The Rum Howler Blog

Review: Monkey 47 Schwarzwald Dry Gin

Posted by Arctic Wolf on April 26, 2013

M47 I came across Monkey 47 Schwarzwald Dry Gin quite by accident. I had just finished publishing my review for Beluga Gold Line Vodka, when I received an email from Fabio Rossi who unbeknownst to me was part of the distribution team for Beluga Vodka in Italy. Fabio is of course the man behind Rum Nation, and we have struck up a bit of a correspondence over the last few years as I have reviewed several of his rums here on my website. It was a bit of a surprise to me that his company also distributed the Beluga Vodka, and of course that prompted me to ask him what other spirits were part of his distribution portfolio. That is when he mentioned Monkey 47 Schwarzwald Dry Gin. He also mentioned that this unusual spirit is apparently taking Europe by storm. I asked Mr. Rossi if he could be persuaded to let me try some, and he was kind enough to send me a 200 ml sample for review upon my website.

You may click on the excerpt to read the full review:

Review: Monkey 47 Schwarzwald Dry Gin

“… The ground is thick with juniper berries and tall spruce trees rise up over me. The ground is carpeted with green moss, and underneath that moss there seems to be a disturbance of the fresh black soil. A light spiciness wells up reminiscent of ginger and cardamom with bits of fresh lemon peel thrown in giving the glass a hint of effervescence …”

Please enjoy my review of this most unusual dry gin!

Posted in Gin, Gin Review | Tagged: Dry Gin, Gin, Gin Review, Monkey 47 | Comments Off on Review: Monkey 47 Schwarzwald Dry Gin

Review: Rum Nation Jamaica 26 Year Old (Distilled 1986)

Posted by Arctic Wolf on April 23, 2013

Rum Nation Jamaica 26yo (1986-12) SL VI GB About a month ago, 60 bottles of a special rum from Rum Nation hit the store shelves here in my home province of Alberta. This small batch bottling (only 760 bottles per batch) was distilled upon a pot still at the Long Pond Estate in Jamaica in 1986 and was bottled in 2012 by Rum Nation. (In case you did not know, the Long Pond Distillery is the original home of Captain Morgan Rum.) The rum is apparently produced from locally grown Jamaican sugar cane molasses, and was originally aged in American Ex Bourbon Casks. However, after 18 years of aging in the Bourbon Cask, the rum was transferred to Oloroso Sherry butts where it aged for an additional 8 years.

I was sent a sample of this rum by Fabio Rossi, the owner of Rum Nation, and he advised me that he considers this a small batch rum made for primarily for connoisseurs. Crush Imports is handling the distribution here in Alberta.

You may click on the excerpt to read the full review:

Review: Rum Nation Jamaica 26 Year Old (Distilled 1986)

” … The dominant impression is fresh asphalt with the scents of the thick black paving oil and the fresh sand and gravel which lie within. (I worked on a paving crew for two years and you never forget that scent after two summers of being immersed in it.) Under that phenolic rubber-like smell is an impression of coarse brown sugar and orange marmalade. Dry fruit, cocoa and licorice add to the complexity of the aroma with impressions of tobacco, toffee, baking spices, and vanilla all residing within those breezes above the glass …”

Please enjoy my review of this remarkable rum!

Posted in Dark Rums, Rum, Rum Reviews | Tagged: Dark Rum, Jamaican Rum, Long Pond Estate, Rum, Rum Nation, Rum Review | Comments Off on Review: Rum Nation Jamaica 26 Year Old (Distilled 1986)

Review: Seagram’s 83 Canadian Whisky

Posted by Arctic Wolf on April 21, 2013

Seagram’s has a rich and storied history which can be dated back to 1857 when the Granite Mills and Waterloo Distillery Company was formed. About seven years later, Joseph Seagram joined the company and by 1911 the company was known as Joseph E. Seagram & Sons. Today, over 100 years later, the Seagram name is still in use as a brand, but ownership of this whisky has been passed on to Diageo who now use the aged stocks at their Valleyfield Distillery in Quebec to produce the whisky.

Like the previously reviewed Seagram’s VO, the Seagram’s 83 is what I term, an ‘old-fashioned’ Canadian rye whisky. The emphasis is on rye flavour blended into the whisky to be enjoyed in those tall cocktails us Canadians enjoy so much all year round.

You may click on the following excerpt to read the full review:

Review: Seagram’s 83 Canadian Whisky

“… When those whisky scents arrive they are full of rye spice which for me is always a welcome beginning. There are also indications of sandalwood, and mildly sweet tones of vanilla, honey and butterscotch. If you take some time with the glass sour fruit, and tobacco can be found as well as light corn accents and a wee bit of maple …’

Enjoy the review!

Posted in Canadian Whisky, Whisk(e)y, Whisk(e)y Review | Tagged: Canadian Whisky, Seagram's, Seagram's 83, Whisky, Whisky Review | Comments Off on Review: Seagram’s 83 Canadian Whisky

Review: Caorunn Gin

Posted by Arctic Wolf on April 17, 2013

Caorunn Gin is rather unusual in that it not only uses six botanicals which are seen as traditional in the gin trade; but it also contains five non traditional Celtic botanicals which are found growing in the hills which surround the Balmenach Distillery where the gin produceded by Gin Master, Simon Buley is crafted. According to the Caorunn Gin website, the six traditional botanicals are, juniper berries, coriander seed, orange peel, lemon peel, angelica root, and cassia bark. The non traditional Celtic ingredients are rowan berries, heather, bog myrtle, dandelion, and coul blush apple.

The gin is hand-made in small batches (about 1,000 litres per batch), using a quadruple distilled grain spirit as its base, with the flavours from the hand-picked botanicals infused into the spirit when the distilled vapour of the final distillation passes through the trays of the Balmenach Distillery’s vintage 1920′s Copper Berry Chamber which contain the botanicals.

(Note: I was provided a sample bottle of Caorunn Gin by The Bacchus Group, who are responsible for its importation here in Alberta.)

You may click on the following excerpt to read my full review:

Review: Caorunn Gin

“… my initial impression was that this spirit seems to look and smell very much like a traditional London Dry Gin. The scent of juniper is foremost (as it should be) and citrus accents of lemon and orange peel fall nicely in behind. However, after the glass sits for a minute or two I begin to notice a sort of herbal spiciness in the air …”

I have included two excellent cocktail suggestions as part of the review, The Dandelion Martini, and The Grange Cocktail.

Posted in Cocktails & Recipes, Gin, Gin Review | Tagged: Balmenach Distillery, Caorunn, Cocktails and Recipes, Dandelion Martini, Gin, Gin Review, Grange Cocktail | Comments Off on Review: Caorunn Gin

Review: Crown Royal Reserve Canadian Whisky

Posted by Arctic Wolf on April 15, 2013

Crown Royal Canadian Whisky is currently produced in Gimli, Manitoba, at the Crown Royal Distillery. The distillery and the brand are owned by Diageo, and I think it is fair to say that Crown Royal is Diageo’s flagship Canadian whisky brand. In 1992, a premium version of Crown Royal was introduced as Crown Royal Special Reserve. This whisky was produced from specially selected casks which were tasted and monitored closely by the Crown Royal Master Blender. These ‘premium casks’ represented whiskies with special character, and they were allowed to age longer with the aim of producing a more premium whisky.

In the fall of 2008, this more premium Crown Royal Special Reserve was relaunched as Crown Royal Reserve Canadian Whisky. I reviewed this whisky back in January of 2010, and I began to suspect something was amiss when I tasted the whisky for a second time in a blind format in the fall of 2011, almost two years later. I was on the jury for the Canadian Whisky Awards, and although my blind scores were for the most part reasonably close to my review scores; this particular whisky was one which stood out as an anomaly. When exactly the same thing occurred in the fall of 2012, I decided I had better revisit the whisky and re-score it. (I am not above admitting I might have gotten something wrong.)

You may click on the following excerpt to read my new review!

Review: Crown Royal Reserve Canadian Whisky

“… I smell distinct impressions of ginger and wood spices. As the whisky breathes some baking spices begin to rise with vanilla, nutmeg, and cloves. These are accented by a touch of maple and some spicy tobacco spice. Some tart apples make their way into the breezes as well as some impressions of sour fruit and canned peaches …”

Please enjoy the review and the two recipes included at the end, the Royal Bang, and the Evening Salute.

Posted in Canadian Whisky, Cocktails & Recipes, Whisk(e)y, Whisk(e)y Review | Tagged: Canadian Whisky, Cocktails and Recipes, Crown Royal Whisky, Whisky, Whisky Review | Comments Off on Review: Crown Royal Reserve Canadian Whisky

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