Rum Reviews

Rum Review: Ron Los Valientes 20 Años Añejo Reserva Especial (Mexico)

Details: Published: Tuesday, 13 October 2009 19:27; Written by Tatu Kaarlas

The third and the oldest of the three rums, Ron Los Valientes 20 Años Añejo Reserva Especial carries the signature of the Cellar Master to indicate his devotion and pride of the product he has nurtured for so long in the cellars of Veracruz.

The bottling date is displayed and the bottles are hand numbered; with the number 022 and the year 2007 in my case.

Rum Review: Ron Los Valientes 15 Años Añejo Especial (Mexico)

Details: Published: Saturday, 03 October 2009 14:22; Written by Tatu Kaarlas

As far as I understand, Ron Los Valientes 15 Años Añejo Especial is made using the same methods as the 10 year old the only difference being the blend of rums that has been aged a tad longer in the White Oak casks.

Being pleased with the 10 year old Los Valientes I was quite eager to taste the older 15 year old Los Valientes rum and see what it has to offer, not to mention the 20 year old Los Valientes that I will review later.

The design of the bottle is exactly the same, apart from the different age statement and different colour of the seal. One other detail in the bottles I haven't mentioned is the map showing the coastline of eastern Mexico where Veracruz is situated.

Rum Review: Ron Los Valientes 10 Años (Mexico)

Details: Published: Friday, 25 September 2009 17:14; Written by Tatu Kaarlas

México, a nation of many fine Tequilas, Mezcal, Sotol and apparently rum too. Admittedly, spirits made from the harvested Agave plant are the first things I think of, along with jalapeños and many other things that Mexico brings to mind, rum being somewhere further down the road.

Licores Veracruz, however, appears to have been producing rum in Mexico for over 50 years producing labels such as Ron Mocambo, Rum Peñuela and the newly launched private label Ron Los Valientes, which offers rums ranging from 10, 15 and 20 years old.

Sönnichsen Jamaica Rum Verschnitt 1951 (Germany)

Details: Published: Sunday, 13 September 2009 12:54; Written by Tatu Kaarlas

During the early twentieth century in Germany, import taxes increased on foreign spirits in order to protect the domestic spirits industry The rise of taxes then saw the rise of Rum Verschnitt, which became very popular on the European mainland due to it being cheaper than imported traditional rum, which was now heavily taxed.

You have heard about rum made of molasses, Rhum Agricole, Cachaça and spiced rum but what is Rum Verschnitt? Rum Verschnitt is, in fact, rum flavoured spirit made of so called German Flavoured rum, which was produced exclusively in Jamaica at the Vale Royal Distillery by Dr. H. Cousins to help maintain the rum trade with Germany after the tax rise.

Cachaça Review: Leblon Cachaça (Brazil)

Details: Published: Sunday, 10 May 2009 11:27; Written by Tatu Kaarlas

The spring is here in full force and people are beginning to shed their clothes and finding their way to the sunny terraces of the bars as the summer approaches and the weather gets warmer.

This is the perfect time to enjoy refreshing cocktails such as the Caipirinha, Brazil's national cocktail. An authentic Caipirinha can of course only be made with authentic Cachaça, a spirit that can only be made in Brazil and must be made from fresh-pressed sugar cane juice and distilled to no higher than 54% abv and bottled between 38% and 48% abv.

Rum Review: Samaroli Demerara Rum 1990 and 1975 (Guyana)

Details: Published: Wednesday, 08 April 2009 20:26; Written by Tatu Kaarlas

Samaroli 1990, 1975

Silviano S. Samaroli is an independent Italian based bottler, known for his Malt Scotch Whisky and more recently for his rum bottlings as well. All of these are limited edition products from single casks that cannot be reproduced, which makes them quite special.

In the past Samaroli visited the main rum distilleries on all of the tropical sites and got familiarised perfectly with the distilleries in Jamaica, Guyana, Martinique, Trinidad, Guatemala, Costa Rica, Mauritius, Reunion South Africa et cetera.

His first limited edition rum bottling was the 1948 West Indies Dark Rum which became very successful.

Rum Review: Banks XM Royal Extra Mature Demerara Rum (Guyana)

Details: Published: Wednesday, 11 March 2009 20:32; Written by Tatu Kaarlas

XM Royal Extra Mature Demerara Rum is another rum, in addition to Diplomatico Reserva Exclusiva, that I purchased from the UK Rum Fest last year due to the positive reviews it has been receiving.

If in the review of Diplomatico I said I've always had a thing for Venezuelan rums, then I could say I've had, for a long time, a secret love affair with Demerara rums, which are known for their incredibly rich flavour profiles.

XM Royal Extra Mature Demerara Rum is a product of Banks DIH or the Banks Demerara Ice House, formerly known as D'Aguiar Bros. Ltd, a Guyanese company started by Jose Gomes D'Aguiar in 1840, which expanded to include a cocoa and chocolate factory as well as a schooner shipping agency that would import ice from Canada, which explains the name 'Demerara Ice House'.

Rum Review: Ron Atlantico Private Cask (Dominican Republic)

Details: Published: Thursday, 01 January 2009 07:29; Written by Tatu Kaarlas

When new interesting products enter the market I intend to find out as much as I can about them and sometimes if I am lucky, I have the privilege to review these new products.

Such is the case with Ron Atlantico Private Cask, a product of the Dominican Republic that was launched last October in Miami by the Atlantico Importing Company or Alebrand Spirits Company, a joint venture between Aleco Azqueta and Brandon Lieb, who had previously managed some of the biggest liquor brands before they went into business together.

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