The Rum Howler Blog

Scotch Whisky Review: EDRADOUR 1996 SFTC

Posted by Arctic Wolf on November 4, 2009

For my first Scotch Single Malt Whisky review, I thought I would go to the smallest distillery in Scotland. The Edradour Distillery in Perthshire. Friends of mine visited the distillery on a recent holiday in Scotland and they raved about the tour and the whisky.

edradour

EDRADOUR 1996 SFTC Rum ‘Grande Arome’
A Rum Cask Finished 11 Year Old Single Malt Scotch

Edradour holds the distinction of being the smallest distillery in Scotland. It is also the last original farm distillery in Perthshire. The same wooden equipment is used to mash and ferment the whisky today, that was purchased by the distillery 170 years ago. Edradour uses the smallest copper stills in Scotland. In fact they are the smallest permissible by Scottish law. They also use the only working model of a Morton refrigerator (used in the distilling process) in the industry. You’ll find this unique distillery nestled in a small glen above Pitlochry in the Southern Highlands. A truly unique distillery……

Read the full review here:

Review: EDRADOUR 1996 SFTC Rum ‘Grande Arome

Posted in Scotch Whisky, Single Malt Whisky, Whisk(e)y, Whisk(e)y Review | Tagged: Edradour Whisky, Scoch Whisky, Single Malt Whisky, Whisky, Whisky Review | Comments Off on Scotch Whisky Review: EDRADOUR 1996 SFTC

Whiskey Review: High West Whiskey – Rendezvous

Posted by Arctic Wolf on November 2, 2009

This is the second whiskey review to be added to my blog. Let me introduce:

High West Rendezvous

High west Whiskey – Rendezvous

Here is an excerpt from the review:

“…Upon pouring the bottle we have a really nice nose. Full spicy Rye with a ribbon of bourbon vanilla. Swirling the glass we get some small legs indicating a little oil in the mix. Nice! Letting the glass sit the bourbon note becomes stronger but still spicy ryeness dominates. I wouldn’t call this floral, but we do have a bit of alpine meadow here….”

You may read the full review Here:

Review: High West Whiskey – Rendezvous

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When I first wrote the review I sent it to David Perkins the proprietor of High West Whiskey. His reply to me was very cordial and went as follows:

(Quote)
Thanks for forwarding this well written review with a thoughtful scoring system. I always learn something. A couple follow-ups:
1) we are replacing our corks with a straight sided vs conical. A definite improvement.
2) sleeve: haven’t really considered this yet. It just adds cost and I wanted to keep costs down, assuming the collector would keep the bottle out of the light. But its on the list for consideration now!
3) we did not marry the whiskies in oak.
4) we don’t chill filter, maybe responsible for some of the aftertaste. I elected to not chill filter for the benefit of the long finish.

Best regards and hope to keep in touch,
(Unquote)

There was more than that and we had a email discussion back and forth about what rye should taste like and what our favourite whiskeys were. It was really nice to be treated with such respect.

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I would be remiss if I did not point out that this review and the information regarding my email discussion with David Perkins was published first on Refined Vices.

I should also provide you with a website link to HIGH WEST WHISKEY.

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Posted in American Whiskey, Whisk(e)y, Whisk(e)y Review | Tagged: American Whiskey, High West Whiskey, Whisk(e)y Review, Whiskey | Comments Off on Whiskey Review: High West Whiskey – Rendezvous

Rum Review: Juan Santos 9 Yr Reserva Especial Rum

Posted by Arctic Wolf on November 2, 2009

I continue my journey through the range of the Juan Santos Rums from Colombia. I am finding that as I move up the age ladder so to speak, I am encountering more smoothness, and depth of flavour.

timthumb

Here is an excerpt from the review:

“….This rum feels more crisp than the previously reviewed 5-year-old rum. The rum flavours and spice I taste are indistinct, as if they are melting into the oak. I taste soft notes of caramel, light touches of hotter cinnamon, and a faint hint of hazelnut and nutmeg….”

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You may read the entire review here:

Review: Juan Santos 9 Yr Reserva Especial Rum

Posted in Cocktails & Recipes, Dark Rums, Rum, Rum Reviews | Tagged: Cocktails and Recipes, Colombian Rum, Dark Rum, Juan Santos Rum, Rum, Rum Review | Comments Off on Rum Review: Juan Santos 9 Yr Reserva Especial Rum

Whisky Review: Alberta Premium Limited Edition 25 Year Old

Posted by Arctic Wolf on November 1, 2009

I have added a whole new section to the blog today. Whisky Reviews.

Over the course of the next few weeks I will try to add about ten reviews to help kick off this section. The reviews are done. It’s just a matter of finding them on my hard drive. Some of my reviews have been published elsewhere, and when that is the case I will provide a link to the great site which published it first.

So without further ado here is an excerpt from my first whisky review:

Alberta Premium 25

“…Alberta Distillers , the creators of Alberta Premium 25 year Old Whisky, is owned by Fortune Brands whose stable of whiskey brands includes, Jim Beam Brands, Canadian Club Whisky, Knobb Creek, Makers Mark and Laphroig just to name a few. The distillery is situated in the heart of the City of Calgary. This is a true Canadian rye whisky, made from 100% prairie grown rye. It is quite unlike anything else produced by any Canadian distiller (or anyone else for that matter)….”

You may read the full review here:

Alberta Premium Rye 25Yr Old (100% rye whisky)

Posted in Canadian Whisky, Whisk(e)y, Whisk(e)y Review | Tagged: Alberta Premium Whisky, Canadian Whisky, Whisky, Whisky Review | Comments Off on Whisky Review: Alberta Premium Limited Edition 25 Year Old

Rum Review: Juan Santos 5 Yr Old Rum

Posted by Arctic Wolf on October 26, 2009

The first salvo was launched several months ago when the Liber Group quietly placed Juan Santos Colombian Coffee Infused Rum on the store shelves in Alberta, Canada. Sample bottles for tasting were placed into liquor stores, and the bottles began to sell. This isn’t an ordinary flavoured rum, its core is a premium 7 yr Old Colombian Rum from Santana Liquor which I reviewed for Rum Connection on September 21, 2009.

The importer (and distributor) is a small Canadian company called The Liber Group. I met with their representative on Thursday September 16 to discuss the rum invasion, and to sample their product line:

timthumb

In early November the push will begin to place four aged rums into the Alberta Marketplace. The Liber group plans to introduce a 5-year-old, a 9-year-old, a 12-year-old, and a premium 21-year-old rum into the marketplace coinciding with this Province’s Rocky Mountain Wine and Food Festivals in Calgary, Red Deer and Edmonton. Plans are underway to grow the market through Western Canada this fall.

Here is an excerpt from my impressions of the Juan Santos Five Year Old Rum:

“…The rum has a nice soft texture and buttery feel in the mouth. Flavours of creamy mild caramel seem to melt on the tongue with traces of nutmeg, and a hint of cinnamon. Wrapped around this caramel/toffee like flavour is the unmistakable presence of a soft bourbon and a hot peppery rye….”

Read the full Review for Juan Santos 5 Yr Old Rum Here

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This will be the first in a series of reviews over the next few weeks as I explore the full Range of Juan Santos rums (5 Yr, 9 YR, !2 Yr and 21 Yr)

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