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Posts Tagged ‘Rum Review’

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Rum Review: Cubaney Ron Tesero Grand Reserve

Posted by Arctic Wolf on October 16, 2010

Picture Courtesy http://rumconnection.com/

I  have a friend in the Dominican Republic with a website called Rums of the Dominican Republic (Drums).  His name is Pavol Kažimir.  Pavol and I have exchanged emails a few times, and we met in Miami at Rum Renaissance where we seemed to hit it off with each other quite well. But, I was very surprised when he emailed me during the summer and asked me which bottle of Dominican Rum I would like to receive when his friend visited Edmonton. I stated a preference for something that maybe wasn’t available in my locale, and Pavol promptly arranged for Oliver and Oliver to provide me a sample bottle for review.

The bottle that was chosen surprised me all the more, the Cubaney Ron Tesero Grand Reserve. A solera style with aged rum as old as 25 years in the blend. In fact, I do believe this may be the top of the line as far as Oliver and Oliver is concerned. If you have not heard of Oliver and Oliver, I should explain that they are an independent bottler of rum operating in the Dominican Republic.  They buy barreled rum from major rum producers, and then age it using a solera aging system in the “Cuban” style.

I thank you Pavol for obtaining this sample for me, and lest I bore everyone; here is an excerpt from the review:

“…The rum carries a firm but soft sweetness forward, as well as a nice spiciness that coats the tongue and the sides of the mouth as the first sip is taken. I taste rich baking spices wrapped inside a deep dark brown leathery toffee and molasses…”

Here is a link to the full review:

Rum Review: Cubaney Ron Tesero Grand Reserve

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Review: El Dorado Single Barrel Demerara ICBU Rum

Posted by Arctic Wolf on September 30, 2010

The Uitvlught Sugar Factory was founded in the 18th century on the west bank of the Demerara River.  El Dorado Rums, (produced by Demerara Distillers Ltd in Guyana), have introduced a Single Barrel rum using only distillation and fermentation techniques of the Savalle Still (using the same traditional methods which have been employed for 250 years).  As the barrels from this still were originally marked with an  ICBU marque  to identify the rums from the Uitvlught Sugar Factory, this rum is labeled El Dorado Single Barrel Demerara Rum ICBU.  This bottling is part of a series of Single Barrel offerings available as part of the El DoradoRums Connoisseur’s Range.

I consider this somewhat of an artisan offering which gives the rum aficionado a glimpse into the particular characteristics of Demerara rum from a particular still, in this case the Savalle Still.  Rum from this particular still would normally be blended with many other rums from the other Demerara stills and from other barrels types to construct a quality Demerara blend.  The original distillation techniques of the Savalle Still produces a very particular flavour profile, and this review will be a reflection of that particular characteristic flavour profile which the Savalle Still imparts.

Here is an excerpt from the review:

“…The oak is strong, but the sweetness of the brown sugar spices balances the sharpness of the oak and citrus zests.  There is no bitter aftertaste to spoil the experience.  As well, flavours of caramel, toffee, and vanilla all lie in moderation under the oak spice as does a slightly charred nuttiness, and flavours of toasted coconut….”

You may read the full review here:

Review: El Dorado Single Barrel Demerara ICBU Rum

as well I came up with a great cocktail called Savalle Row!

Posted in Cocktails & Recipes, Dark Rums, Rum, Rum Reviews | Tagged: , , , , , | Comments Off on Review: El Dorado Single Barrel Demerara ICBU Rum

Review: Big Black Dick Dark Caribbean Rum

Posted by Arctic Wolf on September 19, 2010

My second review in honor of International “Talk Like a Pirate” Day is for a rum inspired by the exploits of the not so well-known pirate, “Big Black Dick”

According to the Big Black Dick Rum website,  Big Black Dick is believed to have been born  of ‘Royal’ African parentage.  You can pretty much guess at the story, Hometown Boy Prince captured by French slavers. Rejecting his African name they decide to call him ‘Richard Le Noir‘ , which means ‘Black Richard’. He gets tossed overboard by the slavers near an uncharted Caribbean island, where he miraculously swims ashore only to be promptly captured and becomes a slave working in the Cane fields.

After years of labour, he learns the secret of how to turn sugar cane into the Caribbean’s finest rum. Because he was such an honest hard-working guy, he is granted his freedom in the early 1700’s.  Of course, he immediately became a dashing pirate who wore incredible purple velvet, carried four pistols, and becomes known as Big Black Dick, the Pirate. Unlike most other pirates, he lives a long and hearty pirate life, and then he retires to a fine life making his famous Pirate Rum… and his famous Secret Seasonings,….and of course his famous Caribbean Hot Sauce.

I seriously doubt, much, if any of the story is true….but hey, it’s a heck of a story and serves as the backdrop for a very interesting marketing campaign.

You may read the full story of the rum in the bottle here:

Review: Big Black Dick Dark Caribbean Rum

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Review: Captain Morgan’s Original Spiced Rum

Posted by Arctic Wolf on September 19, 2010

It is International “Talk Like a Pirate”Day and so I though I would review a couple of rums which embrace the pirate mythology.  I am going to start with Captain Morgan’s Original Spiced Rum.

Admiral Sir Henry Morgan (aka Captain Morgan) was a Welsh ‘privateer’ who attacked and plundered the Caribbean on behalf of, and with the written consent of (in the form of an English Letter of Marque), the Governor of Jamaica, Sir Thomas Modyford. Privateers at that time in history were essentially ‘legal pirates’ who were allowed to attack and loot enemies of the state reaping the rewards from their plunder in lieu of pay. Researching Sir Henry Morgan, I learned he was a skilled naval captain, a ruthless buccaneer, and one of the most successful ‘privateers’ in the history of piracy earning a Knighthood for himself in 1674.

Captain Morgan’s Original Spiced Rum is of course the name of Diageo’s top-selling spiced rum. I am on a bit of a mission to find out if the rum lives up to the man for which it was named. On the surface at least, we have some nice comparisons. Captain Morgan the Privateer was one of the most successful buccaneers in the history of piracy, practically defining the means and methods of a successful pirate campaign. Captain Morgan the Original Spiced Rum is perhaps the most successful Spiced Rum in the entire category and has pretty much set the standard for sales and marketing for all other spiced rums to follow. But what about the rum itself? Is it really as good as the marketing? I put Captain Morgan Spiced Rum through the paces of my review system to find out.

You may read the full review here:

Review: Captain Morgan’s Original Spiced Rum

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Review: Kōloa Kaua`i Dark Hawaiian Rum

Posted by Arctic Wolf on September 16, 2010

Photo courtesy DakineImages.com/Jo Evans (http://dakineimages.com)

It was at the Rum Renaissance in Miami Florida this past May that I was first introduced to Kōloa Kaua`i Hawaiian Rum. Although The Kōloa Rum Company had been ‘up and rumming’ for only a little more than a year, the Kōloa Kaua`i Dark Hawaiian Rum garnered one of prestigious gold medals at the Rumxp Tasting Competition which was in held conjunction with the event. This was a remarkable feat considering that the license to distill alcohol had been issued only one year previous, on April 1, 2009.

I decided I had better get to know this company a little better, and after I emailed my information request, I was contacted by Jeanne Toulon, Director of Public Relations, for the Kōloa Rum Company.  Jeanne was only too happy to help me out and soon deluged me with news clippings, a cool video and as much information as she could stuff into the large brown envelope that she sent my way.  (I was even given a small sample of the crystallized brown sugar from the Gay and Robinson Plantation which is the basic raw material from which all of the Kōloa Rum is distilled. )

Photo Courtesy Jeanne Toulon (Kōloa Rum Company)

Her generosity also extended to a sample bottle of each of the rums in the Kōloa range to review at my leisure here on my blog. Sadly I have come to the last of these sample bottles, happily it is a sample of the Kōloa Kaua`i Dark Hawaiian Rum, the Gold medal winner at Rum Renaissance.

Here is an excerpt from my review:

“…The rum is gentle and brings forward initial flavours of vanilla, dark molasses, and sweet caramel. A layer of hotter spices lies underneath and warms the mouth. In particular I seem to get a nice accent of cloves which brings about a certain depth of flavour…”

You may read the full review here:

Kōloa Kaua`i Dark Hawaiian Rum

Posted in Cocktails & Recipes, Dark Rums, Flavouerd Rums, Rum, Rum Reviews | Tagged: , , , , , | Comments Off on Review: Kōloa Kaua`i Dark Hawaiian Rum

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