Review: Bacardi Black

Bacardi Black is a traditional dark rum. As such it achieves a major portion of its flavour, aroma, and colour from the special ingredients (caramel colour for sure) which are added to the final blend prior to bottling. The Black is apparently blended from rums which have been aged up to four years; but, it would be a mistake to believe that the maturation of the rums in the blend have anything but a small role in the rich dark colour we see or the strong collection of aromas that we sense above the glass.

Bacardi Black appears to be disappearing from the shelves of the liquor stores in my locale, and even Bacardi has dropped any mention of the product on its US-based website. It appears to have been replaced by Bacardi Select, which is a similar style of rum although I do not know if it is actually the same blend as the Bacardi Black.

Although this review is perhaps a little belated, if you click on the following excerpt you can read my full opinion of Bacardi Black:

“… The initial aroma above the glass is full of butterscotch, molasses, vanilla, and candied caramels. There are hints of licorice, some noticeable maple, and sweet sticky canned fruit (apricots and peaches).

If I strain my senses, I also sense some dried fruit in the form of currants and dates and perhaps even a touch of cocoa. The aroma is not unpleasant, although there is very little evidence of oak aging in the breezes …”

Included in the review is a nice summertime deck drink, the Lemon Cola Cooler.

Enjoy the review!

Review: Admiral Nelson’s Coconut Rum

A few weeks back, I received a bottle of Admiral Nelson’s Coconut Rum from the local importer here in Alberta, Diamond Estates. They were hoping I would taste the spirit, and perhaps write a review (if it was my inclination to do so). In doing my research I was not able to glean much information about how the Admiral Nelson’s Coconut Rum is produced. I understand that it is bottled in the U.S. by the Admiral Nelson Rum Company of Missouri (at 21 % alcohol by volume), and although the brand was previously controlled by Luxco, in 2011 Heaven Hill Distilleries acquired the rights to the entire Admiral Nelson Brand.

You may click on the following excerpt to read the full review:

“… The nose is lightly sweet with a mild coconut aroma. There also seems to be a touch of vanilla sitting in the background. A light alcohol astringency is rising from the glass which surprises me in such a low proof offering; but this astringency is quite mild and is probably just a reflection of a young rum which makes up the base of the spirit …”

Please enjoy my review which includes two nice recipes, A Day at the Beach, and the Chocolate Covered Banana.

Enjoy this fine Monday everyone!

Cheers!

Review: Smuggler’s Cove Dark Rum

Smuggler’s Cove Dark Rum is a brand owned by Glenora Distillers Limited who are located in Glenville Cape Breton, Nova Scotia. This dark rum is blended from Jamaican stocks which have been aged a minimum of two years. In fact, these stocks are the same stocks (although the proportions may be different) which are used to produce Famous Newfoundland Screech Rum. The connection with Screech Rum is quite strong as the company which produces Screech, Rock Spirits (a division of the Newfoundland Labrador Liquor Corporation (NLC)) is also the same company which packages the Smuggler’s Cove for Glenora Distillers. It would be fair to say however, that these stocks would be treated quite differently to produce the high-proof (45 % abv) dark rum, which is Smuggler’s Cove.

This brand is quite popular in Nova Scotia, and also has a strong presence in the provinces of Alberta, and Newfoundland and Labrador.

You may click on the following excerpt to read the full review:

The initial breezes above the glass are full of molasses and candied caramel. As well, dark liquorice, cinnamon and cloves all taint the air above the glass with their presence. Allowing the rum time to breathe reveals some nice accents of orange marmalade and rich vanilla …

Please enjoy the review!

Review: Rum Nation Jamaica 26 Year Old (Distilled 1986)

About a month ago, 60 bottles of a special rum from Rum Nation hit the store shelves here in my home province of Alberta. This small batch bottling (only 760 bottles per batch) was distilled upon a pot still at the Long Pond Estate in Jamaica in 1986 and was bottled in 2012 by Rum Nation. (In case you did not know, the Long Pond Distillery is the original home of Captain Morgan Rum.) The rum is apparently produced from locally grown Jamaican sugar cane molasses, and was originally aged in American Ex Bourbon Casks. However, after 18 years of aging in the Bourbon Cask, the rum was transferred to Oloroso Sherry butts where it aged for an additional 8 years.

I was sent a sample of this rum by Fabio Rossi, the owner of Rum Nation, and he advised me that he considers this a small batch rum made for primarily for connoisseurs. Crush Imports is handling the distribution here in Alberta.

You may click on the excerpt to read the full review:

” … The dominant impression is fresh asphalt with the scents of the thick black paving oil and the fresh sand and gravel which lie within. (I worked on a paving crew for two years and you never forget that scent after two summers of being immersed in it.) Under that phenolic rubber-like smell is an impression of coarse brown sugar and orange marmalade. Dry fruit, cocoa and licorice add to the complexity of the aroma with impressions of tobacco, toffee, baking spices, and vanilla all residing within those breezes above the glass …”

Please enjoy my review of this remarkable rum!

Screech Wins Gold!

Vindication is nice. Two years ago, when I reviewed The Famous Newfoundland Screech, I openly questioned the other online reviews which indicated the rum was harsh and unappealing because my own experience was the opposite. In fact I liked the Screech Rum so much that in my 2011 Rum Howler Awards, I declared it the Best Rum Bottled in North America! Then in 2012, I gave Screech the Runner Up Award in the same category (Rock Spirits other great rum George Street Spiced barely edged it out in 2012), and an honourable mention in the Best Amber Mixing Rum Category. For two years I have been howling about how good this rum is, (and for two years people have been openly questioning my sanity).

But, as I said, vindication is nice! A few days ago I received word from Greg Kerr of Rock Spirits that Screech won double gold at the 2013 San Fransisco Spirits Competition, and was declared the Best Gold Rum in the competition.

As my way of congratulating Rock Spirits (a subsidiary of the Newfoundland and Labrador Liquor Corporation) for this recent success, I thought I would republish my original review from 21 months ago.

You may click on the following excerpt to read my original review!

Review: Famous Newfoundland Screech Rum

“…  As you fist sip the rum you will find that it full of molasses flavour with those typical Jamaican Rum flavours of banana and orange peel heating the palate alongside that molasses. As the rum sits in the glass, the heat subsides and you can notice charred caramel and baking spices beginning to build …”

Congratulations to all the folks at Rock Spirits!

Review: Whaler’s Vanille Rum

Today I am continuing my trek through some of the line-up of Whaler’s Rums. A few weeks back, I received a few bottles from the local importer here in Alberta, Diamond Estates. They were hoping I would taste some of the different rums and perhaps write a review or two. I didn’t really know a lot about Whaler’s Rum so I accepted the samples of  these “Hawaiian” style rums. I say Hawaiian style, because Whaler’s takes great pride in letting everyone know that Whaler’s Rums are blended from old Hawaiian recipes. Their line-up of rum includes three traditional rums, and five flavoured rums.

You may click on the following excerpt to read my review for Whaler’s Vanille Rum:

“… I catch sweet sugary notes alongside a firm vanilla aroma. There is also more than a bit of an almond scent riding in the coat tails of the breezes as well as a rather indistinct fruitiness which reminds me of canned peaches …”

Please enjoy the review which includes a nice cocktail at the end, the Lemon Vanille Cocktail.

Review: Kirk and Sweeney 12 Year Rum

Kirk and Sweeney 12 Year Rum is crafted in the Dominica for a company from Sonoma California called 35 Maple Street, which is the spirits division of The Other Guys (TOG). TOG is wine company led by August Sebastiani, a member of one of California’s oldest wine families. The Sabastiani family has been involved in the Californian wine industry since August’s great-grandfather, Samuele Sebastiani, opened his family run winery over 100 years ago.

According to the 35 Maple Street website, their rum has been named for a wooden schooner of the same name. This schooner, KIRK AND SWEENEY, was a rum running vessel which brought rum from the Caribbean to the Northeast Coast during Prohibition. The ship was apparently captured and seized off the coast of New York in 1924 where enforcement officials found an enormous cargo of rum aboard. The folks at 35 Maple Street like to use historical references in the naming of their brands (see Masterson’s Straight Rye Whiskey) and felt the Kirk and Sweeney was an ideal choice for their Dominican rum.

You may click on the following excerpt to read the full review:

“… The initial aroma reminds me of butterscotch candies and sugar cane syrup (I am thinking Roger’s Golden Syrup). I allowed the glass to decant for several minutes, and the scents from the glass became richer and more complex with vanilla, oak spices and hints of tobacco rising into the breezes as well …”

Please enjoy the review which includes a delicious cocktail, the Rum Darby Daiquiri.

Cheers Everyone!

(Note: This spirit is being brought into my home Province of Alberta by Purple Valley Imports, who provided the sample for review.)

Review: Whaler’s Dark Rum

A few weeks back, I contacted the distributor for Blackheart Spiced Rum with a view towards providing a review here on my website. It turned out Heaven Hill Distilleries, who own Blackheart Rum, also own Whaler’s Rum and the local importer, Diamond Estates, was hoping I would taste some Whaler’s Rum along with the Blackheart Spiced. I didn’t really know a lot about Whaler’s rum so I agreed to sample this “Hawaiian” style Rum. I say Hawaiian style, because Whaler’s takes great pride in letting everyone know that Whaler’s Rums are blended from old Hawaiian recipes. Their line-up includes three traditional rums, and five flavoured rums.

There is quite an interesting story behind the name of the Whaler’s Rums, and you can read that story as well as my review by clicking on the following excerpt:

“”… Usually these young dark rums are full of molasses and caramel which gives the rum a thickened syrupy look. The Whaler’s seems to be traveling a different path from what I was expecting. The breezes above the glass carry a significant amount of vanilla with the molasses and licorice scents taking a back seat to that vanilla …”

Of course the review includes a nice recipe which particularly well suited for the Whaler’s Dark Rum called the Mandeville.

Please enjoy the review and the cocktail provided!

Review: Atlantico Private Cask Rum

The Atlantico Private Cask Rum is a private label rum produced by Oliver and Oliver,  for Atlantico Rum. (If you have not heard of Oliver and Oliver, I should explain that they are an independent bottler of rum operating in the Dominican Republic. They buy barreled rum from major rum producers, and age it using a solera style aging system.) Oliver and Oliver were apparently given a specific flavour profile to blend towards, and then working in conjunction with the Atlantico team, the Private Cask Rum was developed through a series of blending and tasting exercises. The result is a rum constructed to be a smooth easy to sip rum which is hoped will appeal to a wide variety of palates.

About two years ago, I was lucky enough to be treated to an information session hosted by Brandon Lieb, of the Atlantico Importing Company. I was allowed to sample their present offering, Atlantico Private Cask Rum, as well as sample some products which were in development. As their guest, I was given a bottle of the Atlantico Private Cask Rum after the presentation, and I decided to review the rum here on my website.

You may click on the review excerpt to read the full review:

“… I remembered that the Atlantico representatives I met in Miami described the rum which they constructed as a product which they hoped would be very easy for the new rum drinker to enjoy, somewhat of a gateway sipping rum for the uninitiated. It is meant to be smooth and easy to sip with a flavour profile to suit a wide variety of palates. In this regard the rum succeeds wildly. It is very smooth in its initial delivery, and the sweet caramel and honey notes will certainly be appreciated by a wide variety of persons …”

Please enjoy my review and do try my suggested recipe, the Atlantico Mule, which is of course a variation of the popular, Spanish Mule.

Review: Plantation Guyana 1999 Rum

The Plantation Guyana 1999 Rum is a pot-distilled, Demerara rum which is produced from molasses using an extra long fermentation period prior to distillation. The rum is first aged in Guyana in used bourbon barrels after which it is transported from Jamaica to France by Cognac Ferrand to be finished in their own warehouses and of course their own Cognac Casks.

Cognac Ferrand has long had a special relationship with a variety of Caribbean rum producers which is based upon the rum producer’s need for quality oak casks to age their rum. Based upon this relationship, Cognac Ferrand is able to acquire certain old and unique batches of rum from various Caribbean sources, which they bring back to France and finish in their own warehouses and of course their own Cognac Casks. This Demerera Rum was one such unique batch of rum acquired by Cognac Ferrand. It was bottled at 42 % alcohol by volume as part of Cognac Ferrand’s growing line-up of Plantation Rum.

Here is an excerpt from my review:

“…The initial nose from the glass is full of oak tannins which have been tainted with a woody spiciness, rich toffee,and orange peel. I smell light baking, an almond nuttiness, and a firm vanilla. I like the nose, it is spicy, and full of character…”

Here is a link to the full review:

Please enjoy the review and the wonderful cocktail suggestion (Comfortably Numb) I have suggested for this fine rum!

Cheers!