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Posts Tagged ‘Dark Rum’

Review: One Barrel 5 Year Rum

Posted by Arctic Wolf on July 9, 2013

SAM_0825 One Barrel 5 YearsTravellers’ One Barrel 5 year Rum is the new name given to the rum formerly known a 5 Barrel Rum. Apparently the name was changed due to trademark issues which arose as the brand began to penetrate new markets. This a premium aged rum brand produced in Belize, (the northernmost mainland country of Central America). Belize is a former British Colony, and lies just south of Mexico with the Caribbean Sea to the east and Guatemala to the west and south. The producer of the One Barrel Rum brand, Travellers Liquors Limited, has been involved in the production of  rum in Belize since the early 1960′s originally working with independent distillers. In 1989, Travellers acquired full control of their own distillery, and they have remained in full control of their own brands ever since.

The One Barrel 5 Year Rum is made from locally grown Belize sugar cane. According to the Travellers website, this cane is cut and crushed in a manner which retains its natural flavors, and the all of the rum is aged in Kentucky oak barrels for a full 5 years. It is blended to be a full-bodied rum with the well-rounded taste which results from oak barrel aging.

SAM_0826 Ruby Rum MartinezRecently, I was given a bottle of the newly labelled rum by a representative of Travellers Liquor Canada for the purpose of spreading the news about the new labeling, and to announce the release of the rum in my home market of Alberta. I decided to give the bottle the full treatment of a new review as one never knows when labels change, if the blend has changed as well.

You may click on the following excerpt to read the new review:

Review: One Barrel 5 Year Rum

“… The immediate nose is filled with rich toffee, butterscotch and tobacco. Oak spices and vanilla waft out of the glass and bits of sandalwood are riding in the breezes. As I let the glass breathe, the tobacco and the oak scents deepened. I notice a firm sense of ginger spice …”

Of course I could not resist suggesting a new cocktail at the end of review, the Ruby Rum Martinez!

Please enjoy my latest review.

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Review: Old Monk Very Old Vatted XXX Rum

Posted by Arctic Wolf on July 3, 2013

SAM_0815 Old MonkOld Monk is a dark rum produced by Mohan Meakin Limited in Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh, India. According to the information I received, it is a molasses distilled rum, blended and aged for a minimum of 7 years. The brand receives very little attention from the press, and does not appear to be represented in any advertising campaigns which I have seen. Rather Old Monk relies upon word of mouth and customer loyalty for its sales. Word of mouth must be good as this rum is (again according to information I received) the largest selling well-aged dark rum in the world.

(Note: India is a huge market for rum, and there is only a small presence of foreign brands on the sub-continent. Based solely upon sales in the home market, this would certainly be a believable statement.)

I was sent a sample bottle of Old Monk Very old Vatted XXX Rum by the local Alberta distributor, Madira Spirits Inc. and asked if I could provide a review here on my website. I was more than happy to oblige.

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

Review: Old Monk Very Old Vatted XXX Rum

“… As the glass sits the aroma in the air deepens as the brown sugar and baking spices evolve into a scents of licorice stained molasses. Hints of soy sauce and exotic spice wanders into the air with sugar covered walnuts and pecans sitting underneath. I thoroughly enjoy nosing the glass …”

Of course I could not resist adding a couple of cocktails at the end of the review, the Monk’s Uncle and a Dark Rum and Cola designed for sipping.

Enjoy!

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Review: Cabot Tower 100 Proof Demerara Rum

Posted by Arctic Wolf on June 13, 2013

SAM_0812 Cabot Tower CLCabot Tower is situated on Signal Hill in St. John’s, which is of course the capital city of Newfoundland and Labrador. Construction of this historic Canadian monument began in 1898 as the tower was built to commemorate the 400th anniversary of John Cabot’s discovery of Newfoundland, as well as to celebrate Her Majesty Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee. Today, Cabot Tower is the feature attraction of the Signal Hill National Historic Site of Canada, and if you travel to St. John’s you can visit the interpretive center therein and/or enjoy the scenic walking trails with a surrounding view which overlooks St. John’s Harbour.

Of course if you do happen to be in St. John’s (and you want to have a nice drink of rum) then you might also want take a stroll down George Street which is lined from top to bottom with Pubs and Restaurants where everyone’s drink of choice seems to be rum. One of the rum brands you are sure to encounter in those pubs and restaurants is the namesake of that famous tower, Newfoundland and Labrador’s own, Cabot Tower 100 Proof Rum Demerara Rum.

The Cabot Tower Rum is a 100% Demerara blended rum (distilled and aged in Guyana). This Guyanese rum is shipped in bulk to Canada where at the facilities of Newfoundland and Labrador Liquor Corporation (NLC), it is bottled at a full 50 % alcohol by volume (100 Proof) for Rocks Spirits, the brand owner.

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

Review: Cabot Tower 100 Proof Demerara Rum

“… After I give the glass some time to relax, I notice the nose reflects the rum’s colour as obvious notes of rich Demerara sugar rise up with hints of red cinnamon, cloves and black licorice imbedded in the rum’s sweetness. As the glass sits even longer, impressions of expensive cigars and hints of a pungent leathery mustiness seem to be residing in the air alongside that spicy sweetness …”

Of course I could not resist suggesting a few cocktails at the end of the review including an overproof Cuba Libre’ and my new recipe, Zombie Apocalypse.

Cheers Everyone!

Posted in Cocktails & Recipes, Dark Rums, Overproof Rum, Rum, Rum Reviews | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Review: Cabot Tower 100 Proof Demerara Rum

Review: Ron Matusalum Gran Reserva 15 Rum

Posted by Arctic Wolf on May 25, 2013

Matusalem Gran Reserva 15Ron Matusalem prides itself on being a Cuban style of rum with a history in Cuba they trace back to 1872 when two brothers, Benjamin and Eduardo Camp, together with a partner, Evaristo Álvarez opened a distillery in Santiago de Cuba. According to the Matusalem website, the rum they were producing began to win acclaim by the first quarter of the 20th century. The distillery apparently operated until the 1960′s when due to the Cuban Revolution the Álvarez family was exiled, and the rum they made disappeared from the landscape.

The brand was resurrected by Claudio Álvarez Salazar, who is the great-grandson of Evaristo Álvarez. Of course, it was not possible given the political situation in Cuba to produce or bottle the rum in Cuba. Apparently, it is produced (presumably by a third-party as Ron Matusalem does not own a distillery) and bottled in the Dominican Republic.

I recently revisited this rum and you may read my newest review by clicking on the following excerpt:

Review: Ron Matusalum Gran Reserva 15 Rum

“… The initial aroma carries more oak than I remember from my past experiences with the Matusalem Gran Reserva 15. It is a sort of honeyed oak scent full of spice and vanilla. As the glass sits, the oak spices build in the air and they are joined by scents of  banana and orange peel …”

Please enjoy my revisitation to the Matusalem Gran Reserva, and of course my cocktail suggestion which follows, the Sloe Lime Daiquiri.

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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!

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