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Posts Tagged ‘Aged Rum’

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Review: Flor de Caña Centenario 18

Posted by Arctic Wolf on February 9, 2018

I am continuing my weekly step through the Flor de Caña line-up. Last week I reviewed Flor de Caña 12 Centenario which is part of their Ultra Premium Collection. This week I continue to move through the Ultra Premium family as I revisit Flor de Caña 18 Centenario.

Flor de Caña 18 is a well aged rum with the number 18 on the label representative of the average age of the rums in the blend with some variation in the actual age based upon blending to a consistent flavour profile. According to the folks at Flor de Caña this aged spirit is a sipping spirit however as you will see in my review, I find it is also excellent for high-end cocktails!

Here is a link to my Review:

Review: Flor de Caña Centenario 18

“… This is a clean dry rum displaying a strong fine oak spice personality. This spicy personality is tempered slightly with mild indications of butterscotch accenting the oak spice. There is a lightly bitter flavour of poplar sap and tobacco keeping the mouth dry and heated. As I let the rum breathe the butterscotch sweetness grows slightly in intensity providing a nice foil for the dry spicy bitterness …”

Please enjoy my review!

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

Review: Flor de Caña Centenario 18

Posted by Arctic Wolf on January 7, 2016

fdc-18Flor de Caña has a history of rum production which is dated to 1890 at the San Antonio Sugar Mill, in Chichigalpa, Nicaragua. The company was founded by Francisco Alfredo Pellas and today, over 120 years later, the company is led headed by the fifth generation of the Pellas family. It has grown to be not only one of Central America’s leading brands of rum, it is also one of the most recognized rum brands in the world.

Recently, the entire Flor de Caña line-up has received a make-over with splashy new bottle designs. Part of this redesign was the elimination of a definitive age statement upon the new labels. Correspondence with the company indicates that the Company wanted to modernize the bottle presentation; but they maintain that no changes to the flavour profile of their rums has occurred. Further persistence on my part has revealed however that the age profile of their rums has indeed changed. Coinciding with the bottle modernization was a new blending regimen. In the previous iteration of the Flor de Caña Centenario 18 Year Old Rum, the entire contents of the bottle were stated to be a minimum of 18 years old. The new bottling however, the Flor de Caña Centenario 18 is now blended to an average age of 18 years. It is a subtle, but meaningful difference which strongly implies that the brand is across the board is younger than it was before.

I decided that it would not be a bad idea to investigate the newest iteration, and I shall begin the review with a brand new bottle of Flor de Caña Centenario 18.

Here is a link to my first new Rum Review of 2016:

Review: Flor de Caña Centenario 18

“… This is a clean dry rum displaying a strong fine oak spice personality. This spicy personality is tempered slightly with mild indications of butterscotch accenting the oak spice. There is a lightly bitter flavour of poplar sap and tobacco keeping the mouth dry and heated. As I let the rum breathe the butterscotch sweetness grows slightly in intensity providing a nice foil for the dry spicy bitterness. I can taste a ribbon of orange peel and vanilla and a growing impression of marzipan …”

Please enjoy my review!

Posted in Rum, Rum Reviews | Tagged: , , , , | 6 Comments »

#90 Ron Bermudez Anniversario

Posted by Arctic Wolf on September 26, 2015

The Ron Bermúdez Company has a long history that stretches back to 1852. This is almost as old as the Dominican Republic itself, and I think it is easy to suggest that the Ron Bermudez Company is an important part of the history of the Dominican Republic. Don Erasmo Bermudez apparently created the company’s first rum, sold as Bitter Panacea which quickly became extremely popular and provided the foundation for the company’s  success. The Company is currently in its fourth generation of management, still represented by the Bermudez family.

bermudez-aniv-botellaThe Ron Bermudez Anniversario carries no age statement, however it sits atop the ladder of the Bermudez Rum line-up. Carrying heavy oak accents, it was suggested to me by the local distributor that the rum would be comparable to a fine oaky cognac, full of character and flavour.

Here is a link to my review of the #90 Spirit in my Rum Howler 2015 Top 100 Spirits Countdown:

#90 – Ron Bermudez Anniversario

“… The rum is spicy with hints of cinnamon and orange peel. Toffee and caramel sit in the background supporting the spicier flavour of the oak. There is also a firm leathery smoke in the rum which is full of the flavours of dried fruits (raisins, dates, and prunes) …”

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You may follow my Countdown list of the 100 Best Spirits here: The Rum Howler 2015 – Top 100 Spirits

Posted in Awards, Dark Rums, Extras, Rum, Rum Reviews | Tagged: , , , , , , , | Comments Off on #90 Ron Bermudez Anniversario

Review: Flor de Caña 7 Gran Reserva (NAS)

Posted by Arctic Wolf on September 11, 2015

Flor de cana 7 SAM_1701Flor de Caña has a history of rum production which is dated to 1890 at the San Antonio Sugar Mill, in Chichigalpa, Nicaragua. The company was founded by Francisco Alfredo Pellas and today, over 120 years later, the company is led headed by the fifth generation of the Pellas family. It has grown to be not only one of Central America’s leading brands of rum, it is also one of the most recognized rum brands in the world.

Last year, the entire Flor de Caña line-up received a make-over with splashy new bottle designs. Part of this redesign was the elimination of definitive age statements upon the new bottles and labels. Last year when I corresponded with the company, they indicated that they wanted to modernize the bottle presentation; but they maintained that no changes to the flavour profile of their rums has occurred.

I recently obtained a bottle of their Flor de Caña 7 (Gran Reserva), and I have decided to how the rum has progressed.

Here is a link to my newest review:

Review: Flor de Caña 7 Gran Reserva (No Age Statement)

“… The flavour profile of the Flor de Caña 7 Gran Reserva features a ribbon of bittersweet chocolate complimented by vanilla, dark caramel treacle and baking spices (nutmeg and cinnamon) with the nuttiness of walnuts and pecans laying underneath. There is a firm presence of oak, and within the wood spices are traces of oak sap and hints of green tobacco …”

Please enjoy the review, chimo!

Posted in Dark Rums, Rum, Rum Reviews | Tagged: , , , , | Comments Off on Review: Flor de Caña 7 Gran Reserva (NAS)

Review: Diplomatico Single VTG 2000 Rum

Posted by Arctic Wolf on August 12, 2015

Spanish Diplomat SAM_1677The Diplomatico Single VTG 2000 was produced from a blend of rums which were all distilled in the year 2000. This limited edition rum was created by DUSA Master Blender, Tito Cordero and follows on from his first limited edition rum, the VTG 1997, which (unfortunately for the rest of us) was only released in Venezuela. The distillate from the year 2000 was chosen to be featured in a Single Vintage bottling because of the tremendous sugar cane harvest which was produced that year. Apparently a series of climactic factors in Venezuela combined to produce exceptional growing conditions which led to the bountiful cane harvest. The Limited Edition Single VTG 2000 Rum is a celebration of that exceptional year.

The bulk of the distillate for this particular rum was apparently produced upon copper pot stills, with a smaller portion of the distillate produced upon copper kettle stills. The spirit spent the first 10 years of its aging life in American ex-bourbon barrels, after which it was finished for another 2 years in Sherry casks (Pedro Ximénez). The final rum was bottled in 2012.

Here is a link to my full review:

Review: Diplomatico Single VTG 2000 Rum

“… The initial scents are aromatic and fruity. There is a beguiling butterscotch sweetness underneath a triumvirate of oak spice, dark sherried fruit (raisins and dates) and luscious baking spices (vanilla, brown sugars, nutmeg, and cinnamon). Orange peel and almond scents entwine themselves into the aromatic breezes melding into the oak and butterscotch giving me impressions both of marmalade and marzipan …”

Please enjoy my review which concludes with my suggested serving, the Spanish Diplomat.

Chimo!

Posted in Dark Rums, Rum, Rum Reviews | Tagged: , , , , , | Comments Off on Review: Diplomatico Single VTG 2000 Rum

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