I’ve always been intrigued by the Plantation rum range. It is the multitude and the different styles the rums offer, each of the rums capturing the typical style for the island it is made on. The full line of these rums would not only look great on the shelf of a collector but they’d offer a welcome variety of styles for any rum aficionado. This is something I hope to achieve one day, one bottle at a time, or more...
Plantation Rum is produced by Cognac Ferrand who currently offers around 10 different Plantation Rums, all of them bought from distillers around the Caribbean islands and then blended and bottled under the Plantation name by Cognac Ferrand. The rums are produced in pot- and continuous stills and aged in small oak casks previously used for bourbon, cognac or sherry.
When I bought this rum in Spain I didn't know anything about it and previously I had only seen some advertisement for the rum so the image of the chieftain in the label was somewhat familiar. I had already bought several rums from Spain but I decided I needed one more for "research" purposes that is rum reviewing, so I picked up Cacique 500 Ron Extra Añejo because it stood out from all the generic Captain Morgan bottles. I didn't know what to expect from this rum but little did I know I was in for a treat.
Cacique rums are produced by Destilerias Licoreras Unidas S.A. (DUSA) which is located in La Miel, Lara State, Venezuela. The facility produces more than 3.5 million cases a year and all the rum brands made by Licoreras Unidas have been awarded the coveted ISO 9000 international quality certification.
When I first heard the name 'Hoochery' it amused me as well as raised some questions in my mind. According to the website the name 'Hoochery' comes from the word 'Hooch' (no surprise there) which goes back to the Hoochinoo Indian tribe of Alaska who made alcoholic liquor.
Hoochery is located in Kimberley on a farm just outside of Kununurra in the heart of Ord River Valley. Founded in 1995 by a farmer named Spike Dessert, Hoochery is the oldest continuously operating small pot distillery in Western Australia. This small pot distillery has the capacity to produce over 50,000 bottles of rum a year.
Dupré Barbancourt, who founded the Barbancourt rum company in 1862, came to Haiti from Charente, which is located in the Cognac region of France. Using double distillation methods, originally used in the production of cognac in France, he began distilling rum after perfecting his special recipe. Barbancourt was married to Nathalie Gardère, who after Barbancourt’s death took control of the business.
Later, on her deathbed, Nathalie Gardère left the company to her nephew Paul Gardère, as she never had children with Dupré Barbancourt. To this day the rum business remains in the Gardére family.
El Dorado, the name conjures images of the mythical city of gold ruled by El Rey Dorado, The Golden King. A legend of a South American tribal chieftain, who would be completely covered in gold dust as part of an ancient ritual. The chieftain would travel with a decorated raft to the middle of a gigantic lake and offer a sacrifice of gold to the god-monster they believed lived in the lake. With this ritual the chieftain was recognized as king.
Many have died searching for the gold of El Dorado. Tonight I get to be one of the explorers searching for the mythical gold, hopefully with better luck.
The very first rum I reviewed was Havana Club Añejo 7 Años and I felt it was time to review another product from the Havana Club range as people had been requesting more Havana Club rum reviews. This time I will let you in on what Havana Club Cuban Barrel Proof holds within its decorated, blue labelled bottle.
Hand-crafted by "Maestro Ronero" Don Navarro, Cuban Barrel Proof is made from a blend of different aged rums aged in extra-old white oak barrels.
This blend is then put to rest in younger oak casks or "finish" casks and finally bottled straight from the cask at 45% without being diluted with water.
Temptryst rums are produced by Texas based Au Natural Spirits Inc, which is run by the president and head of research, Daniel Watson. Coveted by the connoisseurs at the Ministry of Rum and Refined Vices, Temptryst rums have quickly gained a reputation despite the fact that these rums are still relatively unknown to the wider audience and not yet on the market.
For instance, Cherry Wood XO won a gold award at the Ministry of Rum tasting competition amongst other award winning Temptryst rums. Such appreciation can only promise good fortune for the upcoming rum brand.
The review of Jameson Irish Whiskey this week is a special one because instead of one review you will get to read two reviews written by me and our guest writer Esteban Fontsworth.
On top of that at the end of my review I’ve written a short comparison between oxidised Jameson and fresh Jameson. Some of you may wonder what it means for a spirit to be oxidised but read on and all shall be revealed.
