Archive for the ‘Rum’ Category
Posted by Arctic Wolf on October 3, 2015
Dictador’s solera aging system is a cascading process where younger rums are aged in oak casks and then blended with older rums. The aged rum are arranged in different flights with the oldest distilled rum on the lowest levels of the Solera. The younger rums are placed on the upper levels with the very youngest rums at the top. As the rum is pulled from the lowest barrels for bottling, the barrels are not fully emptied, and those barrels (about half full) are then topped up with rum from the levels just above. This marrying of old and new softens the fiery younger rum and provides the final blended rum with a refined smoothness and flavor not found in ordinary rums.
A unique feature of the Dictador Solera System is that in addition to the younger rums being married with older rums, the barrels of similarly aged rums along one level of the solera are periodically consolidated to keep the barrels as full as possible to maintain fuller contact with the wood, and to inhibit the acceleration of the evaporation within the barrels. The Dictador 12 Year Old Rum, is a solera aged rum which is taken from the solera at the point where the average of the rum within that solera row is at least 12 years of age.
Here is a link to my review of the #83 Spirit in my Rum Howler 2015 Top 100 Spirits Countdown:
“… There is a good amount of oak tannin and citrus zest which leads out and makes everything mildly spicy. This sensation is quickly followed by flavours of dark toffee which have turned slightly to treacle, and a moderate amount of vanilla oak. A yummy marzipan which reminds me of toasted almonds smothered in roasted marshmallows is nestled nicely under the oak and spice …”
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You may follow my Countdown list of the 100 Best Spirits here: The Rum Howler 2015 – Top 100 Spirits
Posted in Awards, Dark Rums, Extras, Rum, Rum Reviews | Tagged: 12 Year Solera, Dictador, Rum, Rum howler, Rum Review, Solera Rum, Top 100 Spirits | Comments Off on #83 Dictador 12 Year Aged Solera Rum
Posted by Arctic Wolf on September 26, 2015
The Ron Bermúdez Company has a long history that stretches back to 1852. This is almost as old as the Dominican Republic itself, and I think it is easy to suggest that the Ron Bermudez Company is an important part of the history of the Dominican Republic. Don Erasmo Bermudez apparently created the company’s first rum, sold as Bitter Panacea which quickly became extremely popular and provided the foundation for the company’s success. The Company is currently in its fourth generation of management, still represented by the Bermudez family.
The Ron Bermudez Anniversario carries no age statement, however it sits atop the ladder of the Bermudez Rum line-up. Carrying heavy oak accents, it was suggested to me by the local distributor that the rum would be comparable to a fine oaky cognac, full of character and flavour.
Here is a link to my review of the #90 Spirit in my Rum Howler 2015 Top 100 Spirits Countdown:
“… The rum is spicy with hints of cinnamon and orange peel. Toffee and caramel sit in the background supporting the spicier flavour of the oak. There is also a firm leathery smoke in the rum which is full of the flavours of dried fruits (raisins, dates, and prunes) …”
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You may follow my Countdown list of the 100 Best Spirits here: The Rum Howler 2015 – Top 100 Spirits
Posted in Awards, Dark Rums, Extras, Rum, Rum Reviews | Tagged: Aged Rum, Bermudez, Dark Rum, Review, Ron Bermudez Anniversario, Rum, Rum howler, Top 100 Spirits | Comments Off on #90 Ron Bermudez Anniversario
Posted by Arctic Wolf on September 23, 2015
Dictador is produced in Colombia on the Caribbean coast at Cartagena de Indias City. Rather than being produced from molasses, the rum is produced from the virgin honey of sugar cane which has been distilled upon a stainless steel alembic, and aged using Dicatador’s unique take on the solera-style aging system. Although the rum is produced upon a stainless steel alembic, the inner workings of this still contain more than enough copper such that it functions in basically the same manner as a copper pot still.
Interestingly, the choice of the distillery to use sugar cane honey rather than molasses is based upon a peculiarity of Colombian government policy. It seems that the country has mandated that automobiles in Colombia must use a certain percentage of biofuels in conjunction with gasoline as their fuel source. As molasses is the most readily available source of biofuel, almost all molasses produced in Columbia is earmarked for biofuel production. This means that the folks at Dictador Rum have little choice but to produce and use their own sugar cane honey for rum production.
The Dictador 20 Year Old Rum, is a solera aged rum which is taken from the solera at the point where the average age of the rum within that solera row is at least 20 years of age. (Some older rum is certainly within those barrels as well.)
Here is a link to my review of the #93 Spirit in my Rum Howler 2015 Top 100 Spirits Countdown:
“… The aroma from the glass is heavily tainted with oak and baking spice. I smell dark brown sugars and toffee which grow stronger and deeper as the glass decants. A hint of maple sits in the breezes, and accents of cinnamon, nutmeg as well as a firm dash of vanilla rise up to complement the strong oak aroma. There is a light smokey element as well which seems to imply sherry like scents of dried currants and raisins …”
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You may follow my Countdown list of the 100 Best Spirits here: The Rum Howler 2015 – Top 100 Spirits
Posted in Awards, Dark Rums, Extras, Rum, Rum Reviews | Tagged: 20 Year Solera, Dictador, Review, Rum, Rum howler, Top 100 Spirits | Comments Off on #93 Dictador 20 Year Old Solera Rum
Posted by Arctic Wolf on September 19, 2015
The Ron Santa Theresa 1796 Antiguo de Solera is a Venezuelan rum which can trace its ancestry back to the year of 1796 when the Santa Theresa Hacienda was created. It was of course, 200 years later that the Ron Santa Theresa 1796 was created to commemorate the bicentennial anniversary of the Hacienda.
This is a true Solera rum with 4 rows of aging barrels set one atop each other. As the rum ages, a portion of the rum moves through each row until it reaches the final solera row at the bottom years later. The barrels are not emptied fully and only a portion of the rum from the previous or higher row is moved to the lower row each time. According to the Santa Theresa website, a very small portion of the rum reaches an age approximating 25 years before bottling.
Here is a link to my review of the #97 Spirit in my Rum Howler 2015 Top 100 Spirits Countdown:
“… The rum has a different reddish tone and the initial aroma seems to be hinting that the spirit has at some point in its journey passed through an exotic wine cask which left an imprint of fruity dark cherries and plums upon the scent of the rum. Rich aromas of butterscotch and light smells of molasses join with these fruity scents and the result is most appealing …”
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You may follow my Countdown list of the 100 Best Spirits here: The Rum Howler 2015 – Top 100 Spirits
Posted in Awards, Dark Rums, Extras, Rum, Rum Reviews | Tagged: 2015 Rum Howler Margarita Challenge, Dark Rum, Rum, Rum Review, Santa Theresa 1796, Solero, Top 100 Spirits | Comments Off on #97 Santa Teresa 1796 Antiguo de Solera
Posted by Arctic Wolf on September 17, 2015
The Diamond Distillery sits on the East Bank of the Demerara River near Georgetown, Guyana. The Distillery, originally attached to the now closed Diamond Sugar Estate, is home to Demerara Distillers Limited (DDL). Two years ago, I was invited by DDL and Woodman Wines and Spirits to travel to Guyana for a very exclusive tour of DDL’s facilities with a small group of Canadian Spirits Writers and Restauranteurs. It was in Guyana that I encountered their new 8 Year Old Rum.
According to the El Dorado Website, the El Dorado 8 Year old Cask Aged Rum is blended from selected stocks of rum which were produced from no less than four of DDL’s traditional Heritage Stills including both the original Wooden Coffey Still which was rescued from the Enmore Estate and the Double Wooden Pot Still which was rescued from the Port Mourant Estate. Each of these stills is well over 200 years old and they represent the last of their kind operating in the world today. The use of these ancient stills ensures that the Demerara Rum produced at DDL’s Diamond Distillery is unlike anything produced anywhere else in the world.
(For more information on the unique Heritage Stills in operation at the Diamond distillery you may read my first hand account here (Diamond Distillery Tour).
Here is a link to my review of the #99 Spirit in my Rum Howler 2015 Top 100 Spirits Countdown:
“… As I let the glass sit and I enjoy the breezes above the glass, I notice that the oak spices are building and they have begun to meld into the brown sugar and toffee. As I let the breezes drift about, it is almost as though I can smell fresh cinnamon buns baking. I notice a few new nuances in the breezes as well; some mild indications of dry fruit (raisins and dates), the aroma of milk chocolate, and a delicate scent of tar and tobacco. …”
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You may follow my Countdown list of the 100 Best Spirits here: The Rum Howler 2015 – Top 100 Spirits
Posted in Awards, Dark Rums, Extras, Rum, Rum Reviews | Tagged: El Dorado, El Dorado 8 Year Old, Rum, Rum howler, Rum Review, Top 100 Spirits | Comments Off on #99 El Dorado 8 Year Old Cask Aged Rum
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