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Review: El Dorado 15 Year Old Special Reserve Rum

Posted by Arctic Wolf on April 5, 2012

Demerara County (in Guyana) is popular across the world for its rich, three hundred year history of rum production. Using a combination of old wooden stills in conjunction with modern stills and distilling techniques, Demerara Distillers Ltd. (DDL), has built a reputation for outstanding quality and consistent production. In fact, Demerara Distillers is the currently the largest supplier of bulk Caribbean Rum to Europe and North America.

According to the DDL website, The El Dorado 15 Year Old Special Reserve Rum is a blend of selected aged rums (some as old as 25 years), from the Enmore and Diamond Coffey stills, the Port Mourant double wooden pot still, and the Versailles single wooden pot still. It is blended and aged  in old bourbon oak casks. The website also makes it clear that the 15 year age statement represents the youngest rum in the blend. This is quite different from those rums which feature a solera style age statement which highlights the oldest rum in the blend and usually includes a high percentage of rum which is much younger in the blend.

Here is an excerpt from my review:

“… As I let the glass sit, I begin to notice sherried aromas of raisins and dates, some dark bittersweet chocolate and a welcome but delicate scent of pipe tobacco. The longer the glass sits, the richer the aroma becomes… “

You may read the full review here:

Rum Review: El Dorado 15 Year Old Special Reserve Rum

Please enjoy my review of this fine rum!

Posted in Dark Rums, Rum, Rum Reviews | Tagged: , , , , | Comments Off on Review: El Dorado 15 Year Old Special Reserve Rum

Review: Pampero Seleccion 1938 Rum

Posted by Arctic Wolf on April 3, 2012

In 1938, a distillery in Venezuela was established called Industrias Pampero, C.A.. This distillery is said to be the first distillery in Venezuela to set the high standards for which Venezuelan Rum is now famous for. Their flagship rum,  Pampero Seleccion 1938 is a rum which unfortunately is unavailable any longer where I live in Alberta, because Diageo, the spirits conglomerate which currently owns the rights to the Pampero brand outside of Venezuela, has chosen not to market this rum in my locale. The way it was explained to me is that boutique brands such as Pampero, regardless of how well-regarded they may be, just don’t sell well enough in my market to warrant the effort.

I found what I believe was one of the last bottles for sale in Edmonton about two years ago and now, two years later, I cannot find the rum anywhere in the Province. Sadly, it seems the entire family of Pampero rums will be absent from Alberta shelves for quite a while. I did however review the bottle I found, and here is an excerpt from that review:

“…The rum looks dark and rich with red streaks.  The glass smells of nutmeg and roasted hazelnut.  A very faint cigar and leather aroma lies under a dark caramel molasses and is very inviting.  There is a very small medicinal quality to the nose indicating a younger spirit than I was expecting…”

Here is a link to the full review”

Review: Pampero Seleccion 1938 Rum

As part of the review I have provided my Cocktail Recipe, The Selection Cocktail.

Please enjoy the review and the cocktail!

Posted in Cocktails & Recipes, Dark Rums, Rum, Rum Reviews | Tagged: , , , , | Comments Off on Review: Pampero Seleccion 1938 Rum

Review: Ron Abuelo 12 Year Old Rum

Posted by Arctic Wolf on April 1, 2012

Ron Abuelo Rum is produced by Varela Hermanos SA in Panama, Central America. This company has a history which dates back to 1908 when Don José Varela Blanco launched the first sugar mill in the then recently formed Republic of Panama. In 1935, the site began to distill sugar cane juice for the production of various kinds of spirits. Now today, the company produces an impressive array of products which includes over one million boxes of spirits and of course a strong variety of rums. The Ron Abuelo brand is just one brand from this wide assortment.

According to the website, the Ron Abuelo 12 Year Old is produced from molasses and aged in white oak bourbon casks. Here is an excerpt from my review:

“… I allowed the glass to breathe and began to nose the rum one more time. The aroma has turned oaky and seems to have a bit of a cognac flair. Additional notes of marzipan, leather and baking spices have evolved as the rum seems to have gained both complexity and sweetness as it decanted… “

Here is a link to the full review:

Review: Ron Abuelo 12 Year Old Rum

Please enjoy the review!

Cheers!

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

Review: Plantation Guyana 1999 Rum

Posted by Arctic Wolf on March 29, 2012

The Plantation Guyana 1999 Rum is a pot-distilled, Demerara rum which is produced from molasses using an extra long fermentation period prior to distillation. The rum is first aged in Guyana in used bourbon barrels after which it is transported from Jamaica to France by Cognac Ferrand to be finished in their own warehouses and of course their own Cognac Casks.

Cognac Ferrand has long had a special relationship with a variety of Caribbean rum producers which is based upon the rum producer’s need for quality oak casks to age their rum. Based upon this relationship, Cognac Ferrand is able to acquire certain old and unique batches of rum from various Caribbean sources, which they bring back to France and finish in their own warehouses and of course their own Cognac Casks. This Demerera Rum was one such unique batch of rum acquired by Cognac Ferrand. It was bottled at 42 % alcohol by volume as part of Cognac Ferrand’s growing line-up of Plantation Rum.

Here is an Excerpt from my Review:

“…The initial nose from the glass is full of oak tannins which have been tainted with a woody spiciness, rich toffee,and orange peel. I smell light baking, an almond nuttiness, and a firm vanilla. I like the nose, it is spicy, and full of character…”

Here is a link to the full review:

Review: Plantation Guyana 1999 Rum

Please enjoy the review and the wonderful cocktail suggestion I have for this fine rum!

Cheers!

Posted in Cocktails & Recipes, Dark Rums, Rum, Rum Reviews | Tagged: , , , , , | Comments Off on Review: Plantation Guyana 1999 Rum

Review: Fonseca Late Bottled Vintage Port 2003

Posted by Arctic Wolf on March 27, 2012

Today I am stepping out of my comfort zone, and publishing a review which, although it was very enjoyable for me to write, probably should be read (and interpreted) with a hefty grain of salt by you, the reader.

You see, I like dessert wines, and one of my favourite dessert wines is aged Port. I have a small collection of Late Bottled Vintage (LBV) Port Wines in my cold room, and about four weeks ago I selected one to enjoy. I am not sure why I decided to write a review, I think perhaps it was to solicit comment especially regarding my thoughts on how to properly age such a wine and how to properly serve it once it is opened. My thoughts on these matters are written as part of the review, and if you have thoughts of your own you are welcome to share them in the comments section of the review. I guess I am saying that this review was written more for my benefit than it was for the benefit of my readers.

The subject of this review, is a bottle of Late Bottle Vintage (LBV) Port Wine which I purchased in 2009, Fonseca Late Bottled Vintage Port 2003, Bottled 2008, “Unfiltered”. I was told when I purchased this wine that it was a solid LBV Port which would age well in my cold room, and should be opened four or five years after it was bottled for maximum enjoyment. This Port wine is of course from the Douro Region of Portugal. It was bottled in 2008, after approximately five years of maturation in oak vats.

This is my first “Wine Review”, and I approached the review in the same manner as I have all of my reviews, which is to say that I wrote primarily about the enjoyment which the spirit gave me and where I found that enjoyment.

Here is an excerpt from my review:

“…As the glass breathed, the mouth feel became softer and more enjoyable although that fresh acidity seemed to linger. Along with the taste of ripe cherries, darker dry fruit appeared (dates and prunes) as well hints of oak and bittersweet chocolate…”

Here is a link to the full review:

Review: Fonseca Late Bottled Vintage Port 2003

Please Enjoy the review!

Posted in LBV Port, Wine Reviews - Port | Tagged: , , , , | Comments Off on Review: Fonseca Late Bottled Vintage Port 2003

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