Posts Tagged ‘Top 100 Spirits’
Posted by Arctic Wolf on November 16, 2015
All of the Glenfarclas whisky is matured in two styles of oak barrels, plain oak barrels which have previously contained Bourbon or Scotch Whisky, and Spanish oak which has previously contained Oloroso or Fino Sherry from Seville. The barrels are stored in traditional ‘dunnage’ warehouses which date from the late 1800s. The Glenfarclas 30 Year Old Highland Single Malt Whisky which is the subject of this review has been bottled at 43 % and is produced from both first fill sherry casks and refill bourbon casks.
My review of the Glenfarclas 30 Year Old was facilitated by Pacific Wine & Spirits Inc who provided a sample for me to assess, and who kindly invited me to several tasting events hosted by George Grant, the Sales Director for the Glenfarclas Distillery where I was able to sample the entire core range of Glenfarclas Whisky in side by side comparisons. Mr. Grant is part of the 6th generation of the Grant Family who originally purchased the distillery in 1865. His family still controls and manages the distillery today.
Here is a link to the review of the #4o spirit on my Rum Howler Top 100 Spirits Countdown.
“… This whisky is rich and luxurious on the nose. Chocolate, coffee, nutmeg, allspice, ginger, cardamom and wonderful oak spices all rise up in a veritable bouquet for the nostrils. The whisky show its age in the glass but it also shows its character with a complex oakiness which is almost perfectly melded into the 30-year-old sherried whisky …”
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You may follow my Countdown list of the 100 Best Spirits here: The Rum Howler 2015 – Top 100 Spirits
Posted in Awards, Extras, Scotch Whisky, Single Malt Whisky, Whisk(e)y, Whisk(e)y Review | Tagged: 30 Year Old, Glenfarclas, Review, Rum howler, Scotch, Single Malt, Top 100 Spirits, Whisky | Comments Off on #39 Glenfarclas 30 Year Old Highland Single Malt Whisky
Posted by Arctic Wolf on November 15, 2015
Ron Zacapa rums are made from sugar cane harvested in southern Guatemala, which is pressed into virgin sugar cane honey. The fermentation process uses a yeast strain (saccharomyces cerevisae) isolated from pineapples to transform sugars within the ‘honey’ into alcohol. This fermentation process takes approximately 5 days after which the fermented ‘wine’ is distilled in a single continuous column.
After distillation, the Zacapa rum is transported to the ‘House above the Clouds’ in the Guatemalan mountains for maturation. Special cellars age the rum at an altitude of more than 7000 feet above sea level where the ambient temperature is much more stable and the oxygen levels are lower than at lower elevations. The more stable ambient temperature ensures that the aging barrels are subject to less differential air pressure between the outside and the inside of the barrel.
I should note that this version of Ron Zacapa Centrenario is an older vintage from the one currently available for sale. This version is labeled 23 anos rather than 23 solero. The older vintage received a higher score when I reviewed it, and when I tasted it side by side with the newer version, I found that I indeed preferred slightly drier and less sweet flavour.
Here is a link to the review of the #4o spirit on my Rum Howler Top 100 Spirits Countdown.
“… This is very rich and very complex. Nutmeg and allspice swirl around vanilla and dark molasses. There is also an earthy, oak filled taint to the nose which is most pleasing. I think I catch hazelnut and pecans in the air as well, but then again I might be imagining that I can actually tell the difference …”
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You may follow my Countdown list of the 100 Best Spirits here: The Rum Howler 2015 – Top 100 Spirits
Posted in Awards, Extras, Rum, Rum Reviews | Tagged: Centrenario 23 Anos, Ron Zacapa, Rum, Rum howler, Rum Review, Top 100 Spirits | Comments Off on #40 Ron Zacapa Centrenario 23 Anos
Posted by Arctic Wolf on November 14, 2015
The Rum Nation Demerara 23 Year Old, is quite an interesting rum. According to my correspondence with Mr. Rossi (of Rum Nation) he purchased 3 casks of this rum from a vendor in the United Kingdom in 2002. The barrels bore the marque from Demerara Distillers Limited’s famous Double Wooden Pot still of the Port Maurant Estate (PM). These ex bourbon casks were transferred into a Sherry Butt (Oloroso N. 61) in 2004 and were left to age in an underground cellar in Bristol, England where “early landed cognac” (Hine and Delamain) was also aged. The cellar in Bristol was closed in 2007, and the rum was brought to the Piedmont area of Italy (famous for the nebbiolo grape varietal) where it continued to age until 2012 when it was bottled in Italy.
The age statement on the rum is based upon certification in the United Kingdom (I note that the UK customs system is very stringent). Unfortunately there is no record of when the rum was shipped from Guyana to the UK, but my speculation is that it was probably meant to be part of the blend of a ‘navy style’ rum as Port Mourant Rum (from the Double Wooden Still) is one of the key ingredients in those British Navy Rums.
Here is a link to the review of the #41 spirit on my Rum Howler Top 100 Spirits Countdown.
“… The initial aroma is perhaps a little daunting as rising from the glass are rich caramel scents laced with the smells of wood sap and resin. Felled poplar trees, spruce wood chips, and fresh unstained oak all seem to be part of that wood filled onslaught in the breezes above the glass. Wisps of dry fruit and licorice mingle within the breezes as does a faintly sappy, mildly acrid, vaguely rubbery tar-like scent …”
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You may follow my Countdown list of the 100 Best Spirits here: The Rum Howler 2015 – Top 100 Spirits
Posted in Awards, Dark Rums, Extras, Rum, Rum Reviews | Tagged: Dark Rum, Demerara 23 Year Old, Demerara Rum, Review, Rum, Rum howler, Rum Nation, Top 100 Spirits | Comments Off on #41 Rum Nation Demerara 23 Year Old
Posted by Arctic Wolf on November 13, 2015
Wyborowa Exquisite is the Premium version of Wyborowa Vodka and it is produced in Turew, which is a single estate distillery in Western Poland. It is distilled using 100 % Dankowslie Slote Rye Grain. This particular grain is said to give the final spirit a creamy consistency and sweet, nutty note. The grain used to produce Wyborowa Exquisite vodka comes from the fields surrounding the traditional rural distillery. Rectified spirit of excellent quality is diluted with water from a deep spring.
The Wyborowa Exquisite was one of the very first Vodka spirits I reviewed upon my website. I loved it at once, and upon re-tasting the spirit for my Top 100 Spirits Countdown, I fell in love with it all over again.
Here is a link to the review of the #42 spirit on my Rum Howler Top 100 Spirits Countdown.
“… The initial aroma of the vodka presented tantalizing glimpses of rye spices with just a hint of pine and citrus. These impressions were reinforced on my palate although the ghostly flavour impressions seemed to vanish as quickly as they appeared. The Vodka was not as creamy as some of the more recent premium vodkas I have tried. It was however cleaner in the mouth, and as it is swallowed the finish in the throat was clean as well …”
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You may follow my Countdown list of the 100 Best Spirits here: The Rum Howler 2015 – Top 100 Spirits
Posted in Awards, Extras, Vodka, Vodka Reviews | Tagged: Exquisite, Pernod Ricard, Review, Rum howler, Top 100 Spirits, Vodka, Wyborowa | Comments Off on #42 Wyborowa Exquisite Vodka
Posted by Arctic Wolf on November 12, 2015
Demerara County (in Guyana) is popular across the world for its rich, three hundred year history of rum production. Using a combination of old wooden stills in conjunction with modern stills and distilling techniques, Demerara Distillers Ltd. (DDL) has built a reputation for outstanding quality and consistent production. In fact, Demerara Distillers is the currently the largest supplier of bulk Caribbean rums to Europe and North America.
The Year Old Special Reserve Rum is blended from aged stocks (the youngest being no less than 12 years old) from the original Wooden Enmore Coffey still, the original metal Diamond Coffey still, as well as from the ancient Port Mourant double wooden pot still which was used to produce ‘navy’ rum for the English Admiralty. All of the Demerara Rum produced by El Dorado is aged exclusively in American oak (bourbon barrels).
Here is a link to the review of the #43 spirit on my Rum Howler Top 100 Spirits Countdown.
“… Oak and wood spices provide a nice backdrop for the sweet baking spices (vanilla, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves) and rich molasses that rises into the breezes above the glass. There are hints of spicy orange peel, and fresh citrus fruit which appear and disappear within the aroma, and I have a hard time finding fault …”
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You may follow my Countdown list of the 100 Best Spirits here: The Rum Howler 2015 – Top 100 Spirits
Posted in Awards, Dark Rums, Extras, Rum, Rum Reviews | Tagged: 12 Year Old, Demerara Distillers Limited, Diamond Distillery, El Dorado, Review, Rum, Rum howler, Top 100 Spirits | Comments Off on #43 El Dorado 12 Year Old Special Reserve Rum
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