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Rum Review: Diplomatico Reserva Exclusiva (Venezuela)

Diplomatico Reserva Exclusiva

For as long as I can remember I've had a thing for Venezuelan rums and you could say I've never had rum from Venezuela that has disappointed me.

Since learning about Diplomatico Reserva Exclusiva I just knew I had to get my hands on it but this had not been possible until Rum Fest 2008, where I finally had the opportunity to get one from the Whisky Exchange stand.

I also wanted one of those cool Diplomatico posters they had hanging on the wall, but, unfortunately, by the time I was making my purchases it had been taken away.

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Rum Review: St. Nicholas Abbey 10 Years Old (Barbados)

St. Nicholas Abbey 10 Year Old

St. Nicholas Abbey, one of the 'Seven Wonders of Barbados', is an old Jacobean style mansion built in 1658 and is one of the three existing Jacobean mansions in the Western Hemisphere.

Surrounded by lush tropical forests and over 400 acres of sugar cane fields, the estate is situated in St. Peter, Cherry Tree Hill and has, since its restoration, become a popular tourist attraction.

In an effort to preserve a piece of history and to prevent the estate from becoming purely a tourist attraction, the Warren family has established a cottage industry of sugar-related products including St. Nicholas Abbey rum which is produced using traditional methods which were first used over 350 years ago on Barbados.

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Rum Review: Matusalem Gran Reserva (Dominican Republic)

Ron Matusalem Gran Reserva

“Esto es mas viejo que Matusalem

In the 1800s two Spanish brothers Benjamin and Eduardo Camp, along with their partner Evaristo Álvarez, arrived in Cuba to establish Matusalem Rum in 1872 in Santiago de Cuba, where they used their knowledge of distillation and blending of sherries, brandies and wines to create a formula for rum that would be passed on to generations to come.

In 1912, when Benjamin returned to Spain, the company was left in the hands of his brother Eduardo and their partner, Evaristo who would soon unite their families through the marriage of Evaristos daughter and Eduardo's son, Claudio Álvarez LeFebre.

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Rum Review: Havana Club Añejo Especial (Cuba)

Havana Club Anejo Especial

Continuing with the Havana Club rum reviews next in line is Havana Club Añejo Especial, a blend of rums aged up to five years in white oak barrels.

I am fortunate enough to be living in Europe where I have access to the most celebrated authentic Cuban cigars and rums such as the Havana Club Añejo 7 Años and Cuban Barrel Proof that I've already reviewed here on Refined Vices.

Together with Puerto Rican rums, Cuban rums are lighter and more delicate in style when compared to most other rums.

"Cuban rum is the expression of the Cuban cultural mix."Fernando Ortiz

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Rum Review: Clément Rhum Vieux V.S.O.P. (Martinique)

Clement Rhum Vieux

Rhum Clément originates from the isle of Martinique which is situated in the French West Indies, between the islands of Dominica and St. Lucia and north of Trinidad & Tobago. The 1,128km² island is an overseas department of France thus a part of the European Union which also means the currency used on Martinique is the Euro.

The official language is French but most of the inhabitants speak Créole Martiniquais. Martinique's most important agricultural products are: pineapples, avocados, bananas, flowers, vegetables and of course, sugarcane. Martinique's rich soil or 'terroir' is optimal for sugar cane cultivation and about half of the grown sugar cane is used to make Rhum Agricole such as Clément Rhum Vieux that I am reviewing today.

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Rum Review: Ron Zacapa Centenario 23 Años (Guatemala)

Ron Zacapa Centenario 23

"The quetzal's feathers are so beautiful that from this day forth this place shall be called Quetzaltenango"Famous phrase from 1524.

The story of Ron Zacapa begins in the Spanish province of Burgos with the union of the Botrán and Requejo families, in the early 20th century when they married their children. This marriage yielded 5 sons who later moved to a Guatemalan town called Quetzaltenango which is situated on the mountainside about 2,333 meters (7,655 feet) above sea level where the days are warm and the nights cool.

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Rum Review: Screech Rum (Jamaica)

Screech Rum

"What the cripes was that ungodly screech?" Asked an old American sergeant after hearing the bloodcurling howl made by the commanding officer of the first detachment visiting Newfoundland during World War II. "The screech?" 'Tis the rum, me son" said the host who offered a drop of rum to the commanding officer after dinner.

So strong was the rum it would make whoever drank it to release an ungodly screech! A legend was born and the rum was labelled Famous Newfoundland Screech Rum.

The soul warming qualities of the early version of this rum were appreciated by the early Newfoundland fishermen who traded salt fish for Jamaican rum in the West Indies.

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Rum Review: Plantation Rum Grande Reserve (Barbados)

Plantation Rum Grande Reserve

Today is plantation weather. For the past couple of evenings after the hot sun has set behind the trees giving the garden a break from the scorching heat of the day, I find myself having nothing better to do than to sit quietly on my porch sipping rum and reading Wayne Curtis' latest book.

As the day seems almost still with only a slight breeze rustling the leaves I've found the perfect moment to write this rum review.

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