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Posts Tagged ‘Cocktails and Recipes’

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Highwood Canadian Rye Whisky

Posted by Arctic Wolf on November 30, 2010

The Highwood Distillery is the only locally (Albertan) owned distillery in the world. It sits in the heart of the High River community, producing more than 300,000 cases of bottled spirits per year. Although the bulk of their production goes towards Vodka, Flavoured Vodka, and Premixes, they also produce a sizable amount of Canadian Whisky each year. I guess you could say that I am partial to a success story that has occurred right in my own back yard, and I love to sample and review the spirits which Highwood Distillers produce.

I consider the Highwood Canadian Whisky to be a unique product unlike anything else on the whisky landscape (I also find it very tasty). What is so original about the Highwood Whisky is the grain from which it is distilled. Highwood uses local Canadian prairie wheat for the distillation base of all of their Highwood branded whisky. This is because wheat alcohol, rather than barley or corn alcohol, has less heavy non-digestible components. This makes for an extremely smooth easy to drink whisky. After sampling most of the Highwood Whisky range, I have come to the conclusion that they are making some of the smoothest whisky in the world.

At the recent Rocky Mountain Wine and Food Festival, I reconnected with Allan Owen, the Highwood sales Rep in my area. We had a nice chat, and he offered to drop a few more samples of whisky for me to review. The first of these samples was the Highwood Canadian Rye Whisky.

This is a Canadian whisky made from wheat grain which has been aged for at least five years in charred American white oak barrels. It is blended with an aged rye grain whisky to produce that distinctive Canadian ‘rye’ flavour profile.  Here is an excerpt from my review:

“…The first thing I noticed about the Highwood Whisky as I sipped it was that it is a smooth, gentle, and mellow whisky which has the soft sensation in the mouth of a much older whisky. Honeycomb, ginger, wood spice, and a light dab of vanilla all support a wonderfully clean, dusty rye flavour….”

You may read the full review by clicking this link:

Review: Highwood Canadian Rye Whisky

Posted in Canadian Whisky, Cocktails & Recipes, Whisk(e)y, Whisk(e)y Review | Tagged: , , , , | Comments Off on Highwood Canadian Rye Whisky

Review: Dictador 20 Year Solera Rum

Posted by Arctic Wolf on November 18, 2010

A few weeks ago I reviewed the Dictador 12 Year old Solera Aged Rum, and at the time I hinted that a review of the 20-year-old companion rum was on its way.  The rum reviews are at the request of PB Beverages which is the importing company bringing the Dictador Rums to my home Province of Alberta.

The Dictador 20 Year Old Rum is a solera aged rum with the oldest rum in the bottle being at least 20 years of age. It is bottled at 40 % alcohol by volume in a stylish black 700 ml bottle. The Dictador website also explains that the rum is produced in Colombia, more exactly, on the Caribbean coast of Colombia at Cartagena de Indias City, and  is named for Arango Y Ferro who was nicknamed ‘Dictador’ by the local population of Cartagena de Indias as he rose to prominence in the trade and commerce between the Spanish Colonies and Spain (sometime after 1751). Arango apparently fell in love with the local cane spirit and became an important producer of rum at that time. In 1913, his descendant Don Julia Arango Y Ferro established the Distileria Colombiana.

Here is an excerpt from my review:

“…The initial entry into the mouth is smooth and suave. All the scents which were easily discernible in the glass were much harder to distinguish as flavours in the mouth. in fact, most of the flavours seem to have blended and melted together in a nice harmonious balance which makes identification perilous, but is also a rare treat to the palate….”

You may read the full review here:

Review: Dictador 20 Year Solera Rum

As well the review includes a new cocktail I call The Drumbeat.

Please enjoy the review and cocktail!

Posted in Cocktails & Recipes, Dark Rums, Rum, Rum Reviews | Tagged: , , , , | Comments Off on Review: Dictador 20 Year Solera Rum

Review: Dictador 12 Year Solera Rum

Posted by Arctic Wolf on November 7, 2010

I was first introduced to the Dictador Rums about six months ago when I convinced Paul Charabin of  PB Beverages to drop in on one of the monthly gatherings of  The Edmonton Rum Chums. He brought a couple of bottles of the new Dictador Rum (The 12-year-old and the 20-year-old), and allowed the club to sample them. I also sampled this rum in Miami, at Rum Renaissance. Both times I remember being taken in by the Dictador style and the rich vibrant rum inside the bottles. Dictador is a medium bodied, complex blend of premium aged rums with a full, rich flavour profile. Fortunately for me, I was promised sample bottles of each to put through the paces of my review system, and about one month ago Paul Charabin came through.

The Dictador 12 Year Old Rum is a solera aged rum with the oldest rum in the bottle being 12 years of age. It is bottled at 40 % alcohol by volume in a stylish black 700 ml bottle.

According to the Dictador website, their rum is produced in Colombia, more exactly on the Caribbean coast of Colombia at Cartagena de Indias city.  The rum is named for Arango Y Ferro who was nicknamed ‘Dictador’ by the local population of Cartagena de Indias, in early Colombia (sometime after 1751) as he rose to prominence in the trade and commerce between the Spanish Colonies and Spain. Arango apparently fell in love with the local cane spirit and became an important producer of rum at that time. In 1913, his descendant Don Julia Arango Y Ferro established the Distileria Colombiana.

Here is a link to the review of this special rum:

Review: Dictador 12 Year Solera Rum

As well I have included a recipe of the Dictador Sidecar.

Please enjoy the review and the recipe!

Posted in Cocktails & Recipes, Dark Rums, Rum, Rum Reviews | Tagged: , , , , , | Comments Off on Review: Dictador 12 Year Solera Rum

Review: Diplomatico Blanco Reserva

Posted by Arctic Wolf on October 30, 2010

In the late 1950s, the major companies which were involved in the production and distribution of alcoholic spirits in Venezuela were grouped into one organization called Licorerias Unitas S.A. This company was controlled by Seagrams who owned the majority share of the new consolidated company. After a series of mergers and acquisitions involving Seagrams, Diageo, and Pernod Richard, a decision was made finally to divest in the facilities in Venezuaela  and concentrate instead upon brand commercialization.

The good news is that a group of local investors purchased the manufacturing assets of Licorerias Unitas S.A and formed Distilleries Unitas S.A. (DUSA) on August 22, 2002. Although this company is relatively new, the tradition of making quality rum in these Venezuelan facilities is not. It is a matter of fact that systematic rum production in Venezuela can be dated to 1896.  The DUSA facilities are at the foot of the Terepaimai National Park and from these facilities they produce the wonderful Diplomatico Rums which have garnered so much attention of late.

The Diplomatico Blanco is a very recent addition to the Diplomatico line up. Working with Blend Wine and Spirits, The Blanco was added to the Diplomatico brand to serve as an alternative to premium Vodka for bartenders and connoisseurs. It is meant to occupy the high-end niche market formerly reserved only for high-end Vodka.

It was at Rum Renaissance in Miami Florida, where I met Alex Mejido of Blend Wine and Spirits. Alex gave me a bottle of the Diplomatico Blanco to review on my blog, and although it has been several months since Rum Renaissance, I have finally completed my end of the bargain.  I should point out that I have not necessarily been negligent. I have waited before publishing the review to line things up  (sort of) with the release of this product in my home market of Alberta Canada.

I was informed by PB Beverages that they are about to launch the Diplomatico Blanco in Alberta so my review hopefully is timely.

Here is a link to the review:

Review: Diplomatico Blanco Reserva

As well I have included two new cocktails:

Red Sky at Night and Connie’s Sapphire Cocktail

Enjoy!

Posted in Cocktails & Recipes, Rum, Rum Reviews, White Rums | Tagged: , , , , , | Comments Off on Review: Diplomatico Blanco Reserva

Seven Senses: Wolfgang Mayer’s Championship Cocktail

Posted by Arctic Wolf on October 27, 2010

Photo Courtesy Sharon McLaughlin (McLaughlin Gibson Communications Ltd)

Wolfgang Mayer’s stunning cocktail, Seven Senses, was the winner of European leg of Angostura’s International Cocktail Challenge at this years UK Rumfest 2010. The judging for the  European Final took place at Olympia 2, London at this years UK Rumfest.

The competition saw twelve finalists from countries including Spain, Italy, Russia, Germany and the UK creating two cocktails. They were judged on taste, appearance and aroma. The winner, announced at the Golden Rum Barrel Awards, will continue on to compete in the Global Final which takes place in Trinidad during the world-famous Carnival in March 2011.

According to Angostura’s Director of Corporate Communications, Giselle Laronde-West, “The winning cocktail ‘Seven Senses’ stood out due its freshness, originality, balance and aftertaste, whilst Wolfgang’s presentation skills were professional, confident and interesting.”

Here is a link to the award-winning recipe:

Rum Recipe: Seven Senses

Congratulations Wolfgang, and good luck in the Finals!

Posted in Cocktails & Recipes, Howls, Rum | Tagged: , | Comments Off on Seven Senses: Wolfgang Mayer’s Championship Cocktail

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