The Rum Howler Blog

Review: Highland Park 12 Year Single Malt Whisky

Posted by Arctic Wolf on March 13, 2012

I bought my first bottle of Highland Park Whisky about 4 years ago when I began to my serious exploration of different whisky styles from other parts of the world besides Canada. Although I was familiar to some degree with blended Scotch and Single Malts, I was suspicious of this particular whisky as the back of the package clearly indicated “Aromatic Peat” which, to be honest, did not sound appealing at all. However, I was assured of the quality of this brand by the owner of the liquor store I had stopped at. He even gave me small sample to belay my fears.

Of course by now the Highland Park 12 Year Old is a mainstay of my liquor cabinet. When I have a guest over who is suspicious of peated whisky (like I was), I give them a little sample of this whisky first. On more than one occasion my guest has wandered over to the liquor store on his own a few days later and picked up his own bottle.

The Highland Park Distillery has a great website, and you should give it a read as it contains a plethora of information about not only their fine whisky but also the history and heritage of their unique locale in the Highlands of Scotland.

Here is an excerpt from my original review written over 2 years ago:

“…When I was young I would have to wake up early in the mornings, and go walk about a mile into the pastureland to bring the cows home for milking. Our pasture was in a lowland muddy creek bottom, where the soil was rich in peat and sawgrass. I smell that boggy, muddy creek bottom in the glass when I fill it with Highland Park Whisky…”

You may read the full review here:

Review: Highland Park 12-Year-Old Whisky

Cheers!

Posted in Scotch Whisky, Whisk(e)y, Whisk(e)y Review | Tagged: Highland Park Whisky, Scotch Whisky, Single Malt Whisky, Whisky, Whisky Review | Comments Off on Review: Highland Park 12 Year Single Malt Whisky

Review: Regalia Vodka

Posted by Arctic Wolf on March 11, 2012

Regalia Vodka is produced in the Russian City of Yaroslavl. It is a wheat based Vodka produced upon from a 5 time distillation process. After distillation the vodka is processed through a series of quartz-sand and birch-charcoal filters to remove any leftover impurities. Regalia then utilizes an additional silver filtration system to bring the Vodka up to the standard which is known in Russia as ‘luxe’ grade.

My friend, Lukasz ,was gifted a bottle complete with an accompanying gift stand and 6 shot glass (see picture below) for Christmas. He could not resist the impulse bring this new spirit to my latest Vodka Tasting event to see how it would compare when sampled blind next to four other Vodkas (Proof, Tito’s, Zirkova, and Citadelle 6C) that we were sampling. We chilled all of the spirits in my freezer before the tasting, and when we sampled them, they were all approximately at a serving temperature of 1 degree Celsius.

Here is an excerpt from my review:

“… Lukasz and I both noticed a sort of yeasty bread dough like aroma arising from our glasses with light hints of citrus. The initial flavour of the Vodka tasted nice with light citrus impressions of lime and a bit of rye-like bite in the mouth… “

Here is a link to the full review:

Review: Regalia Vodka

I included three nice recipes for your enjoyment, the Pink Pussy Cat, the Screwdriver, and the Kamikaze Soda. I hope you enjoy the review and the recipes I provided!

Cheers!

Posted in Cocktails & Recipes, Vodka, Vodka Reviews | Tagged: Cocktails and Recipes, Russian Vodka, Vodka, Vodka Review | Comments Off on Review: Regalia Vodka

Introducing: Coyote Ugly Canadian Whisky

Posted by Arctic Wolf on March 8, 2012

On January 27, 1993, Wall Street intern, Liliana Lovell opened the first Coyote Ugly Saloon in New York City. If you watched the Jerry Bruckheimer movie, Coyote Ugly (released in 2000), then you know all about this place where the waitresses, called ‘Coyote Girls’, serve the drinks, dance and sing, and even (apparently) down shots of whisky with the customers.

According to the movie, at the Coyote Ugly Saloon, things are kept pretty simple. The drinks are served straight up with no frills (unless you call things like girls dancing on the bar a frill). They don’t use soda for mix; they don’t even add a drop or two of water. In fact, if you ask for water, rather than receiving a little for your whisky, you are more likely to get doused with the stuff to a chorus of customers chanting, “Hell No … H2O!”

It was a flick that was panned by critics, but loved by the public becoming a box office hit during the late summer and early fall of 2000. The movie must have been good for business because in 2001, another Coyote Ugly Saloon opened up in Las Vegas followed by other locations across the USA, and even as far away as Russia.

With all this success, it is apparent that the Coyote Ugly brand has reached what I will call, ‘celebrity status’. The term ‘Coyote Ugly’ has in fact become firmly entrenched into the public consciousness. When that happens, the resulting cache of the brand is well worth capitalizing on. Which is why Celebrity Cellars International founder, Jeff Harder, teamed up with the founder of the Coyote Ugly Saloon, Liliana Lovell. They have decided that it is time to get Ugly (Coyote Ugly that is) with the launch of the new Coyote Ugly Canadian Whisky!

I received a sample bottle of this whisky from PURE Global Imports who asked me to provide a review here on my website to serve as a preview for the world-wide launch of the new Coyote Ugly Canadian Whisky on March 12, 2012. I was, to be honest, quite happy to oblige…

Here is an excerpt from the review:

“…The whisky smells of rich butterscotch and caramel. Light rye scents waft into the breezes with dabs of ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves. A light footprint of vanilla and almond compliment the delicate baking spices leaving impressions of marzipan in the air above the glass…”

As always you may find my full review by using the following link:

Review: Coyote Ugly Canadian Whisky

Enjoy the review!

Posted in Canadian Whisky, Whisk(e)y, Whisk(e)y Review | Tagged: Canadian Whisky, Coyote Ugly, Coyote Ugly Saloon, Highwood Distillers, Whisky, Whisky Review | Comments Off on Introducing: Coyote Ugly Canadian Whisky

Review: Diplomático Reserva Exclusiva Rum

Posted by Arctic Wolf on March 6, 2012

I was invited by the guys (and gals) at Riverbend Wine Merchants (Vines) to be the guest host for their “Discovering the Finer Side of Rum” Tasting event (held this past February 13). One of the perks for being the host was that I was allowed to select the rums for the tasting. Based upon my love for this particular Venezuelan rum, it was pretty much a ‘no-brainer’ that Diplomatico Exclusiva Reserva be part of the mix. Since I was allowed to take the ‘heels’ of each of the bottles home with me after the event, it seemed natural to me that I should revisit my original review for this outstanding rum produced by Distilerias Unidas, S.A. .

This is a re-publication of that original review, I have provided much more background information this time around regarding the history and the construction of the Diplomatico rums. As well I have re-written the original review to provide more clarity and to fix some annoying typos.

However my original scores have remained intact. (There really was no reason to change them.)

Here is an excerpt from my review:

“… All the scents and smells from the nosing come through in spades when I taste the rum. There is a nice underlying nuttiness (walnuts and hazelnuts), some sweet caramel and some very delicious baking spices (vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, and brown sugar)…”

You may read the full review here:

Review: Diplomático Reserva Exclusiva Rum

Please enjoy the Review!

Posted in Dark Rums, Rum, Rum Reviews | Tagged: Dark, Diplomatico, Rum, Rum Review, Venezuelan Rum | Comments Off on Review: Diplomático Reserva Exclusiva Rum

Review: El Dorado Deluxe Silver 6 Year Aged Rum

Posted by Arctic Wolf on March 4, 2012

One of my very favourite of the white rums is the El Dorado 3yr Cask Aged Rum. In fact that particular rum is the highest scoring white rum on my website, and the only of these white rums (so far) which I have scored in the 90s. So it was with some excitement that I learned that Woodman Wine and Spirits was sending me a bottle of the even more premium El Dorado Deluxe Silver 6 Year Aged Rum for me to review here on my website.

This rum is meant not just to compete with the new strain of super premium white rums that have entered the market recently, it is meant to compete head to head with the super premium luxury vodkas which have garnered a good chunk of the market share in the distilled spirits category. According to the El Dorado Website, the Deluxe Silver Rum is blended from selected light to medium bodied aged rums which have been produced on Demerara Distillers’ 200-year-old wooden Coffey still (the last of its kind operating in the world today) and the company’s famous French Savalle still. The result is a fully aged, double-filtered, 6 Year Old White Rum.

Here is an excerpt from my review:

“… The initial scents rising into the breezes above the glass carried a lightly candied sweetness with very mild minty undertones. I also noticed some more complex aromas which included banana and orange peel as well as some lemon and lime citrus zest which give the rum a freshness that I quite enjoy. As well a light butterscotch accent builds up slowly over time as the glass sits…. “

You may read the full review here:

Review: El Dorado Deluxe Silver 6 Year Aged Rum

I have included a couple of nice cocktails for this rum, including a new recipe I call the Silver Celebration.

Please enjoy the review and the cocktail recipes!

Posted in Cocktails & Recipes, Rum, Rum Reviews, White Rums | Tagged: Cocktails and Recipes, El Dorado Rum, Guyanese Rum, Rum, Rum Review, White Rum | Comments Off on Review: El Dorado Deluxe Silver 6 Year Aged Rum

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