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Posts Tagged ‘Rum’

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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

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

Arctic Wolf’s Christmas Eggnog

Posted by Arctic Wolf on December 21, 2010

This year I am going to re-post my favourite recipe for the Christmas Eggnog.  This is a simple recipe in terms of ingredients, but it will require a bit of a baker’s touch get it just right. I switched up the Rum and the Whisky in the recipe from last year and found it to be as good as ever.

Arctic Wolf’s Christmas Eggnog
(This makes about four servings. )

3 eggs at room temperature, (yolk and whites  separated)
3/8 cup sugar (for the yolks)
3 tablespoons sugar (for the whites)
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
a touch fresh ground cloves (About 1/16 of a teaspoon)
a pinch of fresh grated nutmeg (About 1/8 of a teaspoon)
a dash of fresh ground cinnamon (About 3 /16 of a teaspoon)
1 1/2 cups whipping cream, chilled
1 cup whole milk
1/2 cup dark rum ( Mount Gay Gold Eclipse)
2/3 cup Canadian Whisky (Potters Special Old)

……………………………………………………..

First the yolks

Separate your egg yolks and your egg whites in two bowls. Whisk the first amount of sugar and the vanilla into the egg yolks.   A a touch of  ground cloves, a pinch of nutmeg and a dash of cinnamon into the yolk bowl.   Add the cream, the milk and the rum and whisky (for adult consumption only). Make sure everything is mixed thoroughly.

Now the whites

This is where a baker’s touch is necessary.
Beat the egg whites until they form soft peaks (3-4 minutes). Add the second amount of sugar slowly during this beating process.

Now we combine

Gently and with large circular motions blend the egg white mixture into the yolk mixture, trying to keep things as ‘poofy’ as possible.

Sprinkle a little left over spice on the top of each glass, and enjoy with your favourite chocolates!

Merry Christmas Everyone!

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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

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