The Rum Howler Blog

Review: Ron Burgundy “Great Odin’s Raven” Special Reserve

Posted by Arctic Wolf on March 2, 2014

Ron Burgundy “Great Odin’s Raven” Special Reserve is a result of a collaborative effort between Paramount Studios and Celebrity Cellars International (CCI). The aim of the project was to create a blended scotch to capitalize on the ‘celebrity status’ of Ron Burgundy, the Scotch-loving main character of Paramount Studio’s original Anchorman movie, and to launch the Ron Burgundy Scotch coinciding with the release of Anchorman 2, The Legend Continues.

According to Scott Roddick and Jeff Harder (Managing Partners of CCI), one of the major criteria for both parties (Paramount and Celebrity Cellars) going forward was to create a ‘good’ blended Scotch whisky which would be well received by both fans of the Anchorman character, Ron Burgundy, as well as by whisky enthusiasts. Neither side wanted the spirit to become merely a “souvenir brand”. To that end the, whisky was crafted and bottled in Scotland by Old St. Andrews Distillery, featuring a blend of grain and mature malt whiskies from the Speyside, Highlands, and Islay regions of Scotland. The whisky is bottled at 40 % alcohol by volume and was released (as planned) in North America on December 1, 2013.

Great Odin’s Raven’s Presbyterian Cocktail

The early returns are in, and they are quite positive. Since the December 1st release, over 14,000 cases of Ron Burgundy Scotch have been sold in North America. Building upon that success, the Ron Burgundy Whisky was recently launched in the UK and Australia.

I was provided a sample bottle by the folks at Celebrity Cellars, and you may read my full review by clicking on the following excerpt:

Review: Ron Burgundy “Great Odin’s Raven” Special Reserve

“… The initial scents and smells from the glass are rather interesting. They bring a combination of wood spices; some sweet honey and butterscotch; bits of heather and saw grass; and a mild dollop of boggy peat into the breezes above the glass …”

Please enjoy the review which includes my suggested cocktail, Great Odin’s Raven’s Presbyterian Cocktail!

Slainte’!

Posted in Scotch Whisky, Whisk(e)y, Whisk(e)y Review | Tagged: Bleneded Scotch, Celebrity Cellars, Cocktails, Great Odin's Raven, Paramount Studios, Ron Burgundy, Scotch, Whisky, Whisky Review | Comments Off on Review: Ron Burgundy “Great Odin’s Raven” Special Reserve

Review: Revel Stoke Spiced Whisky

Posted by Arctic Wolf on February 27, 2014

Revel Stoke Spiced Whisky has been around for almost 15 years. It is a product of Ed Phillips and Sons in Princeton, Minnesota, and the spiced whisky is apparently (according to the back of the bottle anyway),

“Inspired by the age-old tradition of rugged Canadian outdoorsman infusing their whisky with vanilla and spices.”

According to Davin de Kergommeaux (at Canadianwhisky.org) the Revel Stoke Spiced Whisky is named for the town of Revelstoke, located in the mountains of British Columbia. The base whisky is however, distilled on the eastern side of those mountains in Alberta, at an unnamed Albertan Distillery from a base of wheat and rye. According to the back label of my sample bottle, the flavours and spices within are produced from sugar, water, natural flavour, and citric acid.

Revalation SAM_1046 This Spiced whisky was originally bottled at 40 % abv. The brand had all but disappeared until a few years ago when it was relaunched by the Phillips Distilling Company, this time as a 45 % abv spirit. During the relaunch, they gave the bottle given a bit of a make over to better reflect those rugged Canadian outdoorsmen which are said to have inspired its creation.

You may read my full review by clicking on the following excerpt:

Review: Revel Stoke Spiced Whisky

“… The initial nose brings both sweet butterscotch and some nice dusty rye scents (ginger and cardamom) forward into the air. There is a sweep of vanilla in the air as well with hints of other spices (perhaps nutmeg, coriander and a speck of cinnamon). As the glass sits, the sweetness builds bringing to mind very mild scents of cherry nibs and a speck of menthol …”

I hope you enjoy my review which includes my original cocktail suggestion, Revelation!

Slainte’!

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Note:
You may find my 2013 list of the 25 Best Canadian Whiskies here: The Rum Howler 2013 – Top 25 Canadian Whiskies

Posted in Cocktails & Recipes, Spiced Whisky, Whisk(e)y, Whisk(e)y Review | Tagged: Canadian Whisky, Cocktails, Revel Stoke, Revelation, Spiced Whisky, Whisky Review | Comments Off on Review: Revel Stoke Spiced Whisky

Review: Tanduay Silver Asian Rum

Posted by Arctic Wolf on February 25, 2014

Tanduay silver final Last year, Tanduay Holdings began its American Invasion by placing two new rums into the North American market. For those who do not know, Tanduay is one of the very largest Rum producers in the world. (The reason they have been relatively unknown in North America is because their Asian rum is produced in the Philipines and sells almost exclusively into Asia.) This invasion was launched with two premium (a Silver, and a Gold) rums. The Tanduay Silver Rum reviewed here is a blend of rums aged up to 5 years and filtered to be a pale straw coloured spirit meant for mixing high-end cocktails.

Note: The origin of Tanduay Holdings Inc. can be traced to 1937 when The Manilla Wine Merchants Inc. was incorporated. This company was basically an amalgamation of several business interests, the important one for our discussion being the Manilla Steamship Company which held agricultural interests in the Western Visayas and had been producing rum (and other spirits) in the Philippines since at least 1893. In 1999, the Manilla Wine Merchants Inc. formally changed their name to Tanduay Holdings. (For more information please visit the Tanduay USA Website.)

Tanduay #2

Here is a link to my full review:

Review: Tanduay Silver Asian Rum

“… When I raise the glass to my nose, a gentle but firm butterscotch toffee rises out of the glass followed by a soft waft of fine oak spice, soft banana and lightly sharp orange peel. I allowed the glass to breathe, and enjoyed developing scents of light baking spices (vanilla, cinnamon, and ginger) and the delicious scent of light brown sugar …”

As you will see when you read the review, I enjoyed mixing a few daiquiri recipes with the Tanduay Silver. For your enjoyment, I included two recipes, the Lime and Maraschino Daiquiri, and Tanduay # 2 (based upon the Bacardi No. 2 Daiquiri).

Please enjoy my review and my suggested cocktails!

Posted in Cocktails & Recipes, Rum, Rum Reviews, White Rums | Tagged: Asian Rum, Cocktails, Daiquiri, Daiquiri No. 2, Lime and Maraschino, Rum, Rum Review, Silver Rum, Tanduay, White Rum | Comments Off on Review: Tanduay Silver Asian Rum

Review: Last Mountain Canadian Rye Whisky

Posted by Arctic Wolf on February 23, 2014

Last Mountain 1 The Last Mountain Distillery is part of a small wave of Micro-Distillers which have began to appear on the Canadian landscape over the last few years. These are small ‘mom and pop’ operations which make their spirits in small batches usually only a barrel or two at a time. This particular distillery is located in Lumsden, Saskatchewan, and it is owned and operated by the husband and wife team of Colin and Meredith Schmidt.

In the early stages of the development of their rye whisky I was sent a sample bottle and asked to publish my thoughts here on my website, (see article here). It is almost 2 years later, and I am happy to report that the Last Mountain Canadian Rye Whisky (bottled at 40 % abv. and made from prairie wheat) is in full production.

Here is a link to my full review:

Review: Last Mountain Canadian Rye Whisky

“… The dusty dry rye continues to pour out of the glass with smells of freshly baled straw, sanded oak, sandalwood and fresh tobacco running alongside. Joining are sweeter accents of butterscotch and honey. As the glass sits some fruity aromas develop as well with canned apricots and peaches, a few raisins and a hint of gooseberry jam bringing more sweetness to the nose …”

Please enjoy the review which includes a few nice cocktail recipes for your enjoyment, the Icy Breeze, and a nice Rye and Soda!

Cheers Everyone!

Posted in Canadian Whisky, Cocktails & Recipes, Whisk(e)y, Whisk(e)y Review | Tagged: Canadian Whisky, Cocktails, Icy Breeze, Last Mountain Distillery, Rye and Soda, Rye Whisky, Whisky, Whisky Review | Comments Off on Review: Last Mountain Canadian Rye Whisky

Alabazam and Miguel Torres 20 Hors d’âge – Instant Classic!

Posted by Arctic Wolf on February 21, 2014

Torres Alabazam SAM_1051 The Alabazam is an old cocktail recipe usually credited to Leo Engels, an American bartender (working in London) who published the recipe in 1878 (recipe number 192 by the way) in his cocktail book, American and Other Drinks (grab yourself a copy because this is not the only gem in the book). His recipe bears a resemblance to the modern Sidecar, but with one significant difference, Mr. Engels used Angostura Bitters in the recipe (with the lemon juice and orange Curacao), lots of Angostura Bitters!

I have seen a few modern versions of the recipe, usually with the bitters toned down, and the teaspoon of sugar replaced with a teaspoon of simple syrup. However, I recommend the original construction, as well as the use of a robust brandy which will stand up to the bitters. After a bit of experimentation I found Miguel Torres 20 Hors d’âge works extremely well. (see review for Miguel Torres 20 Hors d’âge here)

Leo Engels recipe can be summarized as follows:

Alabazam

Half a wine glass of brandy (about 1 3/4 oz)
2 teaspoons Orange Curacao
1 teaspoon Angostura bitters
1 teaspoon white sugar
1 teaspoon lemon juice

Shake well over fine (crushed ) ice
Strain into a wine glass
Enjoy

The Miguel Torres 20 Hors d’âge Brandy, with its strong oak flavour running throughout, works very well with the heavy dose of bitters in the Alabazam. I also used Pierre Ferrand Dry Curacao (see review here) to obtain as close to an original 1878 Curacao flavour as possible. When you try to duplicate the recipe please, do not skimp on the sugar, as the lemon juice and bitters are unforgiving if not balanced by the appropriate amount of sweetness.

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Note:

Miguel Torres 20 Hors d’âge, is a double distilled brandy made by the Torres family (or bodega) who have been intrinsically linked to the wine making region of Spain known as the Penedès for over three centuries. Their brandy is produced from selected wines of the Parellada (a traditional Catalan white varietal) and Ugni Blanc (also known as Trebbiano in Italy) grape varieties. After distillation of the wine in copper pot stills, a careful selection process is undertaken to choose the most positive aromatic fractions, and these are aged in french Limousin oak barrels.

Posted in Brandy and Cognac Reviews, Brandy Review, Cocktails & Recipes | Tagged: Brandy, Brandy Review, Cocktails, Dry Curacao, Miguel Torres 20 Hors d’âge | Comments Off on Alabazam and Miguel Torres 20 Hors d’âge – Instant Classic!

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