The Rum Howler Blog

Review: William Hinton 3 Year Old Rum

Posted by Arctic Wolf on April 10, 2020

Madeira (an autonomous region of Portugal) is an archipelago comprising 4 islands approximately 520 kilometers off the northwest coast of Africa. Early in the colonization of these Islands it was noticed that these islands in the middle of the Atlantic had exceptional conditions for the planting of sugarcane. According to historical reports, the king, Infante D. Henrique, introduced sugar cane on Madeira Island in 1425 only 6 years after the Island was discovered.

William Hinton founded his Distillery in 1845 producing the rum from local sugar cane juice. The distillery had great success and by 1920 was processing 600 tons of sugar cane daily. Unfortunately, this was the peak of the rum production and a decline eventually saw the distillery cease production in 1986.

In 2006, William Hinton’s heirs relaunched the distillery using an alembic still. Their William Hinton 3 Year Old Rum is produced from sugar cane syrup which has undergone a special prolonged fermentation process and aged in French oak barrels. The spirit is bottled at 40 % alcohol by volume.

Here is a link to my review with complete tasting notes and my serving suggestion:

Review: William Hinton 3 Year Old Rum

“… The breezes bring my dusty sandalwood spices, light butterscotch, vanilla, almond, and a bit of green grape.The spirit is light and floral (almost delicate) with a mild herbal quality. I notice hints of camphor, ginger and cinnamon as well as a light light fruitiness of banana and green grape, perhaps a touch of red licorice. Although the spirit is light, it is nevertheless engaging …”

Please enjoy the review and my suggested serving, the Madeiran Presbyterian.

Chimo!

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Posted in Agricole, Rum, Rum Reviews | Tagged: 3 year Old, Review, Rhum Agricole, Rum, William Hinton, William Hinton Distillery | Comments Off on Review: William Hinton 3 Year Old Rum

Review: Martin Miller’s Gin

Posted by Arctic Wolf on April 8, 2020

Martin Miller’s Gin is produced at the Langley Distillery upon some of the oldest working copper pot stills in the United Kingdom. The Langley Distillery produces a variety of gins on a contract basis for many different UK producers. (Spanish wines and spirits producer Zamora Company currently own a majority stake in Martin Miller’s Gin.)

According to the Martin Miller’s website the gin produced for them is double distilled (using neutral spirit) on these pot stills with Angelica, Cassia, Coriander, Nutmeg, bitter Orange Peel, dried Lemon Peel, dried Lime Peel, Licorice Root, Florentine Iris, and of course Juniper. (Note: According to an article published in Spirits Business (30th March, 2016), a little bit of cucumber essence is added to the botanical mixture as well.)

Apparently the citrus elements are distilled separately from the other botanicals and the two separate distillates are then blended to the proper flavour profile. Water from Iceland is used to bring the final spirit to bottling strength.

Here is a link to the full review:

Review: Martin Miller’s Gin

“… I sense a traditional gin spirit with juniper and citrus leading the botanical parade. The citrus in fact dominates at first but after a few moments the juniper finds its legs. Licorice and hints of cinnamon are apparent as is a firm orange liqueur-like aroma similar to Orange Curacao. And then there is something else, perhaps a melding of the cucumber essence with the botanical construct giving the spirit a new twist which I haven’t encountered in gin before …”

Please enjoy the review which concludes with my suggested serving, the Gin and Tonic.

Chimo!

Posted in Gin, Gin Review | Tagged: Gin, Martin Miller's, Review | Comments Off on Review: Martin Miller’s Gin

Review: No 3 London Dry Gin

Posted by Arctic Wolf on April 6, 2020

Berry Bros. & Rudd is London’s oldest wine and spirits merchant with over 300 years of experience and tradition to draw on. Use this expertise and a team of spirits experts they created No. 3 London Dry Gin. The recipe is based upon three fruits and three spices, and to those I shall speak to in the review. However, I shall say as a bit of foreshadowing, that sometimes artistry can be found in simplicity.

I first sampled the No. 3 Gin at a store called Lacombe Park Spirits in St. Albert, Alberta. I had come to know the proprietors, Karim and his brother Jeff, quite well over the past couple of years, and when Karim discovered that I was about to venture into a series of Gin reviews he insisted that I try one of his favourites.

I was convinced after one sip that this was a gin which I wanted to review, and after contacting the website for No. 3 London Dry Gin, Berry Brothers & Rudd, arranged for me to receive a bottle sample. This was the start of my love affair with No. 3 London Dry Gin. It’s been about nine years since that original review and I have returned to No. 3 Gin a few times already to re-taste and update my findings.

The quality is always present and it remains one of the best gins I have tasted.

Review: No 3 London Dry Gin

“… Juniper leads out strongly into the mouth and can knock the taste-buds for a loop if you grab too much at a time. Although the juniper is firm and unrelenting upon the palate, the other botanicals each leave their mark as well. A lightly sweet orange flavour tends to soften the juniper. The angelica root gives the gin an earthy quality which is no doubt strengthened by an herbal and pungent cardamom. A peppery spiciness is carried forward by the grapefruit and orange peel and this spiciness is strengthened by the cardamom and coriander spices …”

Please enjoy my review which concludes with two cocktail suggestions, Leo Engels’ 1878 Gin Cocktail. and the No. 3 Classic Martini.

Chimo!

Posted in Gin, Gin Review | Tagged: Berry Bros. and Rudd, Gin, No. 3 London Dry Gin, Review | Comments Off on Review: No 3 London Dry Gin

Review: Alberta Premium 20 Year Old Canadian Whisky

Posted by Arctic Wolf on April 4, 2020

Alberta Premium is a brand of Canadian Whisky made in Calgary, by Alberta Distillers Ltd. (owned by Beam-Suntory). The Whisky was released in the fall of 2019 along with a companion release Alberta Premium Cask Strength (reviewed here). Alberta Distillers own the oldest distillery in Western Canada. The distillery is famous for its rich 100 % rye grain whiskies which are bottled under the Alberta Premium label. They also sell bulk 100 % rye whisky to other brand owners.

As indicated Alberta Premium is famous for its 100% rye grain whisky, although it should be pointed out that the brand has also featured releases such as Dark Horse which were not made from 100% rye grain. In the case of the Alberta Premium 20 Year Old, the grain blend is not disclosed on the label. Rather than stating unequivocally that the whisky is a 100 % rye grain whisky, the label instead makes the statement that the whisky is Canadian Rye Whisky, and the display box the whisky arrives in states that it is 100 % Canadian Rye Whisky. I might be splitting hairs here, but terminology is important. All Canadian whisky which features a rye forward flavour profile can properly be called Canadian Rye Whisky whether or not rye grain is the dominant grain, and stating that a whisky is 100 % Canadian Rye Whisky is not the same thing as stating that the whisky is 100% Rye Grain Canadian Whisky.

Unless it is specifically indicated in an unequivocal manner, I think it is best to assume that Alberta Premium 20 Year Old is a blended grain whisky.

Here is a link to my full review:

Review: Alberta Premium 20 Year Old Canadian Whisky

“… I began to notice the rye and fine oak spice building now accompanied by lots of dusty grain and straw. Sour fruit and canned apricots begin to unravel from the rye and I also notice a lightly floral or perhaps herbal flair with hints of mint, licorice, and citrus followed by punky caramel corn, leather and pungent baking spices …”

Please enjoy my review of this new whisky from Alberta Premium.

Chimo!

Posted in Canadian Whisky, Whisk(e)y, Whisky Review | Tagged: 20 Year Old, Alberta Distillers limited, Alberta Premium, Canadian Whisky, Review | Comments Off on Review: Alberta Premium 20 Year Old Canadian Whisky

Review: Barceló Añejo Rum

Posted by Arctic Wolf on April 2, 2020

Ron Barceló was founded in 1930 under the name Barceló & Co in Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic. The rum brand quickly grew in popularity growing into one of the largest in the Dominican, and the brand is now exported world-wide to over 20 countries.

According to the USA Ron Barcelo website the anejo rum is:

A refined blend of superior rums patiently aged in oak barrels. A refined blend of superior rums patiently aged in oak barrels. Supreme quality worthy of the noblest Dominican tradition.

Ron Barceló rum is distilled from fermented molasses, and bottled at 37.5 % alcohol by volume.

Here is a link to my full review with complete tasting notes:

Review: Barceló Añejo Rum

“… The rum is light bodied and lightly complex. A light butterscotch sweetness is wrapped in almond and vanilla with banana and orange peel and hints of treacle. There is also an overt grassy quality with hints of tobacco and menthol. There is a light bitterness running through the rum, which is offset by the light sweetness of butterscotch …”

Please enjoy my review which concludes with my new serving, The Runner.

Chimo!

Posted in Rum, Rum Reviews | Tagged: Anejo, Review, Ron Barcelo Anejo, Ron Barcelo Rum | Comments Off on Review: Barceló Añejo Rum

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