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Posts Tagged ‘Review’

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Review: Tryst Vodka

Posted by Arctic Wolf on January 23, 2017

Reverse Vesper

Lemon Gimlet

Tryst Vodka is an American spirit distilled six times from grain.The spirit was produced by TerrePURE Spirits, located in North Charleston, South Carolina, and the company boasts of it ‘revolutionary’ TerrePURE* process which is said to offer the cleanest, smoothest and best tasting vodka know to man. The Spirit is part of the Preferred Selection at the Western Canadian Liquor Depot chain of stores, and I was recently provided a bottle for review here on my website.

As part of the review process, I held a Vodka tasting for my friends (the Rum Chums) where we sampled three other new vodkas (Norvegia, Provincial and Foothills) in a blind tasting flight with the Tryst Vodka. I served the spirits chilled where we sipped them each neat, swallowed shots, and sampled each with a variety of foods. We finished the tasting with some cocktails made from each spirit. Comments from my friends often make it into my reviews

 

Here is a link to my thoughts regarding Tryst Vodka:

Review: Tryst Vodka

“… When we all took a full shot I noted that a corn-like sweetness had been building and I also tasted hints of mint meandering within a firm spicy grain. The combination of spice and clean alcohol warms the belly after the swallow; however it does not bring an undo amount of burn to the throat …”

Please enjoy my review which includes two nice cocktail recipes, the Lemon Gimlet and the Reverse Vesper.

Chimo Everyone!

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Review: Legendario Elixir de Cuba

Posted by Arctic Wolf on January 20, 2017

elixir-de-cuba-sam_2956My first review for Legendario Elixir de Cuba was published in 2009, However, as US restrictions of Cuban products appear to be easing I thought it would be timely to revisit the brand. The brand owner, Legendario Rum is headquartered in Spain, however the rum used within the Elixir de Cuba’s blend is apparently imported from Cuba. The brand, was founded in the city of Havana in 1946.

According to the research I conducted, Legendario Elixir de Cuba, is produced from a blend of  2 to 4 year-old Cuban Rums (source: Rum Distribution.com). The rums were aged in American oak barrels at temperatures which approached 47°C. After the rums were blended, extracts of macerated raisins, syrup, and demineralised water are added, and this blended mixture is rested (or married) in American oak barrels for several weeks (30 days) after which the final spirit is filtered through a traditional system of activated carbon filters and silica sand before bottling.

According to Phil Moncton of the GFH Group (the Ontario importer), Legendario Elixir De Cuba is now available in Ontario (via the GFH Group) through LCBO Private Order.

Here is a link to my newly written review for the Legendario Elixir de Cuba:

Review: Legendario Elixir de Cuba

” … The aroma is rich and inviting with smells of oak infused rum and caramel, brandy and raisins, and some dark chocolate drifting in the breezes above the glass. It is almost as if we are encountering a sweet mixture of rum, cognac, and dark caramel …”

Please enjoy my review of this outstanding rum liqueur, Chimo!

Posted in Flavouerd Rums, Liqueur | Tagged: , , , , , | Comments Off on Review: Legendario Elixir de Cuba

Review: New Holland Beer Barrel Bourbon

Posted by Arctic Wolf on January 18, 2017

beer-barrel-bourbonI first encountered Beer Barrel Bourbon (from Michigan’s New Holland Brewing company) when one of my buddies brought a bottle to one of my tastings and left it with me to review. The spirit is rather unique, a bourbon which is first aged in new American Oak for several years, then finished for 90 days in second use Dragon’s Milk Beer barrels. Dragon’s Milk is New Holland Brewing’s own stout beer which was in fact aged in a used Bourbon barrels.

Here is a link to my full review:

Review: New Holland Beer Barrel Bourbon

“… The initial breezes throw up light astringent notes of a young corn whisky (fine oak spices, corn, orange peel, almond and vanilla) as well as a few malty beer-like scents. The combination is strange to me, although at this point, it is hard to say whether this is a ‘good’ strange or ‘not so good’ strange …”

Please enjoy my review of this new bourbon from New Holland Brewing.

Chimo Everyone!

Posted in American Whiskey, Whisk(e)y, Whisk(e)y Review | Tagged: , , , , | Comments Off on Review: New Holland Beer Barrel Bourbon

Review: Provincial Vodka (Radouga Distilleries)

Posted by Arctic Wolf on January 16, 2017

lemon-lime-gimlet-sam_2946Radouga Distilleries is a small distillery which began operations in Blaine Lake Saskatchewan (near Saskatoon) on November 20th 2014. Recently I met one of their sales reps (D’arcy Nemanishin) at the November Edmonton Food and Wine Show. We chatted briefly and after the show D’arcy arranged for me to receive a few sample of their line-up which included their Apple and the Blueberry Pie Liqueurs (reviewed here and here) as well as their Provincial and Provincial Spiced Vodkas. I sampled (and my wife sampled) all four spirits over the holidays, and I have decided to share my thoughts here on my website. This is the review for the Provincial Vodka.

As part of the review process, I held a Vodka tasting for my friends (the Rum Chums) where we sampled three other new vodkas (Norvegia, Tryst, and Foothills) in a tasting flight with the Provincial Vodka. I served the spirits chilled where we sipped them each neat, swallowed shots, and sampled each with a variety of foods. We finished the tasting with a cocktail made from each spirit.

Here are my thought on the Provincial Vodka from the Radouga Distillers:

Review: Provincial Vodka

“… The first sip was quite smooth. I noticed a nice grain-like spiciness and a little stronger lemon flavour that the nose would have implied. As the spirit warmed the intensity of the grain spice increased …

Please enjoy my review which includes two nice cocktail suggestions, the Provincial Greyhound, and the Provincial Gimlet!

Chimo Everyone!

 

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2017 Rum Howler Awards for Rum

Posted by Arctic Wolf on January 13, 2017

rh-winner2017

This past year was a busy time for the Rum Howler as I not only wrote and published many new reviews, I also spent a great deal of time re-examining many of the rum spirits which I had previously reviewed. This work was done with the aim of providing my readers with specific lists they could use to help them choose the appropriate rum for their particular needs.

During the past year I examined and ranked all of the Spiced Rums I owned. I also built cocktails all year round to determine a ranking of the 50 Best Mixing Rums (a few internet trolls are unhappy with that term; so if you like, you can call them the ‘Best Young Cocktail Rums‘) I have tasted as well. Finally, I also combed through my reviews and determined what I believe are the 50 Best Rums of 2016.(Admittedly there is overlap in these three lists.)

Rum Old Fashioned

Rum Old Fashioned

All this work done throughout the year meant that for this year’s Rum Howler Awards, I had the luxury of having already compiled the necessary lists which recognized the best rums in various categories:

To determine my Rum Howler Award Winners, I merely had to examine these lists, determine which of the rums on each list had been tasted at some point in the past two years, and then select the best spirit for each of my categories.

It is time for me to bring forward my 2017 Rum Howler Awards Winners. These are the spirits which have risen to the top and provided me with my greatest enjoyment.

Here is a link to my 2017 Award winners for the excellence in the production of Rum:

The 2017 Rum Howler Awards – The Year in Rum

Posted in Awards, Extras, Rum, Rum Reviews | Tagged: , , , | 3 Comments »

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