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Archive for the ‘Rum Reviews’ Category

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Review: Dictador Amber 100 Month Aged Rum

Posted by Arctic Wolf on March 15, 2016

rum_amber_100Dictador 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. 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.

Recently Dictador released what they call their 100 Month Series which includes four new rums all aged for 100 months. Unlike the more premium Dictador Solero Aged Rums, the 100 month series is meant to be a gateway series consisting of spirits which are meant to be embraced both as entry-level sipping rums as well as cocktail spirits.

The Dictador Amber 100 Month Aged rum is the flagship of the series. It is a continuous column still rum which was aged in ex-bourbon oak barrels. The final rum is said to be decanted by gravity to preserve its rich colour, and then bottled at 40 % alcohol by volume.

Here is a link to my full review:

Review: Dictador Amber 100 Month Aged Rum

“… The breezes above the glass reveal a nice mixture of oak and butterscotch with spicy accents of cinnamon, orange peel, and tobacco. Fine oak spices build up just a little, and soon vanilla and other baking spices (allspice, cloves and nutmeg) have joined in. The rum is pleasant to nose …”

Please enjoy my latest rum review.

Chimo!

 

 

Posted in Rum, Rum Reviews | Tagged: , , , , | 2 Comments »

Review: Brugal 1888 (Ron Gran Reserva Familiar)

Posted by Arctic Wolf on March 3, 2016

Brugal 1888 SAM_2410The Brugal Distillery was founded in 1888, by Andrés Brugal Montaner. Although the Edrington Group now controls the company, George Arzeno Brugal, is the current chairman, and most of the current board members are direct descendants of the original company founder. My understanding based upon discussions with the local Brugal Brand Ambassador for Brugal is that when the Edrington Group gained control of the rum company, they instituted a new wood policy which governs how all of the Brugal spirits are aged. This practice brings the cask selection process into line with the wood policy the company uses for its Scotch whiskies.

Although Brugal still makes their rum in a traditional manner (from molasses) and ages it on site in Puerto Plata, the Brugal 1888 (Ron Gran Reserva Familiar) now undergoes a special double maturation process. The rum is first aged in medium toasted, ex-Bourbon White American Oak Casks for 6 to 8 years. This is followed by a second maturation in first-fill Spanish Oloroso Sherry Casks. The final rum is bottled at 40 % alcohol by volume.

Here is a link to my latest Rum Review:

Review: Brugal 1888 (Ron Gran Reserva Familiar)

“… Despite the sherry enhancement the rum remains true to its cane roots as the initial nose brings forward classic aged rum notes of  oak sap, semi-sweet caramel and treacle, and spicy tobacco aromas. There is a light dryness implied with dusty sandalwood notes and light scents of banana and orange peel. As the glass sits, luscious baking spices evolve with dark brown sugars, vanillans, cinnamon and nutmeg all forming a wonderful menagerie of scents in the breezes above the glass …”

Please enjoy my review!

Chimo!

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

Review: Wray and Nephew White Overproof Rum

Posted by Arctic Wolf on February 18, 2016

Dragon Zombie SAM_2379

Wray and Nephew: Dragon Zombie

Wray and Nephew White Overproof Rum is a molasses based rum produced from field to glass in Jamaica by J. Wray and Nephew Ltd..

J. Wray and Nephew trace their history back to 1825 when company founder John Wray set up ‘The Shakespeare Tavern‘ in Kingston, Jamaica. By the middle of the century John Wray was distilling and blending his own rums (primarily for his patrons at the Tavern). In the early 1860s Charles J. Ward joined his uncle, and began selling their Jamaican rums internationally.

In 1916, J. Wray and Nephew was purchased by the Lindo Brothers & Co. who also acquired the prestigious sugar cane estate, the Appleton Estate. Lindo Brothers merged the two Jamaican entities into one company, J. Wray and Nephew Ltd.. The new company dominated rum production in Jamaica (and continues to do so) producing both Wray & Nephew Rum and the Appleton Estate Jamaican Rum. (They also produce other Jamaican Rum brands including Coruba Dark Jamaican Rum).

In 2012, Wray and Nephew Ltd. was purchased by the Campari group.

Here is a link to my review:

Review: Wray and Nephew White Overproof Rum

“… The rum smacks you around a little when you take too large of a sip. The throat is seared (just a little) and the tonsils seem to cower hoping not to be whacked again. Sipping had best be a more cautious affair. The flavour is off the charts though, deeply complex and full of character. I taste mildly sweet brown sugar flavours with an ever so light saltiness, the combination reminds me of peanut brittle taffy …”

Please enjoy my review which includes two new cocktails, the High Test Daiquiri which was revealed yesterday, as well as the cocktail shown to the left, my new Dragon Zombie.

Chimo!

 

Posted in Overproof Rum, Rum, Rum Reviews, White Rums | Tagged: , , , , , | Comments Off on Review: Wray and Nephew White Overproof Rum

Cocktail Hour: Crannon Blast

Posted by Arctic Wolf on February 10, 2016

Cannon Blast Bottle ImageCaptain Morgan Cannon Blast began to appear on store shelves throughout North America in the fall of 2015. The new spirit from Captain Morgan (apparently produced from Captain Morgan Rum as well as natural flavours and spices) is being touted as a rum meant for the shot glass.

With that in mind, I invited my friend Lucas to sample the spirit with my last fall prior to my review. When he and I sampled it for the first time, we each took a cautious sip, and then downed shots to see how the spirit fared. I saw Lucas grimace, and I am sure he saw me grimace, as the tart flavour of sour citrus candies filled our mouths and overwhelmed our ability to control our reactions. The overt spiciness which followed contributed to our discomfort. Let’s just say that neither of us were fans at that point.

Having said that, my review for the Cannon Blast (see down below for a link) has been the most popular article on my website since I published it. Many people seem to be curious about the cannon ball shaped bottle and the rum inside.

Because of the spirit’s apparent popularity, I thought I would share a simple shot-style recipe sent to me recently by the media team for Captain Morgan Rum which mixed the Cannon Blast with Cranberry juice. Although the combination does not work for me, it apparently is quite popular at bars and clubs where the Cannon Blast is sold.

________________________________________________

Crannon Blast

Cannon_Blast_Crannonblast-0031 oz. Captain Morgan Cannon Blast
1/2 oz. Cranberry juice
Ice
Shot Glass

Chill the Shot Glass in the freezer
Combine all ingredients in a shaker with ice
Shake until the outside of your shaker begins to frost
Strain into the chilled shot glass.
Enjoy Responsibly!

_______________________________________________________

And if you are interested in how I scored the Cannon Blast, here is a link to my full review:

Review: Captain Morgan Cannon Blast

“… The aroma carries an obvious rum-like caramel aroma which is tainted by the sweet and sour scent of a lemon drop candy. The lemon drop candy scent grows stronger as you let the rum breathe, and as well I begin to notice a light spiciness, which reminds me of ginger and cardamom …”

Please enjoy this review which includes another recipe, Blasted Brew, which mixes the Cannon Blast with Lager Beer.

Chimo!  (#Boom)

Posted in Cocktails & Recipes, Rum, Rum Reviews | Tagged: , , , , , , | Comments Off on Cocktail Hour: Crannon Blast

Review: Vizcaya VXOP Cask No. 21

Posted by Arctic Wolf on February 9, 2016

Ziscaya Cask 21Vizcaya Rum is produced in the Dominican Republic for a third-party (the neck label says “Imported by Amex Spirits“) by the independent company Oliver and Oliver. Oliver and Oliver produce a variety of rum brands using distillate from various Caribbean producers which they age in their own warehouse facility. Many of these rums are produced using what is called a solero method which blends rums of various ages in single barrels and then continues to age them together to create consistent flavour profiles combining both the complexity of aged rums and the brashness of younger rums together in the aging barrel.

According to the Vizcaya website:

“Vizcaya VXOP is one of the world’s finest sipping rums. It is distilled in small batches according to time-honored rum making methods in which the fragrant juice extracted from pure sugar cane is fermented and aged in select oak barrels.”

Here is a link to my full review:

Review: Vizcaya V.X.O.P. Cask No. 21

“… The initial nose is rich with caramel and maple scents accented by raisins and dates. Some orange peel and marmalade scents well up as do some luscious cinnamon bun smells (vanilla, brown sugar, cinnamon. and roasted pecans). The only flaw in the aroma is a few underlying grassy notes and some alcohol astringency which each hint at a larger portion of younger rum used in the blend than I was expecting …”

Please enjoy my latest review!

Posted in Dark Rums, Rum, Rum Reviews | Tagged: , , , , | Comments Off on Review: Vizcaya VXOP Cask No. 21

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