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.
Blackheart is a relatively new spiced rum from the Blackheart Rum Co, a whole owned subsidiary of Heaven Hill Distilleries. The rum caught my eye, or rather the blackhearted siren on the label caught my eye at a local trade show, and I decided to investigate this new over-proof offering in the spiced category. The local importer, Diamond Estate Wines and Spirits, was more than happy to accommodate me by providing me a bottle to review as well as sell sheets and pictures.
Those sell sheets give a glimpse of the marketing strategy:
“Blackheart Premium Spiced Rum is imported rum with spice, caramel and other natural flavors. Blackheart is a high-proof spiced rum that embodies an edgy, hip lifestyle. It is premium quality rum without the premium price.”
Bottled at 46.5 % alcohol by volume, the rum may indeed have a bit of an edge to it. Although I guess I had better get tasting to find out.
You may click on the review excerpt to read the full review which includes a great new recipe of mine called the Spiced Mandie:
We have come to my final posting with regards to the 2012 Rum Howler Awards. This is The second half of my Rum awards where I determine the Best of the Best in the world of Rum.
White Rum, Spiced Rum, Flavoured Rums and Mixing Rums have all been examined to determine the best that 2012 has given us for our cocktail enjoyment. As well I have examined the best sipping rums aged from four years in oak all the way to fifty. When it comes to sipping rums, age matters, but not necessarily as much as you might think. It has been a great year in rum for The Rum Howler, and it is time for me to reveal Part 2 of the 2012 Rum Howler Awards for Excellence in the Production of Rum. These Awards are for the Best and Greatest Rum Spirits which I encountered in the year 2012.
Captain Morgan Rum has expanded their range of spiced rums to include a new “Black” spiced rum. I strongly suspect that the recent success of theKraken Black Spiced Rum has motivated a move in this direction in order to garner a segment of this market. Of course just as was the case with the Kraken, the launch of the Captain Morgan Black Spiced Rum was accompanied with a slick media campaign to push the rum into the forefront of the rum aficionado’s consciousness.
I decided that I should revisit the Kraken, and at the same time review the Captain Morgan Black Spiced Rum. And what better day than Halloween to publish the two reviews. If you are familiar with my previous review of Kraken Black Spiced Rum, you will notice that the review has not changed much. (I did adjust the score a little to reflect my current opinion.) My Captain Morgan Black Spiced Rum review is however, freshly pressed and brand new.
Captain Morgan Rum traces its history back to 1945 when Seagram’s CEO, Samuel Bronfman, negotiated the purchase of the Long Pond Distillery from the Jamaican Government and formed the Captain Morgan Rum Company. The company’s iconic rum brand, Captain Morgan’s Original Spiced Rum was based upon a recipe purchased from two local Jamaican pharmacists, the Levy Brothers, who had developed the recipe using rum from the Long Pond Distillery. The brand is now owned by the Diageo Conglomerate, and their Captain Morgan Original Spiced Rumis the best-selling spiced rum in the world.
The subject of this review, is the lessor known Captain Morgan Silver Spiced Rum, which (according to theCaptain Morgan Website), is a blend of clear, rich Puerto Rican white rum and tropical spice with sweet vanilla character. It is bottled at 35% alcohol by volume and fortunately for me, the Diageo Marketing Team here in Alberta provided me a the sample of the Canadian bottle for my review.
The subject of this review: the Siesta Key Spiced Rum is an interesting spirit. Founder (and Distiller) of Drum Circle Distilling, Troy Roberts, begins with his award-winning Silver Rum. (Siesta Key Silver Rum took the Best in Class Gold Medal at the RumXP International Tasting Competition, earlier batches won a Silver Medal at the highly competitive New York International Spirits Competition and a Silver Medal at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition). Then he adds a bit of his Siesta Gold Rum (reviewed here) to the mix. Finally, he spices the resulting blend using real spices. Troy literally weighs each of the spices and tosses them into a tank of rum to infuse. He uses no corn syrup or other industrial sweetener, instead Mr. Roberts uses honey to add sweetness (and flavor). The spices are primarily fall cooking spices with some exotic twists thrown in. Troy has told me that he is a strong believer that high quality real ingredients lead to a better rum.
I was sent a sample of the Siesta Key Spiced Rum for the purpose of a review upon my website.
Project Director Fritz Hanselmann (Photo Credit: Jonathan Kingston)
I would like to welcome Mr. Frederick “Fritz” Hanselmann to my website.
Frederick “Fritz” Hanselmann is the Research Faculty and Chief Underwater Archaeologist and Dive Training Officer with the River Systems Institute and the Center for Archaeological Studies at Texas State University. I was offered a chance to interview Mr. Fritz Hanselmann via telephone a few short weeks ago to discuss his search for the most famous Privateer in history, Admiral Sir Henry Morgan (aka Captain Morgan). Circumstance conspired against me such that a telephone interview was not possible, however, I was graciously allowed to conduct my interview via email.
Most people associate Captain Morgan with the iconic logo on the rum bottle; but Hanselmann’s team of U.S. archaeologists, with the help of the Captain Morgan brand, are on a mission to find the fleet of ships the iconic real-life privateer lost in the Caribbean in 1671. The search began in earnest in September 2010, when the team discovered six iron cannons which might have possibly belonged to Sir Admiral Henry Morgan during their archaeological survey mouth of the Río Chagres off the coast of Panama. The team of archeologists continued their work this past summer with the the discovery of a 17th century wooden shipwreck, which is potentially one of the five ships Captain Morgan lost at the mouth of the river. Among the five ships lost was Admiral Sir Henry Morgan’s flagship “Satisfaction”.
In the interview we discuss underwater diving and archeology learning how these seemingly disparate fields are coming together in the search for Captain Morgan’s lost fleet. We examine the evidence recovered in an effort to verify whether the artifacts found to date can really be assigned the Privateer of legend. Mr. Hanselmann elaborates on his most exciting finds to date, and even theorizes on the possibility of finding a stash of rum at the bottom of the sea.
I have previously reviewed this spiced rum, but yesterday when I was searching for my review on the website, I saw that it had disappeared from my menu system. I have been revamping things here lately, and I suspect I inadvertently deleted the review. I recovered what I think is the original review from my hard-drive, but since I was not sure I decided to grab a glass of Blacksheep Spiced Rum and compare the rum in my glass to the tasting notes. I made some minor changes to the review based upon this examination, and so I thought it best to re-post the review with the changes.
Lamb’s Blacksheep Spiced Rum is part of the Corby stable of North American Brands. This is what the Corby website has to say regarding the Blacksheep …
“…Lamb’s® Black Sheep Spiced Rum is produced and blended in small batches to ensure consistency of the complex flavour profile that is unique to the rum category. Our ingredients – the finest cinnamon from Korintje, Madagascar-bourbon vanilla and lime essence from Mexico have been carefully selected from around the world to ensure optimal enjoyment on the palate…”
The rum is bottled at 37.5 % alcohol by volume and sold in the attractive 750 ml bottle shown to the left.
Here is a link to the revised review which is back in my menu system.
Earlier this week I gave everyone a few recommendations for their Father’s Day purchases; I thought it only fair that I also list a few of the rum purchase decisions you should avoid. This is a list of sugar-cane based spirits which will help to empty your wallet, but will leave your Dad scratching his head in bewilderment. I have posted this list before, and it proved to be somewhat controversial. It seems that some of my choices are actually well-loved by some of my readers. If I have slighted one of your favourites please chime in with a comment to defend your rum of choice. But, having said that, I must confess, that these are anything but my rums of choice. These are my regrets, and I publish this list in hopes that I can help you avoid a regret or two this Father’s Day.
And so without further ado, here are…the Ten Rums you should avoid.
Recently, I was asked by some of my readers to revisit my review for Sailor Jerry Spiced Rum. It was after all written almost three years ago and was quite cursory in nature. So I contacted the PR company for Sailor Jerry Rum and they were quite happy to send me a sample bottle for a more complete review.
Sailor Jerry Ltd. was formed when Ed Hardy and Mike Malone partnered with a small Philadelphia clothing store to make running shoes, t-shirts and other assorted products featuring the tattoo artwork of Norman Collins (Aka Sailor Jerry). Collins, who was also a writer and a poet, as well as a radio show host, is best remembered today as one of the great pioneers of tattoo art and culture.
In fact, Larry Collins has become legendary in North America tattoo culture. He practiced his art in Chicago as a young man learning his craft from well-known tattoo artist Gib “Tatts” Thomas. Later, when working as a sailor aboard a steamer vessel, he went to Japan to study the techniques of the far east. When he settled in Honolulu, Hawaii in the 1930s, he opened his own shop, and word of his distinctive style was spread around the globe as the naval ships came and went, carrying upon them the sailors who has stopped by his shop for an original “‘Sailor Jerry” tattoo.
Sailor Jerry Spiced Rum was created in 1991 as a logical extension of the Sailor Jerry brand, and like the tattoo artwork of its namesake, word of Sailor Jerry Spiced Rum has slowly spread around the world. In fact, it is now one of the best selling spiced rum brands in the world.
Blackheart is a relatively new spiced rum from the Blackheart Rum Co, a whole owned subsidiary of Heaven Hill Distilleries. The rum caught my eye, or rather the blackhearted siren on the label caught my eye at a local trade show, and I decided to investigate this new over-proof offering in the spiced category. The local importer, Diamond Estate Wines and Spirits, was more than happy to accommodate me by providing me a bottle to review as well as sell sheets and pictures.
Captain Morgan Rum
Captain Morgan Rum traces its history back to 1945 when Seagram’s CEO, Samuel Bronfman, negotiated the purchase of the Long Pond Distillery from the Jamaican Government and formed the Captain Morgan Rum Company. The company’s iconic rum brand, Captain Morgan’s Original Spiced Rum was based upon a recipe purchased from two local Jamaican pharmacists, the Levy Brothers, who had developed the recipe using rum from the Long Pond Distillery. The brand is now owned by the Diageo Conglomerate, and their
The subject of this review: the Siesta Key Spiced Rum is an interesting spirit. Founder (and Distiller) of 
I have previously reviewed this spiced rum, but yesterday when I was searching for my review on the website, I saw that it had disappeared from my menu system. I have been revamping things here lately, and I suspect I inadvertently deleted the review. I recovered what I think is the original review from my hard-drive, but since I was not sure I decided to grab a glass of Blacksheep Spiced Rum and compare the rum in my glass to the tasting notes. I made some minor changes to the review based upon this examination, and so I thought it best to re-post the review with the changes.
