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Posts Tagged ‘Solera’

Review: Ron Millonario Solera 15 Reserva Especial

Posted by Arctic Wolf on December 19, 2020

Fabio Rossi began his life in the spirits trade as a Oenologist (one who has studied winemaking). After his studies, Mr. Rossi left the wine business and started up a whisky company in Edinburgh (Wilson and Morgan) acting as an independent bottler of Single Malt Scotch Whisky. His interest turned to rum and in 1999, Fabio Rossi founded Rum Nation and a few years later Ron Millonario. The parent company of each brand (Rossi and Rossi S.R.I.) is headquartered in Italy. Although the parent company of the Ron Millonario brand is Italian, the rums of Ron Millonario are produced in Northern Peru.

The subject of this review, Ron Millonario Solera 15 Reserva Especial, is produced from a 4 stage Solera process with the final stage bringing the oldest rum in the blend to 15 years. (Based upon the information sent to me by the brand owner, the youngest rum in the blend would 8 years.) The rum is bottled in Peru at 40 % alcohol by volume.

Here is a link to the full review:

Review: Ron Millonario Solera 15 Reserva Especial 

“… Ron Millonario 15 is a full flavoured rum which features impressions of burnt caramel (treacle), licorice laced molasses, dry fruit, wood spice, marmalade, pungent baking spices (cinnamon, cloves and allspice), dribbles of coffee and chocolate and rich tobacco …”

Please enjoy the review which has been updated based upon a recent revisit to the brand.

Chimo!

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Review: Cihuatan Gran Reserva 8

Posted by Arctic Wolf on December 18, 2020

Cihuatan Gran Reserva 8 is produced by El Salvador’s first ever rum distillery, Licorera Cihuatán. After a little research I was able to discover that the RON DE EL SALVADOR CIHUATÁN trademark was filed for on September 16, 2014 and this trademark was granted in August 30 2016 (see here and here). This type of Trademark is normally applied for when a company wishes to export products outside their home market which would indicate that the company which owns and produces Cihuatan Rum began to export the rum out of El Salvador in 2016. Presumably the distillery has been operating for a longer time than this, and according to Drink Hacker (see here), Cihuatan was established in 2004.

According to the producer’s website:

All of our rums are handcrafted in El Salvador, and we watch over every step of the process from the seed of the sugarcane to the bottle.

Here is a link to my full review:

Review: Cihuatan Gran Reserva 8

“… The flavour is nice as fine oak spices mingle with vanilla, butterscotch and almond. Hints of baking spice (cinnamon in particular) and orange peel zest seem to add to the heated feel of the spirit. Coconut and banana and a light grassy quality is apparent as well …”

Please enjoy my review.

Chimo!

 

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El Ron Prohibido 15 Gran Reserva

Posted by Arctic Wolf on February 23, 2018

El Ron Prohibido is an interesting rum produced in Mexico by the same company which produces Tequila Corralejo. There are three rums in the El Ron Prohibito line-up, a Silver Rum, El Ron Prohibito 12, and El Ron Prohibito 15 Gran Reserva.

Although one might assume that the number 15 represents the age of the El Ron Prohibido Rum, this is not the case. The number 15 represents the number of American Oak barrels in the solera aging system used to mature the rum. Giving this rum a different twist is the fact that these 15 American oak barrels were previously used for maturing Raisin Wine. The Raisin Wine Cask leaves its imprint firmly upon the rum giving us a new flavour profile quite different from a typical Caribbean Rum.

Here is a link to my full review:

Review: El Ron Prohibido 15 Gran Reserva

“… As I let the spirit breathe I notice the oak spices evolving with dark tobacco and even more raisins in the air. There is a rich decadence implied. This is not your typical rum, the raisin wine cask has left a firm imprint of it sweet flavour and aroma upon the spirit …”

Please enjoy my review of this unique Mexican Rum.

Chimo!

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#Top100Rums of 2017: #23 Ron Matusalum Gran Reserva 18 Rum

Posted by Arctic Wolf on November 28, 2017

Ron Matusalem prides itself on being a Cuban style of rum with a history in Cuba they trace back to 1872 when two brothers, Benjamin and Eduardo Camp, together with a partner, Evaristo Álvarez opened a distillery in Santiago de Cuba. According to the information I found last April on the Matusalem website, the rum they were producing began to win acclaim by the first quarter of the 20th century. The distillery apparently operated until the 1960′s when due to the Cuban Revolution the Álvarez family was exiled, and the rum they made disappeared from the landscape.

The brand was resurrected by Claudio Álvarez Salazar, who is the great-grandson of Evaristo Álvarez. Of course, it was not possible, given the political situation in Cuba, for Claudio to produce or bottle the rum in Cuba. Apparently, it is produced (presumably by a third-party as Ron Matusalem does not own a distillery) in the Dominican Republic, and then bottled in Lawrenceburg, Indiana by Proximo Spirits.

Here is a link to the review for the Rum Howler #23 Rum of 2017:

Review: Ron Matusalum Gran Reserva 18 Rum

“… I taste bitter-sweet caramel turning to treacle in my mouth with a light layer of vanilla keeping the rum smooth. A somewhat peppery, somewhat pungent oak spice is apparent which brings impressions of nutmeg, cloves and cinnamon to the fore with just a touch of spicy wood sap melded in …”

______________________________________

We  have reached the top 25 rum spirits of 2017. I have reviewed and/or re-tasted each of these rums within the past three years. (All Rum reviews were based upon bottle samples either purchased by myself or provided to me by industry.)

You can continue to follow the countdown on twitter (Rum Howler on Twitter) using the hashtag #Top100Rums.

Alternatively you can view the list as it grows daily by viewing my Reveal Page:

The Rum Howler – Top 100 Rums of 2017

 

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Review: Dictador XO Insolent Rum

Posted by Arctic Wolf on July 23, 2014

Dictador Insolent SAM_1195This past May, I was invited by Thirsty Cellar Imports, to attend a Rum Master Class hosted by Hernan Parra Arango, Rum Master for Dictador Colombian Rum. At the event, the attendees were given the opportunity to taste the entire Dictador line-up which of course included not only the Dictador 12 Year and the Dictador 20 Year Solera Rums, but we also tasted and learned about the Dictador XO Perpetual and XO Insolent Rums.

At the Rum Master Class, I learned that for the Dictador XO Insolent in particular, the aging barrels used are pre-used oak barrels which have a significant percentage of oak obtained from Jerez Spain, as well as pre-used Port Wine Barrels. Near the end of the aging process, the barrels earmarked for the XO Insolent Rum are emptied (and the rum stored of course), and these barrels are subjected to an open flame process which caramelizes the rum soaked oak fibres on the interior of the barrel. These barrels are then refilled with the same rum allowing the spirit to draw the sweet caramelized flavours from the interior of the oak barrel. The final rum is blended and barreled at 40 % Alcohol by volume.

You may read my full review for the XO Insolent Rum by clicking on the following excerpt:

Review: Dictador XO Insolent Rum

“… luscious with sweet toffee smells rising from the glass tainted with impressions of butterscotch, vanilla, corn syrup, creme de brulee, maple syrup and peanut brittle. There is a backbone of firm oak sap and spice melded wonderfully into these sweeter butterscotch like aromas with delectable baking spices (cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves) and hints of milk chocolate …”

Please enjoy my latest review!

Posted in Dark Rums, Rum, Rum Reviews | Tagged: , , , , , | 6 Comments »