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Posts Tagged ‘Barbados’

Review: Plantation Barbados (Grande Reserve) 5 Year Old Rum

Posted by Arctic Wolf on August 29, 2016

Plantation Barbados SAM_2678Cognac Ferrand is a Cognac producer situated in the Grand Champagne Cognac Region of France. For years this company has had a special relationship with a variety of Caribbean rum producers. This relationship is based upon the rum producer’s need for quality oak casks to age their rum. Based upon this relationship, Cognac Ferrand is able to acquire certain old and unique batches of rum from various Caribbean sources, which they bring back to France and finish in their own warehouses and of course their own Cognac Casks. To bring these special rums to market, Cognac Ferrand created the line of rums knows as Plantation Rum.

The cornerstone of the Plantation Rum line-up is most certainly Plantation Barbados Grande Reserve 5 Year Old Rum. This is a Bajan rum blend (distilled in Barbadoes of course) which was aged for five years in bourbon casks. After this initial aging the rum is transported from Barbados to France by Cognac Ferrand to be placed in used Cognac casks to enhance the rum before it is bottled.

I originally reviewed this rum in 2011, five years removed from that review, I am revisiting the review with a current bottling.

Here is a link to my recent review:

Review: Plantation Barbados (Grande Reserve)

“… The Plantation 5 Year Old Barbados Rum brings a pleasant complexity and depth of flavour to the glass which allows the spirit to be enjoyed as a sipping rum as well as a high quality cocktail rum. I also appreciate that the rum does clobber me over the head with its Cognac enhancement. I can taste whispers of fermented fruit and perhaps a ghost of the cognac barrel, but these flavours stay in the background allowing the fine Barbados rum to shine through …”

Please enjoy my review.

Chimo!

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Review: Rum Nation Barbados Anniversary Edition (12 Years Old)

Posted by Arctic Wolf on May 22, 2014

SAM_1126 FINE DALLIANCE

A Fine Dalliance

Rum Nation is an Italian rum company created by Fabio Rossi, who began his life in the spirits trade as a Oenologist (one who has studied winemaking). After his studies, Mr. Rossi left the wine business and started up a whisky company in Edinburgh (Wilson and Morgan) acting as an independent bottler of Single Malt Scotch Whisky. His interest turned to rum and in 1999, Fabio Rossi founded Rum Nation. His company is headquartered in Italy; but Fabio purchases select rums from various distillers in the Caribbean and the Americas. As a result Rum Nation provides a rather unique assortment rums from various Caribbean producers. His Rum Nation Barbados Anniversary Edition (12 Years Old) celebrates the first 15 years of Rum Nation (2001 to 2014) as an independent bottler of unique Caribbean Rum.

The Bajan rum was distilled from sugar cane molasses upon a column still in Barbados (R.L. Seale) in 2001 (Batch Number L14/059). It was matured in the Caribbean (in Ex American Bourbon casks) for the majority of its aging life. However the rum was transported to Italy to be finished in Piedmont (Italian area of the Nebbiolo Wine) for the last 18 to 24 months. For finishing, the rum was transferred to Ex Spanish Brandy and Ex sherry Oloroso casks before being bottled at 40 % alcohol by volume.

You may click on the excerpt to read the full review:

Review: Rum Nation Barbados Anniversary Edition (12 Years Old)

“… As I let the glass sit, the aroma from the glass deepens bringing lush scents of vanilla and baking spices (nutmeg and cinnamon in particular) into the air above the glass. Hints of marmalade are apparent and the brown sugar, oak and the baking spices keep growing in strength. I notice bits of cola and milk chocolate and perhaps just a touch of sea brine and menthol. All indications are that this is a rich indulgent rum.

Just because a particular rum is a wonderful sipper, it does not mean that we cannot find joy in the cocktail format. The trick is to use other ingredients sparingly such that they serve as an elegant accent to the rum’s flavour and not as a distraction. At the conclusion of my review I provided a cocktail suggestion , A Fine Dalliance, which I believe strikes the right balance.

Enjoy the review, and my wonderful cocktail!

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Top 10 White Rums Countdown # 8 – Mount Gay Eclipse Silver

Posted by Arctic Wolf on October 25, 2013

op10RUM 550The tradition of producing rum on Barbados dates to an early period in the seventeenth century with evidence suggesting small-scale distillation as early as 1637. The first recorded written usage of the words ‘Rum Bullion’ appears in a document from the Island in 1651 which describes the sugar cane distillate from Barbados as “a hot and terrible liquor”. This is in fact the earliest recorded usage of the word Rum as it relates to the distilled spirit anywhere in the world. As such, Barbados is generally considered the birthplace of rum. Evidence exists of stills in use at the Mount Gay Plantation site as early as 1667, and we have confirmation (with the first written records) of rum produced on the site in 1703. This makes Mount Gay Rum one of the oldest (if not the oldest) rum brand in the world.

mount_gay_rum_eclipse_silverThe Mount Gay Silver Eclipse arrives on my Top Ten White Rum list at the number 8 spot. You may read my original review (written almost three years ago) by clicking the following excerpt link. (I confess I edited the review recently fixing some annoying punctuation and grammatical errors.)

#8 White Rum – Mount Gay Eclipse Silver

“…  I found that the white rum displayed an inviting aroma to my nostrils above the glass. The scents and smells of light butterscotch were evident as was a firm presence of banana, a mild citrus zest, and a light minty aroma. As the glass decanted a vague grassy vegetal scent began to waft upwards as well. Allowing the glass to breathe resulted in a strengthening of this ‘grassiness’ which seemed to imply a more complex character than I may have originally anticipated. …”

Although as a sipper, this rum does not entice one strongly, the character of the rum changes entirely when mixed, especially in a daiquiri! Enjoy the provided review!

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Note; You may follow my Countdown list of the 10 best white rums here:   The Rum Howler 2013 – Top 10 White Rums

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Review: Berrys’ Finest Barbados Rum (Aged 13 Years)

Posted by Arctic Wolf on September 29, 2013

SAM_0965 Berrys' Barbados 13Berry Bros. & Rudd is one of London’s oldest Wine and Spirits Merchant with over 300 years of experience and tradition from which to draw upon. The company began its operation at 3 – St. James’s Street (in London, UK) in 1698, and still operates from that same location today. Although they are primarily merchants of wine, the company has a strong presence in the sale of distilled spirits as well. And in fact, this presence within the spirits industry had its beginnings approximately 100 years ago. (The Cutty Sark brand was developed by Berry Bros & Rudd in 1923.)

Today Berry Bros & Rudd acts as an independent bottler of Whisky, Cognac, Armagnac, and of course Rum. A few of their rum offerings are available in my locale, and I was able to obtain a samples of the 13 Year Old – Berrys’ Finest Barbados Rum, from the Western Canadian distributor Charton Hobbs. Unfortunately I was not able to track down the complete history of this rum. All I know is that the spirit was distilled in Barbados, and aged for 13 years before being bottled by Berry Bros. and Rudd.

You may read my full review here:

Review: Berrys’ Finest Barbados Rum (Aged 13 Years)

“… The initial aroma from the glass is filled with a complex combination of dark toffee, caramelized brown sugars, rich tobacco and woody oak spices. Allowing the glass to breathe enriches the aroma bringing dark fruit and raisins, baking spices (vanilla, cinnamon cloves and nutmeg), some orange peel, and thick sticky marmalade impressions into the breezes as well …”

Please enjoy my review of this Bajan rum which I find quite pleasing as the nights grow longer and colder this autumn!

Cheers Everyone!

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Review: Rum Nation Barbados 10 Year Old Rum (2001)

Posted by Arctic Wolf on August 18, 2013

SAM_0843 Rum SazeracRum Nation is an Italian company created by Fabio Rossi. His company is headquartered in Italy; but Fabio purchases select rums from various distillers in the Caribbean and the Americas. As a result Rum Nation provides a rather unique assortment of limited edition bottlings.

According to my correspondence with Mr. Rossi, the Rum Nation Barbados 10 Year Old Rum is a true Bajan rum, distilled from sugar cane molasses. The blend is composed of both pot and column still rums which are then blended and aged for approximately nine years in American oak (ex-bourbon) barrels, and then finished for 12 to 18 months in Spanish (Ex-Brandy) casks. The rum was distilled at the West Indies Refinery at Brighton, Black Rock, St. Michael, Barbados. (This distillery is today more commonly known as also known as the West Indies Distillery, and is the same distillery which produces both the Cockspur and the Malibu rum brands.)

You may click on the excerpt to read the full review:

Review: Rum Nation Barbados 10 Year Old Rum (2001)

“…  I taste spicy tobacco, sappy oak (with hints of bourbon underneath), and light orange peel flavours all melded beautifully into the sweet rum-like flavours of butterscotch, caramel, and toffee. The resulting rum is full of character, but never demanding …”

Please enjoy both my review of this aged Bajan rum and the very nice cocktail at the end of the review, the Rum Sazerac (Arctic Style).

Cheers Everyone!

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