The Rum Howler Blog

(A Website for Spirited Reviews)

  • Copyright

    Copyright is inherent when an original work is created. This means that the producer of original work is automatically granted copyright protection. This copyright protection not only exists in North America, but extends to other countries as well. Thus, all of the work produced on this blog is protected by copyright, including all of the pictures and all of the articles. These original works may not be copied or reused in any way whatsoever without the permission of the author, Chip Dykstra.

  • Cocktails and Recipes

    Click Image for Awesome Recipes

  • Industry Interviews

    Interviews

    Click the Image for Great Interviews with the Movers of Industry

  • The Rum Howler Interview (Good Food Revolution)

    Click on the Image to see my interview on Good Food Revolution

  • The Rum Howler Blog

    Unknown's avatar

  • Rum Reviews

  • Whisky Reviews

  • Gin Reviews

  • Tequila Reviews

  • Vodka Reviews

  • Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

    Join 1,092 other subscribers

  • Subscribe

  • Visitors

    • 15,520,373 pageviews since inception

  • Archives

  • Follow The Rum Howler Blog on WordPress.com

Posts Tagged ‘Rum Review’

« Previous Entries
Next Entries »

Review: Montanya Platino Rum

Posted by Arctic Wolf on September 9, 2010

The Montanya Tasting Room (Photo Courtesy of Montanya Distillers)

Up in the San Juan mountains of Colorado, in the heart of the High Country, 9318 feet above sea level, there sits an anomaly upon the landscape of world of rum. In this unlikely locale, far removed from the tropical climes of the Caribbean, the Montanya Distillery is open for business making their award-winning rum. I mention award-winning, because this year the distillery captured major awards at two of the most prestigious rum tasting competitions in the USA. At both the San Fransisco Worlds Spirits Competition in San Fransisco and at the Rum Renaissance – RumXP Tasting Competition in Miami, the Montanya Platino captured Gold Medals!

Photo Courtesy Montanya Distillers

Fortunately I was in Miami acting as a judge at the RumXP Tasting Competition (for those who do not know XP stands for Expert Panel), and I was able to acquire a sample bottle of the Montanya Platino rum to review on my blog.

I did a little research and discovered that all of the rum produced by Montanya Distillers is made on a small copper pot still. It is a small batch distillation which produces roughly 10 gallons of rum in each batch. When enough rum has been distilled to fill a reused whisky barrel. It is then set down to age at altitude in the small town of Silverton, Colorado for roughly 6 weeks.

Here is an excerpt from my review:

“Montanya Platino begins with a combination of honeyed caramel, bourbon vanilla and mild anise flavours on the initial palate. There is a little softness in the mouth which seems to give legs to a somewhat dank vanilla thread that runs through the rum. A touch of corn whisky stemming no doubt from the brief time in the whiskey barrels leaves a vague imprint in the rum’s flavour profile…”

You may read the full review here:

Review: Montanya Platino Rum

Enjoy the review and please remember to drink responsibly.

Posted in Cocktails & Recipes, Rum, Rum Reviews, White Rums | Tagged: , , , , | Comments Off on Review: Montanya Platino Rum

Review: Kōloa Kaua`i White Hawaiian Rum

Posted by Arctic Wolf on September 2, 2010

 

Olokele Sugar Mill on the Gay & Robinson Plantation: Photo Courtesy Jeanne Toulon (Kōloa Rum Company)

Kōloa Kaua`i White Hawaiian Rum is a white rum produced fresh from a 1210 gallon copper pot still with no barrel aging.  The actual base material for the distillation is not molasses, but rather the Gay and Robinson Plantation crystallized sugar.  I am told that the sugar has a higher than normal molasses content, and having been given a sample of the raw sugar, indeed it carries forward a wonderful molasses aroma.  From this distillate, and using the vintage copper pot still, all of the Kōloa Rum is made in a batch style.  The resulting white rum is about as pure as rum can be,  bottled fresh with no barrel aging.

This style of rum is unusual for me to taste and sample as most white rums I have reviewed here on my blog are aged rums which have been filtered clear. The fact that this rum is bottled fresh means that we are getting a glimpse into the unaged and unaltered structure of Kōloa Rums.

Here is an Excerpt from my review:

“…I taste a pleasing combination of light peppery spice and the vegetal tones one gets from a spirit bottled fresh from the still. Banana peel, a ribbon of mild anise,  and lime accents swim in the currents of a very light honeyed rummy caramel…”

You may read the full review here:

Review: Kōloa Kaua`i White Hawaiian Rum

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

Review: Cruzan Single Barrel Rum

Posted by Arctic Wolf on August 26, 2010

Cruzan Single Barrel Rum

About one month ago, I was pleasantly surprised by the appearance of Simon Mooney, the local Brand Ambassador for BeamGlobal, who had dropped by with a sample bottle of the new Cruzan Single Barrel Rum.  His wish was for me to put the rum through the paces of my review system and to see what came out. I was mildly surprised as the Cruzan Single Barrel Estate Rum was one of my very first rum reviews. Then again maybe I should not have been surprised, as Simon has been a reader of my blog for a while now, and he must have noticed that the review I had previously done was for the older bottling of the Cruzan Rum. Perhaps the blend has changed, or perhaps, this being a Single Barrel offering with each bottling representing a unique barrel of rum, each return to a new batch will be a little different. Whatever the reason for the sample bottle, I was only too happy to oblige with a new review of the new bottle.

To refresh your memory, Cruzan Single Barrel Rums are produced from a blend of vintage rums which have been aged up to 12 years.  Once blended the vintage rums are then finished in a new oak barrel for about one year. Barrels are bottled individually with each bottle of rum coming from a single barrel.  This picture shows the bottle I reviewed.  As stated above, since my initial tasting, Cruzan has changed the bottle design, and they have even changed the name of the rum slightly, but they have not changed the manner in which the rum is made. However, because each new barrel will have different characteristics, each bottling will be a little different from the last; but, the general character of each bottling should be similar due to the overall blending process.

Here is an excerpt from the new review:

“…Once poured, I immediately noticed a rich toffee scent which seems to have a nice oak spice embedded in the aroma. I catch hints of maple in the breezes as well as vanilla and orange citrus peel. In all, this is a rich pleasant nose that brings all the right elements to the fore….”

You may read the full review here:

Review: Cruzan Single Barrel Rum

Posted in Dark Rums, Rum, Rum Reviews | Tagged: , , , , | 2 Comments »

Review: Kōloa Kaua`i Gold Hawaiian Rum

Posted by Arctic Wolf on August 19, 2010

Harvesting the Cane at Gay and Robinson (Photo Courtesy Jeanne Toulon)

Nestled on the Island of Kaua`i, the Kōloa Rum Company is making history. It started nine years ago when the company was first incorporated. A seven-year struggle through red tape and government bureaucracy ensued before the necessary permits and licenses were granted, and finally on April 1, 2009, the Kōloa Rum Company was granted a license to distill their rum. The first legally distilled rum in the Island’s history.

Photo Courtesy of The Koloa Rum Company

The Kōloa rums are not made from traditional molasses, rather they are distilled from the crystallized sugar produced at the local Gay and Robinson Sugar Factory. This sugar, produced from 100% Kaua`i cane, has a higher than normal molasses content,  and as such, the sugar is a good starting point for making artisan rum. All of the rum is distilled using a vintage 1210 gallon copper pot still which was purchased in Kentucky, and transported first by train, and then by boat all the way to Hawaii.

My introduction to the Kōloa Rum Company’s Hawaiian rums was at Rum Renaissance in Miami, Florida. The Kōloa Dark Rum won a Gold Medal at the festival in the Rum XP Tasting Competition, and this was my first clue that something special might be happening in Hawaii. A gold medal rum, produced by a company which was just beginning to spread its wings…. I decided to investigate.

After contacting the Kōloa Rum Company, I was sent samples of their entire range for my review. I decided to start the review series with the Kōloa Kaua`i Gold Hawaiian Rum.

Here is an Excerpt from my review:

“…A surprising mild flavour is the initial impression I received when I sipped the gold rum for the first time. Again the flavour of the Gay and Robinson crystallized sugar comes though very clearly. It is a honeyed, caramel flavour which is sweet and inviting. Citrus zest, and light peppery spices follow with perhaps a little plantain or banana in the mid palate…”

You may Read the Full Review Here:

Review:Kōloa Kaua`i Gold Hawaiian Rum

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

Rum Review: Santiago De Cuba Ron Anejo

Posted by Arctic Wolf on August 5, 2010

Pictured to the right is a bottle of Ron Anejo Santigo de Cuba, an authentic Cuban rum which was provided for me to sample. I was asked me to take the bottle home with me, try a few ounces and to provide an opinion. I decided it would be nice to share this opinion on my blog as well.

I have found very little information about the rum, other than what I can decipher from the label and the smattering of information on the internet where it is sold by some internet dealers as an 11-year-old rum, and others as simply an anejo rum without age statement.  I also ran across claims that this was Fidel Castro’s favourite rum.  A claim which I can neither confirm nor deny.

Here is a clip from my review:
..The mouth is clean and slightly sharp with orange peel, lime and oak spice.  Mild toffee and almonds combine with  charred coconut, and perhaps a hint of treacle. There is the vaguest hint of leather and smoke but these elements are underdeveloped…”

You may read the rest of the review here:

Rum Review: Santiago De Cuba Ron Anejo

Posted in Cocktails & Recipes, Dark Rums, Rum, Rum Reviews | Tagged: , , , , | 2 Comments »

« Previous Entries
Next Entries »