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Posts Tagged ‘Blackstrap Rum’

Review: Last Straw Blackstrap Rum (Double Barreled)  

Posted by Arctic Wolf on June 20, 2019

The Last Straw Distillery is Ontario’s smallest production micro-distillery located at 40 Pippin Rd. in Vaughan, Ontario (a wee bit north of Toronto) just off Highway 400 and around the corner from Vaughan Mills Shopping Centre. According to Mike Hook, the team at Last Straw Distillery come to the craft of distilling from a variety of different backgrounds, and surprisingly none have had prior experience in the beverage or alcohol business. They are self-taught, and developed their recipes in house, through research, and trial and error, without the use of outside consultants.

Last Straw Distillery Blackstrap Rums are some the few rums in the world actually made from blackstrap molasses rather than sweet molasses. One of the reasons there are so few is because blackstrap is much harder to work with than sweet molasses as the sugar content is lower, and the sugars are harder for the yeast to access. The tradeoff is that blackstrap molasses gives a richer, more robust flavour when it is distilled. It took the Distillery about 6 months (of experimentation) to discover a method to obtain reasonable yields out of blackstrap molasses without sacrificing flavour. The Double Barreled Blackstrap Rum is first aged in ex-bourbon barrels then finished in Last Straw’s own Darker Side barrels. The spirit is bottled at 45 % alcohol by volume.

Here is a link to my complete review:

Review: Last Straw Blackstrap Rum (Double Barreled)  

“… The breezes above the glass are interesting. I notice firm impressions of molasses, licorice and treacle accented by fruity orange peel and banana. There is also a light funk reminiscent of Jamaican rum in the air with scents of menthol, baking spice (cinnamon, vanilla and cloves) and some wood spice presenting themselves …”

Please enjoy my review which includes two cocktail suggestions, the Zombie, and the Time Traveller.

Chimo!

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Last Straw Distillery – Black Strap Rum

Posted by Arctic Wolf on August 4, 2017

The Last Straw Distillery is Ontario’s smallest production micro-distillery located at 40 Pippin Rd. in Vaughan, Ontario (a wee bit north of Toronto) just off Highway 400 and around the corner from Vaughan Mills Shopping Centre. Several months ago I was contacted by Mike Hook (one of the Distillery owners) and was told about the impending release of their new Blackstrap Rum. Mike asked me if I would be interested in receiving a bottle, and when I answered in the positive it was not too long before I was sent Bottle Number 90 from Cask One.

According to Mike Hook, the team at Last Straw Distillery come to the craft of distilling from a variety of different backgrounds, and surprisingly none have had prior experience in the beverage or alcohol business. They are self-taught, and developed their recipes in house, through research, and trial and error, without the use of outside consultants. They have just landed their Dark Side of the Moonshine in a few LCBO stores in Ontario, and expect to have a new-make Blackstrap spirit (the unaged version of the rum) on store shelves this month as well.

Here is a link to my full review:

Review: Last Straw Blackstrap Rum (Cask One)

The rum has an enticing nose. I notice scents and smells which I have found to be typical in micro-distilled rums: scents of mushy banana and ripe plantain and some resin-like esters which remind me of camphor. Alongside those aromas are the telltale smells of blackstrap molasses with hint of dark licorice and treacle. Rounded out the nose are hints of orange zest, bits of cinnamon, and nutmeg. This is a very good beginning!

Please enjoy my review of this exciting new rum made in Canada, Chimo!

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Summer Cocktails #1: Cuba Libre’

Posted by Arctic Wolf on July 3, 2017

This summer I am going to post a mixed drink series featuring some of my favourite Summer Cocktails, and I am going to start with one of my favourites, the Cuba Libre’.

It is generally believed that this rum based drink was first created in Havana, Cuba, in 1900 which makes a lot of sense as it was about the time that Coca Cola (the main mixing ingredient) was introduced upon the island. It is not a stretch to think that very soon after the soda drink was introduced, bartenders and rum enthusiasts, would be mixing rum and the new cola drink together.

As for the name, Cuba Libre’ can be translated to mean ‘Free Cuba’ which is said to refer to Cuba’s freedom from the Spanish Occupation which had been won just two years prior in 1898.

The simple Cuba Libre’ is a mixture of Coca Cola and  Rum with a Squeeze of Lime. For the purposes of this posting I am going to use a new Black Strap Rum sent to me by the folks at the Last Straw Distillery located at 40 Pippin Rd. in Vaughan, Ontario. I will be reviewing this new rum in a few short weeks, but suffice it to say my initial tasting sessions have revealed a rum which although it is not dark, nonetheless contains a wonderful backdrop of black strap molasses flavour which pairs with Cola and Lime wonderfully.

Here is, the Cuba Libre’.

Cuba Libre’
(the classic Rum and Coke recipe)

1 1/2 oz. Last Straw Distillery Black Strap Rum
4 oz Coca Cola
Lime wedge
Ice Cubes

Rub the rim of a standard rocks glass or highball glass with lime
Squeeze the lime over the glass to release some juice into the drink and fill with the glass with ice
Add Rum and fill with Coca Cola
Drop in the lime wedge and stir

As with all of my cocktail suggestions, please enjoy responsibly!

If  you are interested in more of my cocktail recipes, please click this link (Cocktails and Recipes) for more of my mixed drink recipes!

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Review: Cruzan Black Strap Rum

Posted by Arctic Wolf on October 24, 2010

The Cruzan Rum Company is located on the Island of St. Croix in the US Virgin Islands. The Island of St. Croix is the largest of the US Virgin islands, being approximately 28 miles long and 7 miles wide. Along with the tourism industry and one of the largest oil refineries in the Caribbean, the St. Croix economy is dependent to a large extent upon the Rum Industry as a major engine of their economic growth.

All of the Cruzan Rums are produced using a modern five column distillation method which produces a light bodied rum, the quality of which can be tightly controlled by the five column distillation. The rum is then aged in once used American oak bourbon barrels. The Cruzan Black Strap Rum is a ‘navy style’ rum which is full of molasses flavour but which is perhaps a lighter bodied rum than one would find in a typical navy rum.

The sample bottle of Cruzan Blackstrap Rum for this review was given to me  by Simon Mooney, the local Brand Ambassador for Beam Global and is pictured below and to the right.  It is bottled at 40 per cent alcohol by volume and is, I believe, aged for two years in the aforementioned American Oak.

Here is an excerpt from my review:

“…Cruzan Black Strap Rum is an aromatic bombshell. When I opened my bottle  for the very first time, my nostrils were immediately aware of the rich molasses filled aroma in the air which contained strong accents of black coffee and dark licorice….”

You may read the entire review here:

Review: Cruzan Black Strap Rum

And remember, my aim is to help you drink better spirits… not more spirits!

Posted in Cocktails & Recipes, Dark Rums, Flavouerd Rums, Rum, Rum Reviews | Tagged: , , , , , | 3 Comments »

 
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