The First Howl
Welcome to the Rum Howler Blog!
This is a place primarily designed for Rum Reviews although I have started to provide Whisky Reviews as well as reviews of other spirits. I published 26 rum reviews to open the site and will be adding more reviews in a timely manner hopefully about one every two weeks.
You can browse the reviews using the page menu on the side of the blog.
Have fun and please leave comments where you feel you have something to contribute or want something clarified.
PS: The drop down menus are kind of wonky, most people find menu in the side column works far better. This is especially true for the Cocktail Recipes.
Rum Review: Appleton Estate VX
In 1749, in the Nassau Valley of Jamaica, the Appleton Estate Sugar factory was founded. The Nassau Valley is a fertile, interior valley with a special mild microclimate which is ideally suited to the growth of Sugarcane. A water source which wells from a limestone rock formation provides an exceptionally soft pure water which used for the production of Appleton Rums.
The Rum itself is crafted from pot stills in small batches. After blending and aging the rums are ready for bottling. Unlike most rums produced in the Caribbean, Jamaican law forbids the use of an age statement unless the entire contents of a bottle are aged at least as long as the stated age.
Booklet Courtesy of Appleton Estate Rums
This is the first review in a series I am doing on Appleton Rums. I am starting with the Appleton Estate VX and I will work my way up the ladder of Appleton Rums to the Appleton 21 Year Old. This will include the Appleton Reserve, The Appleton Estate Extra 12 Year, The Master Blenders Legacy, and the Appleton Dark 151 Proof. An astute person will realize that I have already reviewed Appleton Estate Extra 12 Year Old and the Master Blenders Legacy. I will take this opportunity as I go up the Appleton Ladder to revisit these reviews and these rums.
Here is an excerpt from my Appleton Estate VX Review:
” The rum displays an amber colour with orange flashes. Surprisingly (to me) the rum when swirled left nice long skinny legs in my glass indicating a buttery oil present. The aroma is very spicy, and full of oak tannin. I smell a firm and distinct orange peel, and light brown sugar and molasses rising in the tangy oak spice….”
I have also included an original cocktail based upon the popular Cosmopolitan. As usual my cocktail recipe has been reviewed and approved by forrest.
You may read the entire review here:
Peachy Superbowl Spiced Rum Punch
Its almost Super Sunday, and the Ministry of Rum is having a contest for a Superbowl Punch recipe. I remembered a recipe that I sent forrest a while back, and decided to enter it in the contest. The recipe is my original creation as is one of the few punches I know of with peach juice. So for now I will call it my:
Peachy Superbowl Spiced Rum Punch.
Here is the recipe:
1 cup Lamb’s Blacksheep Spiced Rum
1/2 cup Appleton Estate VX Rum
1/4 cup Triple Sec
2 cups Peach Juice
3 cups Orange Juice
1/4 cup Lime Juice
3 tbsp Simple Syrup
Garnish Punch Bowl with slices of peach fruit
Finish with Large Ice Cubes
I find this to be a very refreshing drink and as you can see I fill my glass to the brim!
Whisky Review: Crown Royal Canadian Whisky
Last week I jumped the gun somewhat, as it is my plan to review the entire family of Crown Royal Whiskies over the next several weeks and months. Crown Royal, Crown Royal Reserve, Crown Royal Cask #16 and the very limited Crown Royal XR. My plan of course was to begin at the bottom and review the Crown Royal, and then work my way up the product line up until I was finally reviewing the XR. So what did I do instead? I jumped a rung on the ladder and reviewed the Crown Royal Reserve before I reviewed the flagship brand, The Crown Royal. So today I will correct that mistake and provide what should have been the first review. Here is an excerpt from my review:
“The Crown Royal is a little soft and buttery in the mouth. It has that same underlying punky flavour which I described as somehow acrid and vegetal at the same time when I reviewed the Crown reserve…”
Please read the full review here:
Review: Crown Royal Canadian Whisky
I have included a couple of recipes with the review one quite simple (although tried and true), Crown and Coke, and one which I think has a nice elegance, The Apple Jack.
Cocktail: The Canadian Caribou
The Canadian Caribou
an original cocktail By Chip Dykstra (Aka Arctic Wolf)
The other day I was trying to construct a nice cocktail or bar drink for a nice smooth Canadian whisky. I wanted something that anyone would recognize as a drink meant for the ‘Canadian Palate’. It had to be smooth and easy to drink, the way us Canadians like our bar drinks; and it had to be made entirely with ingredients which would be identified easily as Canadian.
Here is a link to the Recipe:
Rum Review: Cockspur 12 Year Old Bajan Crafted Rum
The origins of rum on Barbados stretch all the way back to 1637, when the first stalks of sugar cane were brought to the island by Pieter Blower from Brazil. Almost immediately sugar plantations and factories sprang up to produce sugar and molasses. The molasses, which is the byproduct of sugar production, was being distilled, and the resulting distillate was sold in bulk as early as 1650. This product first called ‘kill devil’ was sold to taverns and ships, and by 1650 over 200 thousand gallons were being sold. The word ‘rum’ is believed to have originated in Barbados as a shortened form of the name ‘rum bullion’ which appeared in 1651 as a listing of a ships manifest by an unknown visitor to Barbados. This is why Barbados is generally accepted as the possible birthplace of rum. Today rum remains one of the largest exports for the Barbados economy.
Cockspur Rum, was founded over one hundred years ago in 1884. The rum company has a rich history and their rum is widely regarded as amongst the very best in the world. A friend of mine found and purchased a bottle of the Cockspur 12 year old rum about six months ago. He offered to give me a large enough portion so that I could review the rum for my blog, and I gladly accepted his kindness. I am truly blessed to have such friends as I do. Here is an excerpt from my review:
“Several flavours jumped out at me on first tasting. Toasted vanilla and charred molasses grabbed my taste buds first, and then I was subdued by a lurking tobacco richness that swelled up and filled my mouth. …“
You may read the full review here:
Rum Review: El Dorado Single Barrel PM (Port Mourant)
A friend of mine dropped by the other day with an intriguing bottle of rum from El Dorado Rums. A single barrel offering called El Dorado Single Barrel PM. Apparently the folks from Demerara Distilleries Ltd (DDL), did a series of single barrel bottlings to highlight the various characteristics of some of their more famous rum stills. In the case of the PM, this bottle highlights the Port Mourant Still which is the only production wooden pot still in the world today. This is the original wooden pot still, built at the Port Mourant Sugar Factory, which was constructed when the Demerara region began to produce navy rum for the Royal British Navy over two hundred years ago.
There is apparently two other Single barrel rums from El Dorado available in my locale, but so far this is only one that I have sampled. Here is an excerpt from my review:
“In the glass the rum displays a rich oil which laid nice long fat legs down the inside of my glass. This should indicate a long rich finish. Rising from the glass is a woody tannin filled smell with a great complexity of aroma. Behind the woody tannins I smell coarse dark brown sugar…“
You may read the full review here:
Whisky Review: Crown Royal Reserve Canadian Whisky
Crown Royal was first produced in 1939 to commemorate the arrival of the first Royal Tour in Canada of King George VI and Queen Elisabeth. The distinctive crown shaped bottle, and royal purple bag for which Crown Royal Canadian Whisky is famous for, were created in honor of this occasion.
Today Crown Royal is one of the best known brands of Canadian Whisky in the world . The Reserve was developed by Master Blender, Andrew Mackay, at the Gimli Distillery near Winnipeg, Manitoba. This whisky is aged a little longer than the regular Crown Royal for a smoother taste profile . Here is a link to the Crown Royal Whisky website.
I have included a cocktail suggestion with the review as well as a highball drink which I like very much. Here is an excerpt from the review:
“Crown Royal Reserve is a little soft in the mouth. Its flavour profile includes a little spicy rye and a little dank bourbon and corn flavour. The whisky is smooth with a mild sweetness, a gentle vanilla, and a gentle spiciness. A soft but firm firm oak nestles in the background….”
You may read the rest of the review here:
Howling Highlight: Have A Drink for Haiti
Last night I read in my local paper that the toll in Haiti in property damage, in damaged infrastructure, and most importantly in lives has reached proportions which are almost beyond catastrophic. Refugees and orphans, are beginning to arrive in Canada and elsewhere.
The outpouring of aid from ordinary citizens and from governments has been enormous, but lets face it. The task at hand is daunting and it will be years and years before the effects of what has happened begins to dwindle if ever. I am saddened by reports of the difficulties bringing aid to those in most need, but heartened that the effort continues in spite of hardship. Let us hope these efforts are maintained and that hope is kindled in the hearts of those who need it.
I would like to draw some attention to a couple of small initiatives that are happening with respect to people I know and admire.
Haitian Libations – Raising Money For Haiti
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Please click on the link and learn what Rumdood (Matt Robold) is doing to help. If you can support his initiative please do so with vigor.
As well RonJames from the Ministry of Rum posted this comment last week on the MOR Furum:
I invite all who can to link to this thread tomorrow at 8pm and join in. (Just click on the quote and you will be directed to the forum.) Let’s raise a glass for Haiti!
As well I am going to re post these links which contain information on how and where you can donate to the Haitian cause! Thank You!
Haitian Earthquake: Raise a glass and donate
Haitian Earthquake Appeal
PS I will be posting my first impressions of Barbancourt Reserve on the MOR forum!
Rum Review: Ron Zacapa Centenario XO
Industrias Licoreras de Guatamala , is the consortium of companies that have combined to produce, bottle, market , and sell internationally some of the great rums of Guatemala like Ron Zacapa and Botran Rums. These rums are not widely available in my locale but they are highly regarded. When I was given the chance to procure a sample of Ron Zacapa Centenario Xo 25 year old rum to review on my blog, I jumped at the chance. (The sample was provided by a great group of guys called The Rum Chums.)
The Ron Zacapa Centenario XO is a blend of rums made from sweet first crush virgin sugar cane. The rums are blended from solera aged stocks which range in age from six years to 25 years. These stocks are aged in special cellars more than 7000 feet above sea level, at the Zacapa “House in the Clouds”, which is the name used locally to describe the Zacapa distillery and rum aging facility. These barrels are a mixture of reused American bourbon, sherry, Pedro Ximenez wines, and cognac barrels. The combination of solera aging and the wide variety of reused barrels creates a highly complex rum with a multitude of aroma and flavour.
I couldn’t resist snapping this picture of my rum sample next to a canvas painting that my Sister in Law gave me for Christmas (in laws always treat you better than outlaws).
Here is an excerpt from the review:
“Richness and luxury ooze from the nose of this sweet nectar. Scents of mild toffee and spice combined with a rich oak and vanilla aroma rise from the glass to the delight of my nostrils. There seems to be a light orange citrus weaving through the aroma.”
You can read the entire review and find my decadent cocktail, The Royal Batiste, here:
Howling Highlight: Edmonton Whisky Festival
Jeff of Lacombe Spirits was just one of the many people enjoying themselves at Edmonton Whiskyfest!
Okay, I will admit it, I am about four days late with this posting. My plan was to let everyone know my impressions of the Edmonton Whiskey Festival on Thursday of last week which would have been the very next day. The trouble was, I had a full plate of events since then and finally got settled down today to write it up. The Event was held at the Edmonton Petroleum Club, with tables of whisky from various parts of the world, lining the outer perimeter just inviting me to indulge. Tickets were almost completely sold out which meant that almost 300 of us peoples were inside as well. If this sounds too crowded, then you are misinterpreting. Basically the event was full of whiskey, and full of people, and full of fun. Let the sampling begin!
I started the night at the Wisers Table. Wisers has a new bottle for their 18 year Old whisky and I wanted to make sure the taste was that same great flavour I love in Wiser’s old 18 year old bottle. I sampled and compared, but to be honest with so much whiskey aroma, men’s cologne, and women’s perfume in the air I couldn’t honestly tell you if the nuances were different. I guess I will have to do a comparison on my blog at a future date.
After that encounter with Wisers, the evening begins to kind of melt into a whisky tasting frenzy which I enjoyed thoroughly. Here are a few of the great people I met:
Stuart Nickerson of Glenglassaugh Distillery
Stuart Nickerson, Managing Director of Glenglassaugh Distillery, in Scotland. The Glenglassaugh Distillery is a 133 year old whisky distillery located just outside the Speyside region of Northeast Scotland. The distillery was closed in 1986, one of many small distilleries which were mothballed during the days of corporate consolidation. However the distillery was reopened in November of 2008. The spirits which Stuart was pouring were not actually whiskies, they were distilled malt spirits which had not been aged long enough to be called whisky. It was fascinating to sample these spirits and taste the character already in the glass. My first impression is that Glenglassaugh will have a fine whisky to sell in November of 2011.
Andrew Gray of Bruichladdich Distillery
Another chance meeting I thoroughly enjoyed was my encounter with Andrew Gray the Sales Director for Bruichladdich Distillery. Bruichladdich Distillery is a Scotch Islay whisky distillery on the Rhinns which reopened in May of 2004. I sampled the whisky at the Bruichladdich table and loved their 18 year old bourbon finish. I also tasted the X4 plus 3, which is one of their new distilled whiskies, produced under the new ownership. But to be honest the best thing about my chance encounter with Mr. Gray was his first comment as I walked up to the table. “Its the Rum Howler!” Apparently Mr. Gray has read my blog. You see Andrew is one of the driving forces behind Renegade Rums. I have reviewed several of the Renegades and he and I had a great time discussing rum rather than whisky.
But 100 whiskies to sample, and only one night to do it takes a toll. I was only able to try about thirty, before the time was up. But this event was a blast. I know the fellows at Vines in Riverbend were part of the driving force behind the event. Congrats guys you did great.
