The Rum Howler Blog

Review: Gosling’s Black Seal

Posted by Arctic Wolf on April 26, 2011

This Tuesday I continue what I began last Tuesday, with my re-posting of old reviews which may have been missed by my more recent readers. Goslings Black Seal is a rather famous dark rum produced in Bermuda by Gosling’s Rum. The taste profile is quite unlike anything else I have tried and it has found a nice place on my rum shelf for when the nights turn Dark and Stormy. Here is an excerpt from my review:

“…First off I will say that the rum looks a little foreboding. I thought the bottle was darkly colored, but when I tipped the bottle I saw that instead it is the rum which is dark. Inky dark with red tones. Almost wicked looking…..”

You may read the full review here:

Review: Gosling’s Black Seal

Please Enjoy this early review of mine!

Posted in Dark Rums, Flavouerd Rums, Rum, Rum Reviews | Tagged: Bajan Rum, Dark Rum, Flavoured Rum, Goslings Rum, Rum Review | Comments Off on Review: Gosling’s Black Seal

Review: The Macallan Fine Oak 17 Year Old Whisky

Posted by Arctic Wolf on April 24, 2011

Permission granted for the use of this picture by J.L. Wheelock

The Macallan Fine Oak Series is a range of single malt Scotch whiskies, produced at The Macallan Distillery at Craigellachie, in the Speyside region of Scotland. These whiskies are matured in seasoned American oak casks, (sherry as well as bourbon), as well as seasoned sherry casks from Spain. I have previously reviewed the The Macallan Fine Oak 10 Year and The Macallan Fine Oak 15 Year Old expressions here on my blog, and I am happy to continue this series with a review of The Macallan Fine Oak 17 year Old. Here is an Excerpt from the review:

“…When I pour the 17 Year old Macallan Fine Oak into my glass, my nose is greeted by sweet honey and marshmallow scents as well as a lovely creamy butterscotch. This is noticeably sweeter on the nose than my previously reviewed 15 Year Old Macallan Fine Oak, and that sweetness seems to make the aroma more penetrating and assertive….”

You may read my full review here:

Review: The Macallan Fine Oak 17 Year Old Whisky

Please enjoy the review!

Note: This review is based upon a small sample provided to me from the personal collection of J. L. Wheelock, who is part of the Beam Global team here in Alberta. The sample was smaller than my normal 200 ml minimum sample size, and the reader should be cautioned that I was not able to give the sample my normal rigorous tasting regimen of five independent tasting sessions. Instead I completed two tasting sessions of the sample and completed my review on that basis.

Posted in Scotch Whisky, Single Malt Whisky, Whisk(e)y, Whisk(e)y Review | Tagged: Scotch Whisky, Single Malt Whisky, The Macallan, Whisky, Whisky Review | Comments Off on Review: The Macallan Fine Oak 17 Year Old Whisky

Review: Nemiroff Cranberry (Liqueur)

Posted by Arctic Wolf on April 21, 2011

For the last several weeks I have been enjoying myself sampling and reviewing various Nemiroff Vodkas and Flavoured Vodkas. Today, however, I am reviewing a the Nemiroff Cranberry, which is a liqueur rather than a flavoured Vodka. Nemiroff Cranberry is a Vodka based liqueur which derives its flavour not just from Cranberries (apparently hand-picked in Siberian marshes) but also includes the natural flavours of apple juice, elderberries and Hawthorne. As a final touch, Crimean Brandy is used to complement these flavours in a complex but delightful finished product.

Here is an excerpt from my review:

“…The leading flavour is indeed a tart but sweet cranberry juice; but there is a solid influence of sour green apples as well. A light wine-like grape flavour lies underneath which gives the everything a slightly fermented flavour. Then there is something very different that I have never tasted before…”

You may read the full review here:

Review: Nemiroff Cranberry (Liqueur)

As well I have included two nice cocktails, A Rumberry Cocktail and a Long Cranberry Cocktail. Please enjoy the reviews and the cocktails.

Posted in Cocktails & Recipes, Liqueur | Tagged: Cocktails and Recipes, Cranberry, Liqueuer Review, Liqueur, Nemiroff | Comments Off on Review: Nemiroff Cranberry (Liqueur)

Review: Diplomático Añejo Rum

Posted by Arctic Wolf on April 19, 2011

It has occurred to me that I have a lot of new readers who may not have had the opportunity to read some of my earliest reviews. In order to make these reviews more accessible I have decided to revisit them. These re-postings should appear about once a week (usually on Tuesdays). I have resisted the impulse to re-write the reviews. I may however have fixed the odd typo and inserted some clarification where my writing was unclear.

Today I am reposting my review of the Ron Diplomático Añejo which is a four-year old rum from Venezuela produced by Distilerias Unidas, S.A. . This rum review was one of the very first I had ever written. I was quite happy that when I went back to the bottle and tried the rum again, I found my tasting notes were very consistent compared to my early review.

Here is an excerpt from that review:

“… I taste nutty caramel, brown sugar, and cinnamon with butter. It also tastes a bit like Amaretto. There is also a harsh backbite of spice almost like a sudden infusion of allspice at the end of the flavour. This is still very good, and if we had a little more balance here I could rate this even higher….“

You may read the full review here:

Review: Diplomático Añejo Rum

Please enjoy the Review!

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

Review: Signatory Dufftown 1984

Posted by Arctic Wolf on April 17, 2011

This Whisky disappeared too fast!

Dufftown is the largest distillery belonging to Diageo. The whisky from this distillery is primarily intended for blends. Bell’s, Islander, Dewar’s White Label, and of course Johnnie Walker all require Dufftown Whisky as part of their construction. I recently purchased a 26-year-old Signatory bottling of Dufftown which was distilled in 1984. For those who are unfamiliar with this company, The Signatory Company was founded in 1988. It is family owned and managed, being one of only three truly independent bottlers in Scotland. (Signatory likes to draw a distinction between the independent companies who bottle their own products, and the independent companies whose products are bottled under contract.)

I am fortunate, as in my locale there are several stores which allow me to sample well aged Single Cask Whiskies prior to purchase. It takes a lot of the risk out of the purchase decision, and I have been able to build quite a collection of rare and old whiskies for my enjoyment. Here is an excerpt from my review:

“…I smell a delightful alpine forest rising from the glass as the whisky is poured. Punky woody notes take shape with spongy moss, willow thicket, and floral notes abounding. Rich vanilla scents follow accented by a wonderful backdrop of honeycomb and oak. Caramel builds in the glass coexisting very nicely with a developing marzipan…”

Here is a link to the full review:

Review: Signatory Dufftown 1984

Please enjoy the review!

Posted in Scotch Whisky, Single Malt Whisky, Whisk(e)y, Whisk(e)y Review | Tagged: Dufftown, Scotch Whisky, Whisky, Whisky Review | Comments Off on Review: Signatory Dufftown 1984

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