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Posts Tagged ‘Black Rum’

Review: Spytail Black Ginger Rum

Posted by Arctic Wolf on March 31, 2017

last-saks-pirate-sam_3003Spytail Black Ginger Rum is produced by Biggar and Leith, who are based in the New York area with distribution across North America and in 16 Countries worldwide (and growing). Biggar & Leith own a small portfolio of spirits which are produced by established, family owned distilleries.

Spytail Black Ginger Rum pays homage to the submarine, SPYTAIL, as apparently plans for the legendary underwater ship were discovered by Biggar and Leith’s distillers in Cognac, France. While that may seem unlikely, this actually makes sense as the first mechanical submarines were not only invented in France, they were tested within the Charente River which flows near their distillery. The production of Spytail Rum is based on a 19th Century recipe which calls for the aging of fresh ginger root and spices in barrels of Rum. The spirit is produced from a blend of Caribbean rums which are both blended and bottled at the Cognac, France facility.

Here is a link to my full review:

Review: Spytail Black Ginger Rum

“… The rum brings a tasty combination of rum-like brown sugar and spicy oriental ginger across the palate. The spirit is not as sweet as the nose implied; however there is enough sweetness to help balance the overt spiciness of the ginger root. Bits of orange marmalade meander into the rum’s flavour along with hints of cinnamon and some more obvious vanilla …”

Please enjoy my review which concludes with a very nice cocktail, The Last Saskatchewan Pirate.

Chimo!

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Posted in Rum, Rum Reviews, Spiced Rum | Tagged: , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Review: Spytail Black Ginger Rum

Review: Goslings Family Reserve Old Rum

Posted by Arctic Wolf on June 15, 2014

A dark 'n Stormy made with Gosling's Family reserve.

A Dark ‘n Stormy made with Gosling’s Family reserve.

James Gosling (in 1806), left England intending to bring a load of merchandise goods to America for trade and sale. Apparently the ship upon which he was traveling was confounded by calm seas and instead of reaching America, the ship’s 90 day charter expired, and the ship’s Captain changed course to Bermuda. James Gosling never made it to America and instead settled in Bermuda opening a shop in St. George’s at the end of that year.

James’ brother Ambrose joined him in 1824, and the Gosling Brothers rented a shop on Front Street in the new Capitol of Hamilton (which was maintained by the family for 127 years.) In 1860, the new company of Gosling Brothers began to experiment with the rum trade, and three years later they were selling a distinctive dark rum. Gosling’s originally sold the rum directly from the barrel requiring their customers to bring their own container. However during World War I the brothers began to acquire Champagne bottles which they filled with rum. The bottles were corked and covered with black wax sealing wax. Soon customers began to ask for that Black Seal Rum.

Goslings Family Reserve Old Rum is apparently blended from the same stocks and in the same manner as their flagship brand, Gosling’s Black Seal. It is however, aged for a longer period of time in what the company calls ‘dark barrels’.

You may read my full review by clicking the excerpt link:

Review: Goslings Family Reserve Old Rum

“… The breezes above the glass are tainted with licorice stained molasses, dark tobacco smoke, and strong hints of orange peel. I also sense some fine oak spices, a bit candied caramel and if you give the glass a little time, a scent of marmalade begins to develop. As the breathing continues some luscious baking spices rich with brown sugar, cinnamon and vanilla begin to push through …”

Please enjoy my review which includes my recipe suggestion (Gosling’s patented cocktail) , The Dark ‘n Stormy.

Happy Father’s Day everyone!

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

Review: Bacardi Black

Posted by Arctic Wolf on May 23, 2013

SAM_0763 Bacardi BlackBacardi Black is a traditional dark rum. As such it achieves a major portion of its flavour, aroma, and colour from the special ingredients (caramel colour for sure) which are added to the final blend prior to bottling. The Black is apparently blended from rums which have been aged up to four years; but, it would be a mistake to believe that the maturation of the rums in the blend have anything but a small role in the rich dark colour we see or the strong collection of aromas that we sense above the glass.

Bacardi Black appears to be disappearing from the shelves of the liquor stores in my locale, and even Bacardi has dropped any mention of the product on its US-based website. It appears to have been replaced by Bacardi Select, which is a similar style of rum although I do not know if it is actually the same blend as the Bacardi Black.

Although this review is perhaps a little belated, if you click on the following excerpt you can read my full opinion of Bacardi Black:

Review: Bacardi Black

“… The initial aroma above the glass is full of butterscotch, molasses, vanilla, and candied caramels. There are hints of licorice, some noticeable maple, and sweet sticky canned fruit (apricots and peaches).

If I strain my senses, I also sense some dried fruit in the form of currants and dates and perhaps even a touch of cocoa. The aroma is not unpleasant, although there is very little evidence of oak aging in the breezes …”

Included in the review is a nice summertime deck drink, the Lemon Cola Cooler.

Enjoy the review!

Posted in Cocktails & Recipes, Dark Rums, Rum, Rum Reviews | Tagged: , , , , , | Comments Off on Review: Bacardi Black

Review: Whaler’s Dark Rum

Posted by Arctic Wolf on March 26, 2013

Whalers Original Dark bottle shotA few weeks back, I contacted the distributor for Blackheart Spiced Rum with a view towards providing a review here on my website. It turned out Heaven Hill Distilleries, who own Blackheart Rum, also own Whaler’s Rum and the local importer, Diamond Estates, was hoping I would taste some Whaler’s Rum along with the Blackheart Spiced. I didn’t really know a lot about Whaler’s rum so I agreed to sample this “Hawaiian” style Rum. I say Hawaiian style, because Whaler’s takes great pride in letting everyone know that Whaler’s Rums are blended from old Hawaiian recipes. Their line-up includes three traditional rums, and five flavoured rums.

There is quite an interesting story behind the name of the Whaler’s Rums, and you can read that story as well as my review by clicking on the following excerpt:

Review: Whaler’s Dark Rum

“”… Usually these young dark rums are full of molasses and caramel which gives the rum a thickened syrupy look. The Whaler’s seems to be traveling a different path from what I was expecting. The breezes above the glass carry a significant amount of vanilla with the molasses and licorice scents taking a back seat to that vanilla …”

Of course the review includes a nice recipe which particularly well suited for the Whaler’s Dark Rum called the Mandeville.

Please enjoy the review and the cocktail provided!

Posted in Cocktails & Recipes, Dark Rums, Flavouerd Rums, Rum, Rum Reviews | Tagged: , , , , , , | Comments Off on Review: Whaler’s Dark Rum

Reviews: Captain Morgan Black Spiced Rum and The Kraken

Posted by Arctic Wolf on October 31, 2012

Captain Morgan Rum has expanded their range of spiced rums to include a new “Black” spiced rum. I strongly suspect that the recent success of the Kraken Black Spiced Rum has motivated a move in this direction in order to garner a segment of this market. Of course just as was the case with the Kraken, the launch of the Captain Morgan Black Spiced Rum was accompanied with a slick media campaign to push the rum into the forefront of the rum aficionado’s consciousness.

I decided that I should revisit the Kraken, and at the same time review the Captain Morgan Black Spiced Rum. And what better day than Halloween to publish the two reviews. If you are familiar with my previous review of Kraken Black Spiced Rum, you will notice that the review has not changed much. (I did adjust the score a little to reflect my current opinion.) My Captain Morgan Black Spiced Rum review is however, freshly pressed and brand new.

Here are the reviews for your enjoyment:

Review: Kraken Black Spiced Rum

Review: Captain Morgan Black Spiced Rum

Happy Halloween Everyone!

Posted in Flavouerd Rums, Rum, Rum Reviews, Spiced Rum | Tagged: , , , , , , | Comments Off on Reviews: Captain Morgan Black Spiced Rum and The Kraken

 
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