The Rum Howler Blog

(A Website for Spirited Reviews)

  • Copyright

    Copyright is inherent when an original work is created. This means that the producer of original work is automatically granted copyright protection. This copyright protection not only exists in North America, but extends to other countries as well. Thus, all of the work produced on this blog is protected by copyright, including all of the pictures and all of the articles. These original works may not be copied or reused in any way whatsoever without the permission of the author, Chip Dykstra.
  • Cocktails and Recipes

    Click Image for Awesome Recipes

  • Industry Interviews

    Interviews

    Click the Image for Great Interviews with the Movers of Industry

  • The Rum Howler Interview (Good Food Revolution)

    Click on the Image to see my interview on Good Food Revolution

  • The Rum Howler Blog

  • Rum Reviews

  • Whisky Reviews

  • Gin Reviews

  • Tequila Reviews

  • Vodka Reviews

  • Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

    Join 1,069 other subscribers
  • Subscribe

  • Visitors

    • 14,380,567 pageviews since inception
  • Archives

  • Follow The Rum Howler Blog on WordPress.com

Posts Tagged ‘Review’

Review: Siempre Rebel Cask Northern Gold Series

Posted by Arctic Wolf on June 2, 2023

Recently, I received a new tequila sample from Siempre Tequila, namely Siempre Rebel Cask Northern Gold Series which is a Limited Edition reposado. Siempre’s Rebel Casks explore tequila flavours which result from maturation in specific types of oak barrels which are off the beaten path of the ex-bourbon barrel. These are small bottlings, limited to only a few barrels produced each time.

Siempre Rebel Cask – Northern Gold Series has a Canadian twist as it has been aged for 8 months in a bourbon barrel which had previously been used to age Canadian Maple Syrup.

Here is a link to my full review:

Review: Siempre Rebel Cask Northern Gold Series

“… I notice a light agave sweetness rising into the breezes followed by somewhat mild but peppery spice with hints of vanilla. The agave gains strength as I nose the glass; but it has been softened by the light sweetness of maple. There is a light build-up of heat as the agave spice slowly releases itself from the light maple sweetness. This is not aggressive nor at this point does it seem overly complex; however it is soft and inviting me to sip …”

Please enjoy this review and stay tuned for my look at Siempre’s excluive new bottling, Exclusivo Edicion Especial Vivo which should be ready soon.

Chimo!

Advertisement

Posted in Reposado Tequila, Tequila, Tequila Review | Tagged: , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

Review: Rum Sixty Six English White Rum

Posted by Arctic Wolf on May 29, 2023

I encountered Rum Sixty Six (English White Rum) this past Christmas when it was included as a small sample in my Christmas Advent Calendar. As this is a white rum, I set it aside to visit when the weather was warmer. For myself, white rum is generally a spring and summertime indulgence, and I wanted to try the spirit when I would enjoy it the most.

Rum Sixty Six (English White Rum) was originally distilled in the Caribbean where it was matured for two years. The rum made its way across the Atlantic to the Sovereign Distillery in Liverpool, England where it was apparently rectified (or in other words re-distilled).  After this re-distillation, the spirit was rested in copper tanks.

Here is a link to my full review:

Review: Rum Sixty Six English White Rum

“… Glimpses of mushy plantain, hints of menthol and wisps of orange and banana peel rise into the air, but there is little else. Nothing strikes me as aggressive, but their is very little indication of character either. It’s as if this is a white rum that has taken a journey three quarters of the way to vodka …”

Enjoy the review, and stay tuned for a few more rum reviews in the coming weeks.

Chimo!

Posted in Rum, Rum Reviews, White Rums | Tagged: , , , | Leave a Comment »

Review: Stillhead BC/QC Whisky Maple Syrup Cask Finish

Posted by Arctic Wolf on May 26, 2023

The Stillhead Distillery, founded by the Colebank Family, began operations in October of 2017 in Duncan British Columbia with a vision to distill the essence of Vancouver Island into their brands. They do this by adding distinct Vancouver Island ingredients to their products showcasing their home in every bottle.

Stillhead BC/QC Whisky Maple Syrup Cask Finish (that’s quite a mouthful) is the latest addition to the Stillhead whisky Portfolio. It is a 100% British Columbia rye grain whisky first aged in ex-bourbon casks for 3 to 4 years, and then it was finished in whisky barrels which had recently aged Grade A 100% pure, organic and unblended Maple Syrup from Cosman & Webb in Quebec.

This is, I believe, the first Maple Syrup Cask whisky I have tasted and reviewed. You can find my full review using the link provided below:

Review: Stillhead BC/QC Whisky Maple Syrup Cask Finish

“… The whisky has a paler amber hue in the glass and when I bring it to my nose three aspects of the whisky immediately make themselves known in the breezes above the glass. The first is a light maple sweetness, the second is a firm rye-like spiciness, and the third is hints of alcohol astringency stemming from the high bottling proof …”

I hope you enjoy this review which concludes with a nice suggest cocktail, The Barrel Rider.

Chimo!

Posted in Canadian Whisky, Whisk(e)y, Whisk(e)y Review, Whisky Review | Tagged: , , , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

Review: Hendrick’s Original Gin

Posted by Arctic Wolf on May 23, 2023

Hendrick’s Gin’s Master Distiller, Ms. Lesley Grac, has been adding new limited releases to compliment the brand’s growing family of unusual piny spirits. Four of these new expressions, Hendrick’s Flora Adora (featuring a bouquet of fragrant flowers laid out especially by Ms Lesley Gracie), Hendrick’s Lunar Gin (rich with night blooming floral essence), Hendrick’s Neptunia (expresses the sensory delights of the sea coast), and Hendrick’s Orbium (re-imagined with extracts of quinine, wormwood and lotus Blossom) have become available in my locale, and I am expecting delivery of each of these at some point this summer.

 

This means it is a good time to reacquaint myself with Hendrick’s Original Gin and its unusual infusion of cucumber and rose petal.

The people who make Hendrick’s Gin pride themselves on being just a little quirky, and perhaps a bit eccentric. Their offbeat website revels in the odd and the peculiar and seeks to convince all who peruse the site, that Hendrick’s Gin is special exactly because of the things which make it odd and peculiar.

Hendrick’s and Fever Tree Tonic

The gin is produced in Scotland, in the village of Girvin, Ayrshire. The distillery sits  just about a mile inland overlooking the island of Ailsa Craig.  It is made small batches, on two different stills with 11 different botanicals, and infused with cucumber and rose petals.

Here is a link to my recently revised review of Hendrick’s Original Gin:

Review: Hendrick’s Orignal Gin

“… The nose begins with mild citrus tones which are accented by juniper. The influence of the rose petal is perhaps that touch of red berry I am noticing in the background, and a light cucumber influence can be found if I pay attention. I catch hints of lemon-lime and orange as well. And impressions of black licorice and fennel …”

This recent re-evaluation sees my scores for Hendrick’s Gin elevated by a few points as either my appreciation of the spirit is improving, or the spirit has improved.

Chimo!

(PS: Look for my upcoming review series of the Hendrick’s Limited Edition Gins to begin in June.

 

 

Posted in Gin, Gin Review | Tagged: , , | Leave a Comment »

A Rum Howler Vodka Tasting

Posted by Arctic Wolf on May 22, 2023

During the May long weekend, I gathered up some of my friends for an a Vodka Tasting! We were all sort of trapped indoors because of the wildfires that had laid a thick layer of smoke over my home city of Edmonton, and the air quality was such that a indoor tasting seemed like a great idea.

So there were five of us, two girls and three guys, and four bottles of vodka which represented a diversity of styles in the spirit category. This diversity included a traditional grain vodka Spring Mill Vodka from Sleeman’s on the banks of the Speed River in Guelph, Ontario. Then there were two spirits which I would say represented the new contemporary vodka category, Tawse Vodka (produced from Grapes, Rye and Apples) by Tawse Wine Spirits in Vineland, Ontario, and Stillhead Van-Isle Rye Vodka, distilled with Alberni Valley rye-grain on Vancouver Island in British Columbia. And finally a traditional Potato Vodka produced from home-grown potatoes from Beattie’s Distillers farm to glass operation in Alliston, Ontario.

You can see each of the bottles above, and it was with some anticipation that all of us sat around my tasting table and readied our shot glasses.

In my opinion vodka should be chilled. I know this is somewhat controversial; but every time I hold a vodka tasting I throw the bottles into my deep freeze about 4 hours before the tasting. I serve the spirits one at a time in shot glasses chilled to almost zero degrees Celsius. The vodka spirits are sampled one at a time directly from the freezer. Then we allow the glasses to warm and repeat the process with the spirit allowed to warm to about ten degrees.  A really good vodka will not break-down as it warms up. A lessor spirit will gain unpleasant flavours as it warms and may even develop an uncomfortable burn. During this tasting I had a very good group of spirits as they all held together nicely with none showing undo breakdown or burn in the throat on the second time through when they had warmed up.

What we discovered was that despite the obvious quality of each spirit, each of these vodkas was very different.

Spring Mill Distillery Vodka is produced from a base spirit of Red Winter Wheat on copper stills which look like they would be perfectly at home in any Scottish Single Malt Distillery. This is the type of vodka that most of us are all familiar with. With a traditional grain vodka of quality you can sip or shoot the spirit quite enjoyably. You can also make a Vodka Martini, a Vodka Gimlet or perhaps a Cosmopolitan, and they will all taste great. Spring Mill Vodka did not disappoint during the tasting, nor afterwards when we made cocktails.

Tawse Vodka is a very different animal. This version of Tawse Vodka was distilled from grapes, rye grain and apples. And it carries those flavours, especially the grapes and the apples rather firmly when it was chilled and of course more so as it warmed. It was also very smooth allowing all of us to enjoy a swallow with no burn in our throats. While the vodka was smooth and easy to sip and shoot, the flavours of apple and grapes impacted our cocktail decision. Rather than Gimlets and Martinis, I felt the vodka was more suitable for a brandy style cocktail such as the Sidecar. It also made a nice Cosmopolitan, but one which had a very unique grape and apple flavour twist.

Sillhead’s Van-Isle Rye Vodka is another contemporary spirit. Distilled with Alberni Valley rye-grain, it carries the flavours of this distillation firmly forward. The result is a vodka not only full of rye spice, but also filled with the firm flavours of the rye grain. A martini made with Van Isle was anything but typical. That rye grain flavour just poured through it. A traditional martini enthusiast might have his taste buds shaken (or maybe stirred). The Vodka Gimlet is similar.  My own idea is that Stillhead’s Van-Isle Rye Vodka loves a diversity of ingredients to play with. In particular I found adding Ginger Syrup and Basil Leaves to a simple Vodka Gimlet takes it to a new level when mixed with the Van-Isle Vodka (look for the recipe in a future posting). Everyone at my tasting (myself included) found the flavour unique, and like a true premium vodka, the finish was smooth both when chilled and when served warm. (As a result I also enjoyed this vodka shot style quite a bit!)

Beatties Potato Vodka is, in some ways, more traditional than the typical grain vodka, as for generations potatoes have been used in Poland and other Slavic nations as the distillate of choice for vodka. Potato vodka’s are creamy in texture with a light spiciness and unique light potato flavour running though them. It is a more complex flavour than what is usually imparted by grains; but when this style of vodka is done right, the resulting spirit can be spectacular. And this style  is versatile for all manner of Vodka cocktails. I guess I’ll spill the beans now, and say that this was exactly what we all found during the tasting. While all the spirits we sampled that day were very good, Beattie’s Potato Vodka shocked us with its quality and beguiling light flavour.

During the tasting I asked everyone to keep tasting notes and give me feedback.  The two traditional vodkas were preferred by the group. Beattie’s Potato Vodka  first on three score cards, and Spring Mill Vodka was first on the other two.  Stillhead’s Van-Isle Rye Vodka was the groups next preference as my friend’s and I preferred the firm rye flavour to the flavour of the grapes and apples which was brought forward by Tawse Vodka. This makes sense as our group seems to enjoy whisky more often that it prefers Brandy.

While Beattie’s Potato Vodka was not firmly on the path of our expectations, the detour the light flavours of the potato distillate provided was for all of us quite delightful.

I’ll be honest; when I planned the tasting, the only spirit I had tasted to this point was Spring Mill Vodka (see my revised review here). So I had no idea I which spirit would be preferred by the group; but I was not expecting it to be the Potato Vodka!  I’m going to have to give this vodka style more attention. And I think I’m going to have to contact Beattie’s and see what else they have going on!

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Beattie’s Cosmonaut

2 oz Beattie’s Potato Vodka
1 oz Cranberry Cocktail (Ocean Spray)
1/2 oz Bols Triple Sec
1/2 oz fresh squeezed Lemon Juice
1/2 oz fresh squeezed Lime Juice
1/4 oz Sugar Syrup

Ice

Add the first five ingredients into a metal shaker filled with ice
Shake all the ingredients until the shaker frosts
Strain into a cocktail glass
Please Enjoy Responsibly!

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

 

Chimo!

 

 

 

 

Posted in Vodka | Tagged: , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

 
%d bloggers like this: