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Posts Tagged ‘Rum Review’

Review: Calico Jack Spiced Rum

Posted by Arctic Wolf on July 20, 2013

calicojackJohn “Calico Jack’ Rackham was a pirate of the early eighteenth century who seems to have two primary claims to fame. The first was that his design of the ship’s flag may actually have been the first use this design for a Jolly Roger flag ever on a pirate ship. The second is that his crew featured two female pirates, Anne Bonny and Mary Read (Rackham actually believed Mary Read was a man when she joined his crew).

Researching Calico Jack, I learned he received his nickname due to his fondness for colourful cotton calico clothing. Apparently some of hes crew liked his flashy look to as he and Anne Bonny were apparently lovers. (It is also reported that Ann Bonney was actually another man’s wife.) Calico Jack’s pirate days seem to have begun in 1718 when he was elevated to the Captaincy on an English warship during a mutiny, and it ended at the end of a hangman’s noose in November of 1720 after being captured off the shore of Jamaica. His short career of piracy was highlighted by the plundering smaller ships near the coastal shorelines in a stolen sloop and ended shortly after it began.

I hope that  the Calico Jack Spiced Rum fares better in terms of appeal and quality than its namesake.

You may read the review by clicking the following link:

Review: Calico Jack Spiced Rum

“…. I took a nice deep wiff and found that the nose of this rum is quite nice. I’m guessing Madagascar vanilla, (which is all the rage for spiced rum these days), and fragrant rummy caramel rose up in a nice mixture …”

This is a re-posting of my original review from March of 2010. I have edited a few typos and added a nice cocktail, Spiced Rum and Root Beer.

Posted in Cocktails & Recipes, Rum, Rum Reviews, Spiced Rum | Tagged: , , , | Comments Off on Review: Calico Jack Spiced Rum

Review: Appleton Estate 21 Year Old Rum

Posted by Arctic Wolf on July 14, 2013

Appleton Estate 21Appleton Estate currently produces five production rums available in my locale, the Appleton Estate VX, the Appleton Estate Reserve, the Appleton Estate 12 Year Old, the Master Blenders Legacy (my personal favourite), and the most exclusive rum available in Alberta, the Appleton 21 Year Old Rum.

When I first reviewed the 21 Year Old rum in 2010, I had a few issues with both the overt oakiness of the rum, and the manner in which it was packaged. Three years later, I see the packaging has improved substantially, and I have decided to revisit the rum to see if the rum inside that package has improved as well.

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

Review: Appleton Estate 21 Year Old Rum

“… The initial nose is retrained, and I catch notes of brown sugar, wood spice and orange peel. As the rum breathes, the restraints are slowly released and all of the scents and smell of the rum begin to fill the breezes with their aroma. The scent of brown sugar seems to meld with the rising wood spices bringing forward an impression of rich baking spices (nutmeg, vanilla, allspice and cinnamon) and spicy toffee. Firm scents of orange peel and oak are apparent as are sweet smells of marmalade and  dark tobacco. I also notice freshly broken walnuts, pecans, and hints of marzipan …”

Please enjoy my latest review!

Posted in Dark Rums, Rum, Rum Reviews | Tagged: , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Review: Appleton Estate 21 Year Old Rum

Review: Ragged Rock White Rum

Posted by Arctic Wolf on July 11, 2013

SAM_0758 Ragged DancerRagged Rock White Rum is produced by the Newfoundland and Labrador Liquor Corporation (NLC). The blending stocks for Ragged Rock come from Jamaica, in fact from the same distillery which produces Appleton Estate Rum. These are the same stocks which the NLC uses to produce their Famous Newfoundland Screech Rum and Ragged Rock Amber Rum, although obviously the stocks are treated differently to produce a clear white rum. It should be noted that as per Canadian Law these rum stocks have all been aged for minimum of one full year before being filtered clear to produce the rum.

Note: I was provided a sample bottle of the Ragged Rock White Rum by  Rock Spirits (a division of the Newfoundland Labrador Liquor Corporation)

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

Review: Ragged Rock White Rum 

“… The initial fragrance above the glass is quite striking. I smell very mild butterscotch and vanilla with obvious indications of banana and orange peel in the breezes. There also seems to be a light lemony scent being carried upwards with hints of anise and mint …”

Of course, white rums are cocktail rums, and at the end of my review I designed a nice recipe called the Ragged Canary!

Enjoy the review and the cocktail everyone!

Posted in Cocktails & Recipes, Rum, Rum Reviews, White Rums | Tagged: , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Review: Ragged Rock White 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.

Posted in Cocktails & Recipes, Dark Rums, Rum, Rum Reviews | Tagged: , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Review: One Barrel 5 Year Rum

Review: Screech Spiced 100 (Proof) Rum

Posted by Arctic Wolf on June 30, 2013

SAM_0824 Spiced Rum and GingerFamous Newfoundland Screech has recently added two new members to it family, a honey flavouerd rum (which was the subject of a previous review), and the subject of this review, Screech Spiced 100 (Proof) Rum. The new spiced rum is made from the same 4 marques of Jamaican Rum which are used to produce Screech. However, because this is a spiced rum (bottled at 50 % alcohol by volume), the treatment of these marques will necessarily be slightly different. The new family members are just now hitting the store shelves in Newfoundland and Labrador, and will soon be making their way across Canada and into parts of the USA.

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

Review: Screech Spiced 100 (Proof) Rum

“… The initial scents in the breezes are sweet and spicy with an unmistakable accent of baking spices (vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves). As the glass sits the baking spices seem to take over the glass giving the rum a rich scent similar to my mom’s cinnamon buns taken fresh from the oven. There are aromas of roasted pecans and walnuts and a little touch of baked caramel, and a nice meandering scent of marmalade making my mouth water …”

I found the Screech Spiced Rum to be a very versatile mixer and included a Spiced Rum and Ginger-ale recipe in the review for your enjoyment.

Cheers!

Posted in Cocktails & Recipes, Rum, Rum Reviews, Spiced Rum | Tagged: , , , , , | Comments Off on Review: Screech Spiced 100 (Proof) Rum