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Posts Tagged ‘Rum Review’

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Diplomatico Hacienda Saruro

Posted by Arctic Wolf on January 8, 2011

Hacienda Saruro is an aged rum liqueur produced by Distilerias Unidas, S.A. In case that particular distilling company doesn’t roll off your tongue easily, just think Diplomatico Rum.  That’s right, the people who brought us the wonderful Diplomatico Rums are responsible for Hacienda Saruro.

If you are wondering what an aged rum liqueur is supposed to be, then my next suggestion is that you think about Drambuie. Drambuie is the honey flavored scotch whisky liqueur made from aged malt whisky, heather, honey, and a blend of herbs and spices.  What Drambuie is to Scotch, Hacienda Saruro has the potential to be to Rum.

I was given my first sample of this elixir over a year ago at a special tasting I was invited to by the local Importers of Diplomatico Rum, PB Beverages. At the tasting, everyone who was there was bowled over by the flavour and richness of this unique spirit. It has taken a year to finally reach the market, but the product has finally arrived in Alberta, and so has my sample bottle from PB Beverages.

Here is an excerpt from my review:

“… There is a nice mixture of honey sweetness and sharper oak tannin, as well as a bevy of dry fruit and fieldberries sitting underneath to support the flavour. I taste a nice ribbon of orange flavour as well as citrus zest riding in the currents. Vanilla, hazelnut and almonds ride in the currents as well although the nutty flavours are not assertive…”

You may read my full review here:

Review: Diplomatico Hacienda Saruro

As usual I have included a nice recipe after the review which I call the Kentucky Crocodile.

Posted in Cocktails & Recipes, Flavouerd Rums, Rum, Rum Reviews | Tagged: , , , , , | Comments Off on Diplomatico Hacienda Saruro

Revisting Mount Gay Extra Old

Posted by Arctic Wolf on January 3, 2011

One of my very early rum reviews was for Mount Gay Extra Old Rum (MGXO). In fact, this was one of the ten original reviews that I published to open my site back in October 2009. Since that time, when the occasion has presented itself for me to revisit these early reviews, I have done so. This is because I acknowledge that my earliest reviews were perhaps a little fragmentary, and that my experience since these earlier reviews has grown with my understanding of rum and whisky.

In the interests of fairness, I have left my older review at the bottom of the review page such that this evolution will be obvious to my readers.

The Mount Gay Extra Old Rum (MGXO) is produced in a traditional style using copper pot stills. The rum is double distilled and aged in American white oak barrels which were previously used to age Kentucky bourbon. This is a well aged rum with the blend consisting of a wide range of rums from 7 years of age up to 15 years of age.  I received the sample bottle for this review from Scott Parker of  Select Wines who are the importers of Mount Gay Rums in my locale.

Here is a snippet from my review:

“…As the glass decants, the aroma sweetens and I can smell a sweeter brown sugar within the molasses as well as luxurious baking spices. As I continue to allow the nose to develop, I get additional scents of roasted marshmallows, oak spices, ripe fruit, and scattered tea leaves. Hints of faint copper-like scents, unsweetened cocoa and an indistinct cigar-like aroma are drifting in and out of the breezes. This is deep and complex…”

You may read the full review here:

Rum Review: Mount Gay Extra Old Barbados Rum

Posted in Cocktails & Recipes, Dark Rums, Rum, Rum Reviews | Tagged: , , , , , | Comments Off on Revisting Mount Gay Extra Old

The Emperor Rum: Appleton 30

Posted by Arctic Wolf on December 17, 2010

The Appleton Estate Limited Edition 30 Year Old Rum (produced of course by Appleton Estate in Jamaica), is a well aged rum composed of several marks of rum selected by the Appleton Estate Master Blender. These selected marks were originally aged for 8 years in oak barrels. However, once they were blended, they were then placed in oak barrels once more where they were matured for an additional 22 years in an unusually long dual aging process. According to the published information from Appleton Estate, only 1440 bottles of the 30 Year Old Rum were produced, and these were released onto the word-wide market in 2008.

Now this is a special rum and I was determined to get the review right. To that end, my review of the Appleton 30 year Old Rum is based upon 5 independent tasting sessions in my private tasting room. As well I also carried out side by side tastings with several other well aged spirits which included two Scotch Whiskies (Mosstowie 1979 28 Yr, Cask No.s 12771 & 12772, Bottle No. 162, and Bunnahabhain 1978 29 Yr, Cask No. 2584, Bottle No. 275 of 581); one 30 year Old Canadian Whisky (Canadian Club 30 Year Old 150th Anniversary Edition); and one Dominican Rum (Oliver and Oliver, Opthimus 25). I felt it was important (even though I am a regular consumer of aged spirits) to compare the Appleton 30 Year old with other well aged spirits as part of the review process.

Here is an excerpt from my review:

“…The rum is a dark and rich reddish-brown colour which leaves a thick film on my glass when it is tilted. This film slowly releases thick fat legs back into the rum. As I watched the legs slowly crawl down the sides of the glass, the rum was bringing heavy notes of a woody sap and oak tannin to my nostrils….”

You may read the full review here:

Review: Appleton Estate Limited Edition 30 Year Old Rum

Posted in Dark Rums, Rum, Rum Reviews | Tagged: , , , , | Comments Off on The Emperor Rum: Appleton 30

Review: Mount Gay Eclipse (Gold)

Posted by Arctic Wolf on December 15, 2010

As mentioned two weeks ago, the distributors for Mount Gay (Select Wines) have arranged for me to receive a few samples of their Mount Gay Rum for the purpose of reviewing them on my website. This is the second review in this series and today I am sharing my experiences with the Mount Gay Eclipse Rum.

It was in 1910 that the appearance of Haley’s comet coincided with a total solar eclipse, and this event is said to have inspired Mount Gay Rum to create the Eclipse Rum. The Eclipse is a traditional double distilled rum produced from copper pot stills and aged in white Kentucky oak barrels which were previously used to age bourbon. I found that when I was patient with the spirit, I could catch glimpses of the Kentucky Bourbon in both the aroma and flavour.

Here is an Excerpt from my Review:

“…The initial aroma from the glass is laced with caramel and orange peel.  Allowing the glass to decant reveals the scents of deep brown sugar and toffee spices. Interestingly I also catch wiffs of a nice woody apricot brandy, a ribbon of bourbon and vanilla, and more subtle smoky aromas of dried fruit, tobacco and oak tannin…”

You may read the full review here:

Review: Mount Gay Eclipse (Gold)

Please enjoy the review and the two cocktails which follow!

Posted in Cocktails & Recipes, Dark Rums, Rum | Tagged: , , , , , | Comments Off on Review: Mount Gay Eclipse (Gold)

Introducing Mount Gay Eclipse Silver

Posted by Arctic Wolf on December 3, 2010

I mentioned, here on my blog a week ago, that the rum renaissance is well under way in my home province of Alberta with the arrival of the Mount Gay 1703, Old Cask Selection. What I did not mention was that the distributors for Mount Gay Rum (Select Wines) had arranged for me to receive a few samples of their rum for the purpose of reviewing them on my website. The first of these reviews is for the Mount Gay Eclipse Silver Rum, a Bajan rum from the Mount Gay Plantation on the Island of Barbados.

Mount Gay Rum has been produced on the Isle of Barbados since the beginning of the eighteenth century, making Mount Gay one of the oldest, (if not the oldest) rum brand in the World.  Evidence exists of stills in use at the Mount Gay Plantation site as early as 1667, and we have confirmation (with the first written records) of rum produced on the site in 1703.

Here is an excerpt from my review:

“…It is unusual in my experience for a white rum to display such an inviting aroma in the glass. The scents and smells of light butterscotch were evident as was a firm presence of banana, a mild citrus zest, and a light minty aroma….”

You may read the full review here:

Review: Mount Gay Eclipse Silver Rum

As well please enjoy my cocktail suggestions which follow the review.

Posted in Cocktails & Recipes, Rum, Rum Reviews, White Rums | Tagged: , , , , | Comments Off on Introducing Mount Gay Eclipse Silver

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