The Rum Howler Blog

Discovering the Finer Side of Rum

Posted by Arctic Wolf on February 7, 2012

Here is some nice news for those of you who may want to share a glass of rum with me.

I have been invited by the guys (and gals) at Vines in Riverbend to be the guest host for their “Discovering the Finer Side of Rum” Tasting Event.

We will begin with a a sample of Juan Santos Coffee Rum to serve as an appetizer, and then we will dive into a selection of rum which I have personally selected to be presented and tasted.

Cruzan Estate Single Barrel Rum from St Croix
Abuelo 12 Year Old Rum from Panama
Ron Millonario 15 Solera Rum from Peru
Diplomatico Exclusiva Rum from Venezuela
Mount Gay – 1703 Rum from Barbados
Dos Maderas 5+5 Px from the Caribbean (but finished in Pedro Jimenez Casks in Spain)

I think (although I admit I am biased because I selected the rums) that the line-up is solid, and represents a good cross section of geographical styles of rum production. You can experience the the rich flavour and diversity of rums from South America, from Central America, and the Caribbean Islands.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________

The Day of the Tasting is: Monday, February 13^th, 2012 (at 7:00 PM)

The cost will be: $39.95 Prepaid

There will be only Limited Seating Available so to make sure you get a seat please contact my friends at Vines.

Vines – Riverbend Wine Merchants (Edmonton)
Telephone: 434-9444
Email: info@vineswinemerchants.com

Posted in Festivals and Events | Tagged: Dark Rum, Rum, Rum Tasting | 10 Comments »

Review: Broker’s (Premium London Dry Gin)

Posted by Arctic Wolf on February 5, 2012

Broker’s Gin is a relatively new brand, created in 1998 by the Dawson Brother’s (Martin and Andy). Despite the rather recent creation of this brand, the recipe for Broker’s Gin is reported to be over 200 years old. Apparently, during the design phase for the brand, the Dawson brothers tasted and tested many newer recipes as well; however they found that sometimes the old ways really are the best ways, and after various trials they chose the 200-year-old recipe. Broker’s Gin is made from traditional copper pot stills in a distillery located near Birmingham, England. Like the recipe for the gin, this distillery is over 200 years old.

Broker’s is a wheat-based, quadruple-distilled, pure grain spirit. Ten natural ingredients are used to flavour this spirit and of course the primary botanical used is juniper. The botanicals are steeped in the quadruple-distilled base spirit inside the still for 24 hours prior to the spirit being processed through a final, fifth distillation to produce Broker’s Gin.

According to the Broker’s Gin Website, the botanicals used to produce Broker’s Gin and their sources are, juniper berries from Bulgaria or Macedonia, coriander seed from Bulgaria, orris root from Italy, nutmeg from India, cassia bark from China, cinnamon from Madagascar, liquorice from Sri Lanka, orange peel from Spain, lemon peel from Spain and angelica root from Belgium or France.

I was given a bottle of Broker’s Gin by Woodman Wines and Spirits to review on my website. Here is an excerpt from my review:

“… I poured out my first sample of Broker’s Gin into a glencairn glass and my nose was greeted with the classic mild piny juniper scent of a traditional English gin. Light notes of lemon and lime citrus lay in the breezes with just a hint of orange peel. The overall effect is light and refreshing. If you spend some time nosing the glass it is possible to detect a very light pungent spiciness which lies under the more assertive juniper and citrus… “

Here is a link to my full Review:

Review: Broker’s (Premium London Dry Gin)

I have included a nice cocktail suggestion with the review called, Lady of the Empire. Please enjoy the review and the cocktail!

Posted in Cocktails & Recipes, Gin, Gin Review | Tagged: Broker's Gin, Cocktails and Recipes, Gin, Gin Review, London Dry Gin | Comments Off on Review: Broker’s (Premium London Dry Gin)

Review: Forty Creek John’s Private Cask No. 1 Whisky

Posted by Arctic Wolf on February 2, 2012

Last Winter (just a little over a year ago) I had lunch with John Hall when he was in town for the Edmonton Whisky Festival. One of the things we talked about was Mr. Hall’s penchant for saving his best whisky barrels for his own private use. You see, every once in a while when John was testing and tasting his barrels of whisky to see how they were coming along, he would hit upon a barrel that was absolutely exceptional. These barrels would be squirreled away and earmarked for his own private stash. John admitted to me that this had kind of gotten out of hand, and he had accumulated far more of these ‘Private Casks’ than what he would ever need, or be able to consume.

It turns out John figured out what to do with his growing supply of exceptional casks, as in the fall of 2011 he released his new special release, John’s Private Cask No. 1 Whisky.

Here is an excerpt from my review:

“… The initial aroma from the glass begins with some rich notes of oak and cedar rising into the breezes above the glass. I notice traces of bourbon and honeycomb, light baking spices, and a nice spicy rye influence. When I gave my glass a tilt and a slow swirl, leggy drooplets slowly coalesced and slid ever so slowly back into the whisky…. “

Here is a link to my full review:

Review: Forty Creek John’s Private Cask No. 1 Whisky

And of worthy note:

John’s Private Cask No. 1 Whisky recently received 3 separate Awards of Excellence at the recent 2011 Canadian Whisky Awards:

Connoisseur Whisky of the Year – Domestic Market
Best New Whisky of the Year!
Canadian Whisky of the Year!

Posted in Canadian Whisky, Whisk(e)y, Whisk(e)y Review | Tagged: Canadian Whisky, Forty Creek Whisky, Whisky, Whisky Review | 1 Comment »

Revisiting Cabo Wabo Reposado

Posted by Arctic Wolf on January 31, 2012

Cabo Wabo Tequila is made from 100 percent Blue Weber Agave grown in the lowlands of the Mexican State of Jalisco. The distinction between agave grown in the lowlands versus the highlands is important because lowland agave tends to carry more earthy and vegetal flavours into the final distilled Tequila than Agave grown in the highlands. Interestingly, the founder of Cabo Wabo Tequila is rock musician Sammy Hagar, and his Tequila was apparently named after the nightclub he owns in Cabo San Lucas.

The Cabo Wabo Reposado was the first Tequila that I reviewed. Although it is two years later, I went back to this Reposado recently making a few cocktails and polishing off the contents which I had been slowly sipping on over time. (It takes me a while to finish a bottle as new bottles are constantly arriving in my review queue.) I decided to republish my original review with a nice cocktail suggestion added.

Here is an excerpt from the review:

“… This is spicy with lots of citrus. The spice is hot, more like pepper than cinnamon. The citrus notes taste like fresh squeezed lemon and/or lime. It’s hard to be specific as the punky agave flavour masks other notes to some degree. I feel a little oil on my palate. As everyone knows, tequila bites hard, but in spite of the hot citrus and punky agave, this has a milder bite than other tequila I have tried …”

You may read the full review here:

Review: Cabo Wabo Reposado

Please enjoy the review and my cocktail suggestion, Pale Gray for Guilt!

Posted in Cocktails & Recipes, Reposado Tequila, Tequila, Tequila Review | Tagged: 100 % Agave, Cabo Wabo Tequila, Cocktails and Recipes, Reposado Tequila, Tequila Review | Comments Off on Revisiting Cabo Wabo Reposado

Review: 5 Barrel Rum (Travellers)

Posted by Arctic Wolf on January 29, 2012

Travellers’ 5 Barrel Rum is a premium aged rum brand produced in Belize, (the northernmost mainland country of Central America). Belize is a former British Colony, and lies just south of Mexico with the Caribbean Sea to the east and Guatemala to the west and south. The producer of 5 Barrel Rum, Travellers Liquors Limited has been involved in the production of rum in Belize since the early 1960′s originally working with independent distillers. In 1989, Travellers acquired full control of their own distillery, and they have remained in full control of their own brands ever since.

The 5 Barrel Rum is made from locally grown Belize sugar cane. According to the Travellers website, this cane is cut and crushed in a manner which retains its natural flavors, and the all of the rum is aged in Kentucky oak barrels for a full 5 years. It is blended to be a full-bodied rum with the well-rounded taste which results from oak barrel aging.

Recently, I was given a bottle of 5 Barrel Rum by a representative of Travellers Liquor Canada for the purpose of this review. Here is an excerpt:

“…As I let the glass breathe, the tobacco and the oak scents deepened. They were joined by wonderful sweet baking spices filled with rich brown sugar, spicy cinnamon, light vanillans and hints of nutmeg. This one of those rums that grows in the glass as it breathes. The aroma is rich and deep and wonderfully in balance…”

You may read the full review here:

Review: 5 Barrel Rum (Travellers)

Please enjoy the review and the cocktail suggestion that follows, The Rum Old Fashioned.

And please remember to drink responsibly, it is my aim to help you choose better spirits, not to help you to consume more spirits!

Posted in Cocktails & Recipes, Dark Rums, Rum, Rum Reviews | Tagged: Belize Rum, Cocktails and Recipes, Dark Rum, Rum, Rum Review, Traveller's Rum | Comments Off on Review: 5 Barrel Rum (Travellers)

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