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Posts Tagged ‘Rum Review’

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Rum Review: Newfoundlander’s White Rum

Posted by Arctic Wolf on March 6, 2011

It started well over one hundred years ago when fishing fleets from Newfoundland, with their cargo of Northern Cod and North Atlantic Tuna, traveled south and established a tradition of trade for the Caribbean Elixir, known as rum. This trade established Newfoundland as one of the major portals for the legal import (and of course a little illegal smuggling) of rum into Canada.

There have always been a good variety of rum brands on the shelves of my local liquor store which began their journey westward across Canada from the easternmost Province of Newfoundland. These rums are imported from the Caribbean in bulk, then bottled and branded in St. John’s Newfoundland, and as a result can trace their ancestry to those original fishing fleets that bartered Cod for Rum.

One of these brands, Newfoundlander’s Rum, made a splash about a year ago with a new style and presentation that rejected the pirated clichés of the rum marketing gurus and instead embraced the heritage of Newfoundland’s rocky shores and its naval tradition. Stunning artwork from Canadian artist David Blackwood adorned the labels in narrative designs that told a story of the  proud Newfoundland people who live their lives near and on the sea. It is a life bound by tragedy and hope as the residents of Newfoundland are blessed by the ocean’s bounty; yet they are always at its mercy.

I was given a bottle of Newfoundlander’s White Rum this Christmas as a gift from a good friend, and I decided that I should share my impressions of this rum here on my blog.

Here is an excerpt from my review:

“…The light caramel flavour of the rum is firm, and I taste no bitter off-notes. There is a tinge of alcohol bite which tastes slightly sharp, but I also taste the light candy flavours I noticed in the nose and an every so soft progression of mint. Vanilla notes are present,  as is a light almond flavour…”

You may read the full review here:

Rum Review: Newfoundlander’s White Rum

As well I have included a few cocktails which work well with the Newfoundlander’s White Rum including The Pink Rocket and  The Gentle Hammock.

Posted in Cocktails & Recipes, Rum, Rum Reviews, White Rums | Tagged: , , , , | Comments Off on Rum Review: Newfoundlander’s White Rum

Rum Review: Ron Abuelo Anejo

Posted by Arctic Wolf on February 24, 2011

Ron Abuelo Anejo rum is produced by Varela Hermanos SA in Panama, Central America. This company has a history which dates back to 1908 when Don José Varela Blanco launched the first sugar mill in the then recently formed Republic of Panama.  In 1935 the site began to distill sugar cane juice for the production of liqueurs. Today the company produces an impressive array of products which includes over one million boxes of liqueurs and of course a strong variety of rum. The Ron Abuelo brand is just one brand from this wide assortment.

My first taste of this rum came in Miami (Rum Renaissance) at an event sponsored by Abuelo Rums. At the end of the event I was given a courtesy gift bag by the sponsors, and it contained a small 200 ml glass flask of Ron Abuelo Anejo which I kept unopened until now when I decided to sample the rum for the purpose of this review.

According to the website Ron o Anejo is produced from sugar cane juice rather than molasses and it is aged in white oak bourbon casks. A little research indicates that the Anejo is probably a 3-year-old rum. It stands at the bottom of the rungs, with respect to the Ron Abuelo lineup, accompanied in the brand line up by a 7-year-old and a 12-year-old rum.

Here is an excerpt from my review:

“…Vanilla, caramel and citrus peel lead out first but I soon taste firm fruitiness reminiscent of black cherries and wild field-berries.  The fruity tastes are reminiscent of a Port wine influence, and they have me somewhat baffled by their appearance in such a young rum which has been aged in a bourbon cask.  The rum also contains more familiar strong flavours of brown sugar, spicy cinnamon, and even perhaps a little tobacco and leather…”

You may read the full review here:

Rum Review: Ron Abuelo Anejo

As well I have included a nice cocktail suggestion, The Mandeville.

Posted in Cocktails & Recipes, Dark Rums, Rum, Rum Reviews | Tagged: , , , , , | Comments Off on Rum Review: Ron Abuelo Anejo

Review: McDowells No. 1 Celebration Rum

Posted by Arctic Wolf on February 17, 2011

Depending upon which website you visit, McDowell’s No. 1 Celebration Rum is listed as either the 3rd or the 4th best-selling rum in the World with sales of over 6 million cases per year. It is the largest selling rum in India with a market share between 38 and 40 percent. My research indicates that the McDowell’s No. 1 Celebration Rum is a result of a multiple distillation production which uses 5 copper column stills. The rum is aged for at least 3 years in oak barrels before being blended and bottled. Because the information from the various websites I visited was somewhat contradictory, I would not want to claim that these are solid facts, they should more reasonably be assumed to be good estimations.

The rum is distilled, blended and bottled at Ponda, Goa in India by United Spirits Ltd. (formerly known as McDowell Spirits Ltd). For your information, Goa, a former Portuguese colony is situated on the Western Coast of India. It is India’s smallest state by area, but the fourth largest by population, and the most prosperous by GDP.  Today Goa contains a unique blend of European culture merged with Indian hospitality. It is a preferred tourist destination in India famous for its abundance of white sandy beaches.

I have very little experience with rums from India, (Amrut Old Port Rum is the only other Indian rum I have tasted), and it will be very interesting to see what this Indian Rum has in store for me.

Here is an excerpt from  my review:

“…In the glass the rum has a rich mahogany color with reddish tinges in the light. The initial nose carries a lot of caramel, toffee and molasses forward with strong accents of vanilla and dry fruit….”

You may read the full review here:

Review: McDowells No. 1 Celebration Rum

As is my normal practice I have included a cocktail after the review which I believe suits this rum very well, the  Pondo Celebration Mule.

Posted in Cocktails & Recipes, Dark Rums, Rum, Rum Reviews | Tagged: , , , , , | Comments Off on Review: McDowells No. 1 Celebration Rum

Rum Review: Spiced Jack No. 94

Posted by Arctic Wolf on February 2, 2011

Legend has it (according to the Spiced Jack Website), that in 1956 a certain roguish pilot, Lieutenant Jack Butler, who was stationed in Bermuda in 1956 developed a secret recipe for spiced rum. Of course after developing this “Top Secret” recipe he and his plane disappeared without a trace. Mysteriously, all of his rum disappeared too. Fortune would have it that he had sent his secret recipe to his brother shortly before he disappeared and now White Rock Distillers are able to bring this formulation forward as Spiced Jack No. 94 Spiced Rum.

The ’94’ is a reference to the bottle strength of this rum which is 94 proof. This is a higher than normal bottling strength for a spiced rum which should impart a little ‘kick’ to the tonsils when it is sipped. In spite of this implied kick to the tonsils, the Spiced Jack Website assures us that the rum will be smooth. In fact, not just smooth, it will be “courageously smooth”.

A friend of mine gave me this bottle in trade on New Years Eve. I had taken a few sips (after I had already sipped a lot of other rums and whiskies that night), and decided a new rum to add to my collection would be a good thing. I never had a chance to try the bottle again until a few days ago when I decided to put it through the paces of my review system.

By clicking on the following link you can discover what I learned about my New Year’s Eve Rum Swap:

Rum Review: Spiced Jack No. 94

Please enjoy the review, and remember that the aim of my blog is not to help you drink more spirits, it is to help you drink better spirits!

Posted in Flavouerd Rums, Rum, Rum Reviews | Tagged: , , , | Comments Off on Rum Review: Spiced Jack No. 94

Rum Review: El Dorado 21-Year-Old Rum

Posted by Arctic Wolf on January 27, 2011

Ed 21 Served Neat

The Master Blender for  Demerara Distillers Ltd. , (DDL) is credited with the creation of El Dorado 21-Year-Old Special Reserve Rum which uses a selected blend of rums from their world-famous stills, the Enmore (wooden Coffey still), the Versailles (single wooden pot still), and the Albion (Savalle still). All of these rums in the blend have been aged in oak for a minimum of 21 years, making this one of the oldest production rums in the world.

The rum is part of a family of luxury cask aged rums which also includes a 12-year-old rum,  a 15-year-old rum and a 25-year-old Rum. According to the DDL website…

“El Dorado rums are blended selections of different ‘vintages’ or batches of rums from different stills – aged in oak barrels. Importantly, the age statement specifically indicates the youngest rum in the blend, even though the oldest may be many years older. This rule is the same as the one for Scotch Whisky and is used for rums produced in English-speaking countries…”

This age statement is quite different from those rums which feature a solera style age statement which highlights the oldest rum in the blend and usually includes a high percentage of rum which is much younger in the blend. In my opinion, this sets the El Dorado 21 Year Old Rum apart from its peers and it is very hard to find many comparably aged rums in my marketplace.

Here is an excerpt from my review:

“…The mouth is heated up with oak spice, and my first impression is that I am sampling a yummy oak and toffee extract filled with rich brown sugar. The oak is at the center of the flavour, yet the tannins do not inhibit the other flavours in the rum from forming and delighting me.  Raisins, prunes, and dates give the rum an almost smoky quality while the impressions of nutty elements adds softness to the mouth-feel. Cinnamon and brown sugar weave throughout and the rum is an absolute marvel of complexity and balance…“

You may read the full review here:

Rum Review: El Dorado 21-Year-Old Rum

Please enjoy the review and remember that it is my aim to help you drink better rums not to help you drink more rums!

Posted in Dark Rums, Howls, Rum, Rum Reviews | Tagged: , , , , | Comments Off on Rum Review: El Dorado 21-Year-Old Rum

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