to obtain all of the rules and regulations of the contest which is open until June 30th (the contest is available to all Canadian Bartenders and Wait Staff). The winner will be announced on August 12th, and (this is the good part) will be awarded an all expense paid trip to Jamaica to represent Canada in the Appleton Estate Jamaica International Bartender Challenge in October 2012. Those interested in participating must submit a video entry of themselves mixing an Appleton Estate V/X and an Appleton Estate Reserve cocktail, using Angostura Bitters as an ingredient in one of their original creations. Four finalists will be notified on July 15th and their respective cocktail recipes will go on to be judged by a panel of local experts and media on the basis of flavour, originality, creativity, presentation, technique, style and knowledge of Appleton Estate Jamaica Rum.

To get you in the mood here is one of my original Appleton Estate Rum Cocktails!

Cheers!

The Appleton Celebration

2 oz Appleton Reserve Rum
2 oz  Fresh Squeezed and strained Pink Grapefuit Juice
3/4 oz  London Dry Gin
2 dashes Angostura bittlers
1 teaspoon Grenadine
ice
1/4 oz Sloe Gin
lemon slice for garnish

Combine the first five ingredients into a metal shaker with ice.
Shake until the metal shaker chills.
Strain into a cocktail glass (with or without ice).
Float the sloe gin on top
Garnish with lemon slice

Posted in Cocktails & Recipes, Dark Rums, Rum | Tagged: , , | Comments Off on APPLETON ESTATE BARTENDER CHALLENGE (CANADA)

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