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Archive for the ‘Rum Reviews’ Category

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Review: Merchant Shipping Co. White Rum

Posted by Arctic Wolf on February 17, 2017

merchant-daiq-sam_2976

Merchant Daiquiri

Merchant Shipping Co. White Rum is a ‘destination’ brand exclusive to Liquor Depot and Wine & Beyond stores in Western Canada, bottled by Highwood Distillers who are located in High River, Alberta (about 40 Kilometers south of Calgary).

The back label of the bottle states that the rum is imported from the Caribbean; however when I did a bit of digging on the Alberta Gaming and Liquor Control (AGLC) website I found they listed the rum as Guyanese in origin. This makes sense as Highwood Distillers have mentioned to me in the past that their rum was sourced from Guyana; however I could find no confirmation of this fact so perhaps we should take this information with a grain of salt.

Here is my link to my full review of this surprising white rum:

Review: Merchant Shipping Co. White Rum

“… I taste a light butterscotch, mushy banana and very mild mint-like menthol. Subtle vanilla notes are present, as is that light pot still influence which give the rum some unexpected character. Hints of orange peel add a touch of spiciness to the spirit …”

Please enjoy my review which includes my recipe suggestion, the Merchant Daiquiri!

Chimo!

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Review: Penny Blue XO Single Estate Mauritius Rum (Batch #004)

Posted by Arctic Wolf on February 10, 2017

penny-blue-old-fashioned-sam_2973

Penny Blue Old Fashioned

Penny Blue XO Single Estate Mauritius Rum, is distributed in Western Canadian by Charton Hobbs. This spirit is produced by the Indian Ocean Rum Company which is a partnership between the local Medine Distillery on the Island of Mauritius and Berry Bros. & Rudd.

Penny Blue is a true Mauritian Rum, distilled from the locally produced molasses from the Medine Distillery’s home-grown sugar cane. According to the information provided to me, only 10,000 bottles of Batch #004 were produced. Thirty-four percent of the blended rum was matured in ex-bourbon casks, and sixty-six percent in ex-Whisky casks. The ages of those rums varied with the oldest being 11 years old. After blending, the rum is bottled at the Medine Estate.

Here is a link to my latest rum Review:

Review: Penny Blue XO Single Estate Mauritius Rum (Batch #004)

“… The initial breezes bring a yummy combination of butterscotch, vanilla, orange peel, oak spice, almond and leather. It is really quite nice especially as neither the sweetness of the butterscotch and vanilla, nor the sharpness of the oak and orange peel spice, nor the almond or leather dominate the breezes above the glass …”

Please enjoy the review which includes a nice cocktail suggestion, the Penny Blue Old Fashioned (pictured to the left).

Chimo!

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Review: El Pasador de oro XO Rum

Posted by Arctic Wolf on February 3, 2017

sam_2909El Pasador de oro XO is a new rum brand brought into Western Canada by Charton Hobbs. The rum is produced by Les Bienheureux S.A.S. (in Paris France) and (according to the information sheets given to me) is a blend ‘grand XO’ Guatemala rums aged from 6 to 15 years in oak barrels at selected Guatemalan distilleries. The rum undergoes a final aging process in France where the spirit is rested in used cognac barrels in the cellars of Les Bienheureux.

Here is a link to my full review:

Review: El Pasador de oro XO Rum

“… The breezes above the glass bring yummy scents of oak spice, dark tobacco, and rich baking spices (cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, and vanilla). There are hints of licorice and raisins in the air as well as luscious chocolate notes …”

Please enjoy my review of this outstanding new Guatemalan Rum!

Chimo!

 

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Review: Embargo Ron Extra Del Caribe

Posted by Arctic Wolf on January 27, 2017

embargo-cocktail-sam_2931Embargo Ron Extra Del Caribe is a new rum brand brought into Western Canada by Charton Hobbs. The rum is produced by Les Bienheureux S.A.S. (in Paris France) and is a blend of two aged ’round and smooth’ Spanish-style molasses rums, one from Guatemala and one from Cuba, combined with a small amount of a younger French agricole rhum from Martinique (which is said to provide a ‘powerful aromatic kick’).

The spirit carries no age statement, however the information sheets provided to me by the distributor indicate that the rum is classified as an ‘Anejo Extra’ which implies approximately a 3 year aging period. It is my suspicion though, that this designation would apply only to the Guatemalan and Cuban portion of the blend with the small amount of agricole rum from Martinique being younger.

Here is a link to my full review:

Review: Embargo Ron Extra Del Caribe

“… I can identify both styles of rum within the blend quite readily. The Spanish rums within the blend bring a light butterscotch scent into the air which mingles with banana peel and citrus (lemon and orange) zest. There are hints of sandalwood and ginger, as well as light impressions of warm toast, vanilla and almond. The agricole rum from Martinique brings an herbal quality into the breezes with a light menthol scent, wisps of licorice and cinnamon, bits of heather and hints of resin-like camphor …”

Please enjoy my review of this new (and very interesting) rum from Les Bienheureux.

Chimo!

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2017 Rum Howler Awards for Rum

Posted by Arctic Wolf on January 13, 2017

rh-winner2017

This past year was a busy time for the Rum Howler as I not only wrote and published many new reviews, I also spent a great deal of time re-examining many of the rum spirits which I had previously reviewed. This work was done with the aim of providing my readers with specific lists they could use to help them choose the appropriate rum for their particular needs.

During the past year I examined and ranked all of the Spiced Rums I owned. I also built cocktails all year round to determine a ranking of the 50 Best Mixing Rums (a few internet trolls are unhappy with that term; so if you like, you can call them the ‘Best Young Cocktail Rums‘) I have tasted as well. Finally, I also combed through my reviews and determined what I believe are the 50 Best Rums of 2016.(Admittedly there is overlap in these three lists.)

Rum Old Fashioned

Rum Old Fashioned

All this work done throughout the year meant that for this year’s Rum Howler Awards, I had the luxury of having already compiled the necessary lists which recognized the best rums in various categories:

To determine my Rum Howler Award Winners, I merely had to examine these lists, determine which of the rums on each list had been tasted at some point in the past two years, and then select the best spirit for each of my categories.

It is time for me to bring forward my 2017 Rum Howler Awards Winners. These are the spirits which have risen to the top and provided me with my greatest enjoyment.

Here is a link to my 2017 Award winners for the excellence in the production of Rum:

The 2017 Rum Howler Awards – The Year in Rum

Posted in Awards, Extras, Rum, Rum Reviews | Tagged: , , , | 3 Comments »

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