J Gow Wild Yeast Series NMO 2021 Moscatel

Bythefatrumpirate

J Gow Wild Yeast Series NMO 2021 Moscatel Rum Review by the fat rum pirateJ Gow Wild Yeast Series NMO 2021 Moscatel. Today we return to Lamb Holm in the Orkney Isles for the latest release in J Gow’s “Wild Yeast Series”. For those of you who have been following this page, over the past few years the J Gow Brand from VS DIstillers should be familiar.

I have been following their journey for some time now. We are now increasingly seeing the fruits of their “aged” casks.

Firstly I will apologise to you the readers and to Collin of VS Distillers. Collin very kindly sent me a message with a load of detail about this release. However, when I have come to write this review I cannot for love nor money find the damn thing! So we are going with the information which is on the bottle and what I can find online. Which is still pretty substantial.

J Gow Wild Yeast Series NMO 2021 Moscatel. Lets unpick that first. As mentioned already this is a rum in the J Gow “Wild Yeast Series”.

The rum has been fermented with yeast isolated from Northern Marsh Orchids (NMO),that grow beside the distillery on Lamb Holm. Subject to a d 30 Day fermentation. Once distilled the rum has been aged in second fill Moscatel octaves for 3 full Scottish years. Bottled at Lamb Holm. The rum comes in at 58.8% ABV 70cl. Limited to 265 bottles. A bottle will set you back around £60.

We’ve covered J Gow in numerous reviews before this so with the information exhausted on this particular bottling we might as well get on with the fun part………

In the glass the rum is light brown colour – a shade or two deeper than straw. The nose on this rum is surprisingly fruity. Quite acidic and white wine like. Gooseberries, white grapes and some grapefruit come through initially.J Gow Wild Yeast Series NMO 2021 Moscatel Rum Review by the fat rum pirate

Further nosing reveals more of the molasses influence – toffee and a touch of aniseed. There is a nice “freshness” about this rum. It’s very aromatic with some all spice and ginger coming into the mix.

There is a nice oak note as well but again its quite “fresh”. There is nothing musty or old about this bottling.

J Gow Wild Yeast Series NMO 2021 Moscatel when sipped initially delivers a very “malty” experience. It’s warming and very comforting. Beneath this we are getting the Moscatel cask influence.

Again the sweeter wine notes pull through. White grape and Grapefruit especially. Some Pineapple as well.

There is a slightly bitter note as well which helps bring some of the sweetness back in line stopping it becoming uneven.

The mid palate shows more of the wood and oak influence. The cask ageing has had a dramatic influence on this distillate I feel. This is a very complex rum with a lot going on. It is amongst the best rum I have had so far from J Gow and the UK scene.J Gow Wild Yeast Series NMO 2021 Moscatel Rum Review by the fat rum pirate

There are notes of ginger, all spice a touch of fennel. Alongside are some lighter notes almost bordering on some cinnamon. The molasses notes fade away in the mid palate and cask takes centre stage.

As we move into the finish the rum becomes a touch on the smoky side. It is woody but not overly so. The finish is long and lingering with lots of fruit zest – lemon and lime along with a chunk of oak and a touch of smokiness.

The finish is long and really satisfying. I’ve really enjoyed this rum. It is a really good sipper and I won’t be using it for any other purpose. I’m not even going to do a “review” rum and cola.

I’m keeping this for “best”.

Great stuff

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  • Kill Devil Jamaica Hampden Distillery Aged 10 Years – The Whisky Barrel Exclusive

    Bythefatrumpirate

    Kill Devil Jamaica Hampden Distillery Aged 10 Years Rum Review by the fat rum pirate The Whisky BarrelKill Devil Jamaica Hampden Distillery Aged 10 Years – The Whisky Barrel Exclusive. An exclusive bottling sees one of Scotland’s younger rum bottlers, team up with a relatively youthful Scottish retailer in the shape of The Whisky Barrel.

    The Whisky Barrel have been earning a great reputation over the past few years. Focusing and stocking Independent bottlings of both whisky and rum. Obviously my attention has always focused on the rum. They heavily feature two of my favourite UK based Indie bottlers. Bristol Classic Rum and Hunter Laing’s Kill Devil range.

    We are on familiar ground then again with this bottling in terms of bottler, distillery and age. I reviewed a 9 year old Cask Strength Hampden bottling from Kill Devil a few months back. I found that bottling (a run of just 55 bottles) on The Whisky Barrel also. Regular readers of this blog will be aware that Jamaica has been covered very regularly lately. Not Just Hampden but also Worthy Park.

    As a rule I “try” and review bottles whilst they are still available for retail and whenever possible, as soon as they are available. I think this works both ways – you readers will be keen to read about the rum before you commit and it ensures I get a steady stream of views for such bottlings.

    Anyway enough of the rambling. What we have here is a 10 Year Old Pot Still Rum from the Hampden Distillery. Distilled back in November 2007. It is bottled at 64.1% ABV – Cask Strength. One of just 290 bottles from a single cask. Priced at £62.65 which is only slightly more expensive than last years 9 year old rum.

    It is likely that this rum was sent to Europe unaged and has been aged solely in a continental European climate.

    This is reinforced when the rum is poured in the glass. It is a very light straw colour with a slight flash of gold in the swirl.

    Nosing the rum (you don’t really need to it you can smell it across the room) I get all those wonderful familiar Jamaican funky notes, that I’ve so enjoyed recently with our Kill Devil and Berrys’ Jamaican bottlings. Getting up there with one of my all time favourites, that mythical Duncan Taylor Long Pond 2000. Ahhhh memories.

    Varnish, shoe polish, diesel fumes, Calpol and menthol cigarettes are all very prominent on the nose. Despite all this there is enough sweetness. Pineapple, guava and Lockets (honey flavour cough sweets with a liquid centre). These notes balance out the more aggressive and frankly unpleasant sounding notes (it is amazing how such horrible sounding notes can smell so wonderful!).Kill Devil Jamaica Hampden Distillery Aged 10 Years Rum Review by the fat rum pirate The Whisky Barrel

    So lets see how this all transfer over to the sip.

    Wow! This is some really funky, sweet and vibrant rum. An initial sugary-ness gives some really fruity almost candied notes of pineapple and passion fruit. There is a really medicinal and warming hit of lighter fuel and navy tablet (more English cough sweets) on the mid palate. Nice warming notes of spice – ginger, nutmeg and a really well developed oak and some slightly tannic notes like red wine. The balance is wonderful.

    This is what I call a slow sipper. Big gaps between each sip. Not because you don’t want more but because it is so complex and the finish is long and satisfying.

    There are all kinds of notes to be explored with this rum – sweeter tropical notes, more aggressive heavy medicinal notes and some really nicely balanced and well delivered spice and oak in the finish and mid palate. This all adds up to a very funky and well balanced Jamaican rum.

    With the Hampden rums from Independent bottlers it is very much about how well they have been matured. The funky-ness that comes off the still is already packed full of flavour. This is distillate driven rum – whilst the rum may have mellowed slightly in the barrel/cask and taken on some of the vanilla and spice of what I presume to be re-fill bourbon, it is still very much characterised by the unaged rum that came straight off the still.

    It’s difficult to tame a Hampden – without arsing it up with “dosage”. You can over-oak them from time to time or put them in “bad” barrels.

    But that hasn’t happened with this particular bottling. I gave the 9 Year Old Kill Devil Hampden 4.5 stars out of 5 earlier this year and the same score to the 17 Year Old Berrys’s exclusive for The Whisky Barrel.

    We are really getting down to finite differences. This might just get the balance between youthful exuberance and well matured spirit – just a teensy bit more than those two. Would I easily tell them apart after a couple of glasses? Probably not if I’m being honest.

    This doesn’t have the slightly bitter note of the 17 year old on the finish and is ever so slightly better balanced overall than the 9 year.

    To be fair you should buy all three of those bottlings if you can. No scrap that – buy two, three as many as you can get.

    Jamaican Rum Heaven. More collaborations please…….

  • Mezan Guyana 1998 Uitvlugt

    Bythefatrumpirate

    Mezan Guyana Rum - Uitvluigt 1998 review by the fat rum pirateMezan are a relatively new independent bottler.  They are in Marussia Beverages portfolio (which also include’s Doorly’s).  I’ve spoken with the firm so hopefully I will be able to ask them more questions etc in the near future.  Their website does have a lot of good information though and showcases the brands current line up of rums.

    What I do know about Mezan is that they are carving out a nice little niche in the rum market.  Relatively inexpensive independent bottlings.

    I’m not a huge fan of buying miniatures or samples.  I don’t really think you can really judge a rum until a few sittings and a good few “drams”.  As an introduction to the sometimes weird and wacky world of Independently bottled rum Mezan offer a nice little gateway, without you having to spend huge amounts of money.  Independent bottlings by Velier, Samaroli and Silver Seal regularly cost over £100.  That is a lot of money when you are just feeling your way into less commercially orientated rum.

    All of Mezan’s rums retail at around the £30-35 mark.  Which when compared to rums from the likes of Velier, Samaroli and Silver Seal is very competitive.  One of the reasons Mezan can offer such value is probably due to the ABV of each bottle.  In the main their rums are bottled at 40% ABV (or thereabouts).  Straight away this means they can fill more bottles with rum diluted to this ABV than a Cask Strength bottler.  If you have a 70cl bottle of a spirit with an ABV of around 60% you have in effect got well over a litre of regular strength spirit to sip.  The idea of sipping rums of 60 and 70% neat is frankly stupid not to mention dangerous.  Water should really be added to find the sweet spot.

    Another reason I suspect Mezan can afford to sell their rums for a fraction of other Independent bottlers is the packaging.  Simple inexpensive labelling.  The only downfall to the packaging despite being a bit basic are the awful screw cap tops.  They quickly become clogged and sticky and virtually impossible to remove without a cloth.  This is something that urgently needs addressing.

    Buying independent bottlings is always a bit of a minefield.  With such limited releases sometimes only a couple of hundred bottles or less it is difficult to judge whether you will truly enjoy the spirit.  Let’s face it if someone has forked out £150 for a bottle of rum its unlikely they are going to admit to it being a stinker!  You must also be careful of online reviews – there is a snob value to some bottlers work and I’m not 100% convinced every rum that is put out by Velier or Samaroli is brilliant.  As I mentioned earlier I think Mezan offer consumers a way of determing if Independent bottlings are for them.  Many people will be happier with a bottle of Pyrat, El Dorado 15 or Zacapa than a 25 year old Caroni or a Single Cask Port Morant.

    Mezan Guyana Rum - Uitvluigt 1998 review by the fat rum pirateThis Mezan is a 1998 Demerara Rum from the now defunct Utivluigt (no idea how you pronounce that!) Distillery.  It is from the Savalle Still which is still in operation at Demerara Distillers Limited (DDL).  It has then been aged in small oak casks until 2011.  When it was lightly filtered and bottled.

    So I think we have single still rum (not sure if its single cask) which has been aged for 13 years.  The El Dorado ICBU mark Single Barrel rum comes from this still.  The Savalle still is capable of producing many different marques of rum from heavier rums to very light rum.

    Mezan do not colour or use any additives.  I understand they do undertake some very light chill filtering. Despite this I still notice quite a lot of sediment in my bottle.  (That bothers me not one bit, nor should it you its perfectly natural).

    This rum is perhaps the lightest Demerara I have come across to date. As unappealing as it sounds its urine coloured.  No commercial operation would put out a rum this colour I’m convinced of that.

    The nose on this rum is pretty muted.  It is mainly just a light syrupy kind of smell.  Its sweet but not hugely sweet.  Its almost floral.  This on nosing seems a very light Demerara rum.  I would imagine a rum such as this would be used in blends a lot to give balance.

    Much like Mezan’s Jamaica 2003 from the Hampden Distillery I think I would have liked to have exlored the rum at Cask Strength or maybe 50% ABV.  I can’t help feel that there is a little something missing.

    Sipping the rum, it is very easy going if slightly one dimensional.  The rum overall is very light with a sweetness running through it.  The finish is pretty non existent it leaves little on the palate.  It lacks complexity and any real depth or character.  There is no spicness or oak ageing.  The label says it has a prolonged finish.  It might have a long finish but its pretty much tasteless – theres just a little bit of a tingle and a slight warming sensation.  It just tastes like a slightly sweet, unremarkable column distilled light mixing rum.

    To be fair mix is pretty much what I have done with it.  Much like my Bristol Diamond 1998 – both have proved to be quite light agreeable mixers.  Nothing to challenging.   The Bristol I found slightly more engaging than this.Mezan Guyana Rum - Uitvluigt 1998 review by the fat rum pirate  At the price a little over £30 I’m not hugely concerned.  I don’t feel ripped off or cheated by Mezan.

    In spite of me finding this rum pretty average I still have a soft spot for what Mezan are doing.  I like the way they want to produce quality rums without the additives and without all the marketing bullshit or fanciful tales and made up histories.  I like their simple labels, though I hate their screw tops and despite the fact I have been left a little disappointed by both this and the Jamaica 2003 – both of which ended up used as mixers, I’ll still persist with some more Mezan bottlings in the future.

    The reason for that is simple.  The price.  Mezan still gives me the option to try rums from different Distilleries and stills and determine if I want to consider spending mega bucks on something similar.  There is also another reason.

    I’ve a couple more Mezan reviews to write up and when Mezan do get a rum right and it costs little more than £30 you are getting yourself a great bargain.  I have one in the pipeline from a slightly unusual source which is very, very good!

    This one was average but this is what happens when you experiment.

    2 stars

  • Cadenhead’s Dark Rum 1842 Cask

    Bythefatrumpirate

    Cadenhead's Dark Rum 1842 Cask review by the fat rum pirateCadenhead’s or Wm Cadenhead are an independent bottler of Scotch Whisky and other Fine Spirits based in Campbeltown, Argyle in Scotland.  The company has been operating since 1842 and some of their more idiosyncratic blended whiskies and rums are currently available under the brands 1842 Live Cask range.

    At their store on Chiltern Street in London they run a Whisky Tasting Room.  Within this store they have a number of live casks.  These live casks contain blends of single malt whiskies.  These offer a unique one off experience and the casks are regularly topped up in store once they become half empty.

    Fortunately, for the rum lover Cadenhead’s currently have one 1842 cask which is a blend of rums.  As you can see from the link provided there wasn’t a great deal of information available so I got in touch with Cadenhead’s and they duly and promptly replied to my enquiries

    “The 1842 we have in the shop is from Demerara, if we had to place an age on it I guess it  would be 10 years old however the cask has been live since 2002/3 it’s a small quarter cask we top up once it gets to 50% sold, at this point we cannot get any more out of the cask so we fill it then from time to time we will roll the cask to mix it up a bit more (That’s how we do it in the London Store) the oldest rum in the cask I can recall adding was 30 years old some years back now I remember thinking I must be a bit crazy adding such an old rum to the cask!! I think it has helped with the richness we get from the cask”

    The rum is available in a number of sizes I opted initially for the small 20cl bottle which is available from £16.90.  This may sound quite expensive for such a small bottle.  A 70cl bottle can be bought for £51.90.  The rum is however bottled at Cask Strength of 68% ABV.  SO you are getting quite a lot of rum for your money by the time you water the rum down to a more drinkable ABV.  The rum is hand bottled and labelled.  This is the case for all these rums as the rum is taken straight from the cask.  It would be nice to visit the store and see my bottled filled but alas this was ordered online.  The only downside to ordering direct from Cadenhead’s is the £10 postage and packing fee.

    Cadenhead’s Classic Rum (which is also a Demerara blend) was greeted with rave reviews on this site – as this seems to be an older version of that the expections for this are pretty high.

    Cadenhead's 1842 Dark Rum review by the fat rum pirateAs Cadenhead’s rums are not chill filtered or coloured in anyway the rum by commercial Demerara standards quite a light coloured rum.  It is a dark golden colour.  Sediment and cloudiness can be seen in the glass.  This is not something which should alarm.  It is not something which will spoil the flavour.

    Nosing the spirit as cask strength it is not surprising that a heady scent of alcohol boozy fumes are present.  However, it is not quite as chemical like as some Overproof rums such as Lemon Hart 151.  The unmistakable Demerara notes are still present.  The nose is very rich and instense.  Plump juicy raisins and cinnamon, ginger a little nutmeg, rich cocoa and chocolate notes.  It’s very rich and sweet smelling.  Bordering almost on Christmas Pudding or Christmas Cake.  Almost Spiced in many ways..

    Sipping the rum at 68% will offer you little other than a very numb tongue and quite possibly health problems if regular sipping of such rums becomes common please.  Some alcohol retailers advise against drinking such high proof rums neat.  Cadenhead’s do suggest this rum is easy to drink even at 68% ABV (I disagree) though they do recommend adding some drops of water.  For those concerned about doing so – this will not dilute the taste and make the rum thin unless you add a lot of water.  So be careful and a had a few drops of water.  I find a teaspoon works best for this.  You will notice as you add each teaspoon that the rum becomes less “strong” but more flavours become evident.  You will find the sweet spot for you with a little practice.

    Once found you really do have a very rich and fruity Demerara.  It’s pretty sweet and is certainly sweeter than all the Independently bottled Demerara’s I have tried so far.  It reminds me a little of El Dorado 8 and 15.  I will affirm at this stage that the Hydrometer Tests do show no added sugar.  Which shows that skilful blending can still produce rich warming and sweeter rum.

    All the notes available in the nose shine through when sipped.  It has a little more spice and bite to it than the Classic Rum.  You can tell the extra ageing of the spirit as it exhibits notes of oak and added complexity with some spicy notes such as ginger it also has a little hint of aniseed or licorice – not much but just a little.

    Mixed I think all Demerara’s go well when mixed especially with Cola, this makes a lovely rich and warming drink.  A real winter warmer.  This rum is very typical of the Demerara rums which are so popular in Scotland.  Sweet, rich and warming.

    This rum could also be used as a Overproof float in cocktails.  Although slightly lesser proof than Lemon Hart or Hamilton 151 I think in respect of Lemon Hart (I haven’t tried the Hamilton) it offers a better tasting more balanced rum.

    I think this rum is pretty spectacular and until I find something better I’m pretty happy to give this 5 stars.  I suspect you could spend a lot, lot more and not find a better Demerara.  Yes I know this isn’t a Single Cask offering but taken at face value as a blended aged Demerara this takes some beating.

    5 stars

     

     

     

  • Dos Maderas 5+5 PX

    Bythefatrumpirate

    Dos Maderas 5+5 PX Rum Review by the fat rum Dos Maderas 5+5 PX. Dos Maderas are a rum producer from Spain. The rum is blended at one of the biggest wineries in Europe, the Jerez de la Frontera. Which owned by Williams and Humbert who are more famous for producing Sherry and “Brandy de Jerez”.

    The title relates to the ageing process undertaken by the rum. It is transported to Spain after the rum has been aged for 5 years in Guyana and Barbados.

    It is then aged for three more years at the Williams & Humbert facilities in casks which have aged “Dos Cortados” (Palo Cortado). Once finished Dos Maderas 5+5 then undergoes a third stage of ageing in butts which have previously aged “Don Guido” sherry (Pedro Ximénez) for 20 years. Both “Don Guido“ and “Dos Cortados” have been aged for 20 years and are certified by the oldest Denomination of Origin in Spain: that of Jerez-Xérès-Sherry. All their rums are aged in Solera System.

    Dos Maderas are quite a slick, “premium” looking brand. In the UK you can pick up a bottle of Dos Maderas 5+5 fairly easily. It is priced at around £40 for a 70cl bottle. It is bottled at 40% ABV. Presentation is in an stubby rounded bottle, with quite a bulbous neck the look is completed by a plastic topped synthetic cork enclosure. A maroon tube with gold lettering like the bottle is also provided to store the bottle in. It looks nice and you can see why it commands attention.

    I saw a lot of Dos Maderas in Gibraltar when I was there and it has also been present in other parts of Spain and Europe, when I have visited. It would seem to be quite a popular brand. The bottle does seem to have had a few different incarnations over the past couple of years.

    The slick marketing continues on their website. Which gives some decent information on the ageing process but tells us little of the actual rums which comprise this blend  beyond Dos Maderas 5 + 5 PX Rum Review by the fat rum piratethe fact they are 5 years old when they arrive in Spain and from Barbados and Guyana. Where they have been tropically aged. Via rum broker E&A Scheer.

    The Solera Ageing of this rum is where it all gets a bit more complicated. Luckily Matt at Cocktail Wonk has visited Williams & Humbert so they have provided a more detailed look at the ageing process including the addition of some sherry to some of the casks in the solera. This isn’t mentioned in the company’s marketing.

    Which goes some way to explaining the Hydrometer reading that I experienced (Johnny over at Drecon.dk got the same results with his Anton Paar density meter). 35 g/L of additives was the reading. Which is pretty high.

    Swirled in the glass Dos Maderas 5+5 PX is a rich dark brown with red flashes. Nosed it is intense. As intense as the sweetness derived from the raisins used in the production of PX sherry this rum was finally aged in as part of the Williams & Humbert solera system.

    Rich, plump raisins dominate the palate. Coating it with an almost cloying intense spicy sweetness. Rum and Raisin Ice Cream dialled up a notch or two. Sweet almost sickly milk chocolate rubs alongside a very spicy and surprisingly dry sherry like note.

    This is a rum blend with rums in it from Barbados and Guyana. It tastes similar to an El Dorado rum – maybe the 12 or perhaps the 8 as the sherry like flavour does have a slightly “drying” affect.

    Such is the intensity of the sweetness on the sip it is quite difficult to track anything further down the line. It’s very raisin forward. It’s also quite drying on the palate so the mid palate probably gets the best experience of the actual rum lurking in this blend. A slight oakiness and a little touch of the oak barrel.Dos Maderas 5 + 5 PX Rum Review by the fat rum pirate

    As a drink it’s quite tasty – I ‘d enjoy it poured on pancakes or even as an after dinner drink. A bit like dessert wine.

    As a rum it’s just totally masked by the sweet sherry. PX sherry is very sweet up to 400g/L of sugar can be used to produce such sherries.

    Am I being unfair? No, not if we want to talk about rum. This reminds me of Legendario’s Elixir de Cuba. Now that is a liqueuer which is often confused as a rum. This is a heavily sherry dosed rum which, whilst not at liqueuer levels is far sweeter than a rum really should be. It confuses the category. Some would say it adds variety – I disagree. It should be clear that this is dosed heavily with sherry and perhaps noted as a “flavoured” rum.

    In all fairness if I wanted to spend £40 on Sherry – I dare say I could get a very good bottle or two at the price this goes for.

     

     

     

     

  • Pusser’s Rum British Navy (75% ABV)

    Bythefatrumpirate

    Pussers Rum Overproof Green Label Rum review by the fat rum piratePusser’s relaunched their rums in 2014 to stop all the confusion about the various Blue Labelled rums floating around different parts of the world at varying strengths.

    One of the rums that caused the least confusion was this one.  Not because the bottle does not immediately make you think it is one of their lower proof rums but because it was and is only available in one country. For some reason our German cousins were not satisfied with a meagre 54.5% ABV rum and demanded more so this 75% ABV expression was launched for the German market only.  Thanks to the guys at Beers of Europe I was able to obtain a bottle for £49.99.  Which sounds quite expensive but once I’ve explained exactly how this 75% ABV rum SHOULD be drank you will see I wasn’t stung too badly.

    Despite Pusser’s re-launching their 54.5% ABV Blue Label rum with a new Black Label and calling it “Gunpowder Proof” around a year ago I have still yet to see a bottle for sale.  Likewise Beers of Europe only stocked the old style Blue bottle. This “Super” Overproof rum comes in what initially looks like the usual Pusser’s bottle however subtle differences can be noted.  There is more red on the front label and the colours on the neck of the bottle are also more a contrast of red and blue rather than blue and red.  A picture of the new design is here. I’ve reviewed pretty much all the Pusser’s line up to date give or take the odd 40something % decanter bottlings and the US Red Label (I assume its much the same as the 40% UK Blue Label released last year).

    I’m a big fan of Pussers and I particularly like the 54.5% ABV “Gunpowder” rum which was the first Pusser’s I tasted.  Pusser’s is rich, sweet and warming with a very nice undercurrent of full strength menace.  This 75% rum takes that undercurrent and ratchets it up another notch or two. Pussers Super Overproof rum review by the fat rum pirateThe blend in this Super Overproof rum I am assured is the same as the blend in the other Blue Label offerings.  It is predominantly a Port Morant distillate from DDL, Guyana with some Trini rum from Angostura added to the mix.  My Hydrometer tests have revealed that no sugar has been added to this product post distillation.

    So this is pretty serious rum and I dare say you could pay a lot more for a Cask Strength Port Morant from an Independent bottler.  I accept that this rum is probably younger than most of those currently offered and not single cask etc.

    The nose on this rum is very concentrated and sweeter than the lower ABV Pusser’s rums.  I’m surprised just how sweet and fruity it smells and how little “booze” is present in the nose.  It’s rich fruity raisins all the way and is instantly recognisable as a Pusser’s Navy Rum.  It has a little of the funk I mistook for Jamaican rum.  This is the good stuff!

    On with the tasting.  Now if you have a desire to spend 24 hours with your insides in torment then you can be really big, clever and extremely hard and sip this at full strength.  Or you can do what you are supposed to do with Cask Strength offering such as this and take a very small sip and then mix (believe me you will not lose flavour or make the liquor any less potent – note I do not use the word dilute you do not make the spirit any less strong you just have more liquid to drink) with water.  The best method I have seen is to use a teaspoon.  It’s a little trial and error but if you are a fond sipper of Pusser’s rums you will eventually find a point where the alcohol burn is down to a level you enjoy and you hit the sweet spot where you can enjoy the rum as a Sipper.  It is entirely your preference how much water you add. Rums such as Lemon Hart 151 and Wray and Nephew White Overproof are often used as “floats” in Tiki Cocktails such as the super potent Zombie (a mix of up to 6 rums and fruit juice with a shot float of overproof set alight usually in a lime skin to top it off).

    This Pusser’s isn’t highlighted much mainly because it is only really available in Germany but it is certainly potent enough to serve that purpose as well. As well as adding water and sipping this rum you can of course mix this rum.  For me Pusser’s Navy is my favourite rum in a Cuba Libre.  However the concentrated nose is also transferred into the taste of the drink.  This rum is a bit like Fairy Washing Up Liquid and a little goes a long way.  You don’t need a lot of this to make a hearty drink.  So be careful with the measures.

    Pussers Super Overproof rum review by the fat rum pirateAs mentioned earlier I paid £49.99 for this, I can pick up a bottle of the 40% Blue Label for around £20-25.  Bear in mind this will stretch (if you are careful) twice as far it wasn’t really all that expensive.  Not when you add in the fact it was also imported by Beers of Europe from Germany. If you are a fan of Pusser’s rum then this is an essential purchase if you are fortunate enough to come across a bottle.  It is the same as the 40% and 54.5% taste wise and I’ll probably be getting another bottle as you can add very little of this and still get a rummy kick.  Which is nice for during the week when you have work the next day.

    Another classic from Pusser’s.  Very much looking forward to their limited edition releases later in the year. Splice the mainbrace!

    5 stars

  • Flor de Cana Extra Seco 4

    Bythefatrumpirate

    Flor de Cana 4 Extra Seco Rum Ron Review by the fat rum pirateFlor de Cana Extra Seco 4.  Flor de Cana are a rum producer from Nicaragua.  They are one of the most popular and recognised brands worldwide.

    Flor de Cana recently overhauled the presentation of all their rums.  Not only did this update and modernise the presentation, it also saw the age statements removed.

    “Removed?” I hear you say. “I can still see the 4 years old on the label!”.  You can’t actually. What you can see is a 4 on the label with “Slow” and “Aged” on either side.  Deceptive? Yes, especially as stockists of the rum will still note them as being 4 years old etc.  This is a long running problem in rum.  Misleading age statements.

    Flor de Cana have stated that removing the age statements actually gives them more flexiibility with the overall blend.  I dare say it would have been more credible just to remove the numbers.  Having said that Flor de Cana’s rums are widely recognised by these “numbers” so I can understand why they didn’t.

    I’ll also say from trying the old style 7 and 12 alongside the newer variants, I couldn’t notice much (I’d say any) difference. So either they were lying all the time about the age of their rums or they haven’t really changed the blends that much.

    In addition to this Flor de Cana have also had to endure a bit of a scandal with regard their alleged mis-treatment of workers in their cane fields.  I’ve covered both these topics in greater detail in other reviews of FDC products.  So I’ll leave you to explore my other reviews should you require further information/comment. A number of reviewers have shyed away from reviewing FDC rums in recent years. I wouldn’t say I’ve been spending a fortune on their bottlings either.

    Instead we’ll concentrate on this particular rum.  Extra Seco is “Extra Dry” in English.  I’m sure older bottlings of this rum did state Extra Dry on the label as well.  I presume that this is a filtered aged rum (previously aged up to or for a full 4 years).  Flor de Cana’s rums are all produced on column stills and they rely very much on the ageing process to impart the flavour.  They are a far more barrel driven spirit than distillate driven. The barrels they use are all ex-bourbon casks which are sealed with plantain leaves. They note on their own website that they do not use “artificial ingredients, accelerants and with zero sugar content”. Which is good to know.

    Aged in ex-bourbon barrels Flor de Cana Extra Seco retails at around the £23 mark in the UK.  This is a reasonable price for a more “premium” white mixing rum.  It is bottled at 40% ABV.Flor de Cana 4 Extra Seco Rum Ron Review by the fat rum pirate

    The “extra dry” element of this rum interests me.  I would normally associate dry along the lines of Champagne whereby it means the product hasn’t been sweetened.  As far as I am aware Flor de Cana do not add sugar.  So the “Extra Dry” bit leaves me a little puzzled.

    Which is fine as I would like to try something a bit different to the usual white rums.  Up to now I’ve found Flor de Cana to be a bit of a mixed bag – the 7 and the 18 I rate, the 5 I’m not so keen on and the 12 sent me to sleep.

    So it’ll be interesting to see how this one fares.

    In the glass they have definitely filtered this rum, if it is a blend of around 4 years. It is crystal clear in the glass.

    The nose is familiar and not dis-similar to other rums in the Flor de Cana portfolio. It seems that Flor de Cana keep things fairly simple and they just age similar rums to different ages. Other than the age of the rums and the rather flat 12 year old I have noticed that the line up has a lot of similarities – just aged more as you go through the expressions.

    The nose is quite alcohol forward to begin with. It’s on a part with the 5 in terms of booziness.

    It does however, have a nice buttery profile. Vanilla, baking spices, sweet shortcrust pastry and toffee are definitely present. It is a light and reasonably sweet white rum.

    It also has the familiar FDC note – tobacco and leather.

    Flor de Cana 4 Extra Seco Rum Review by the fat rum pirateSipped its not all bad – it’s a little on the rough side in terms of alcohol – plenty sweet young alcohol notes. That said its still pretty tasty. The “Extra Seco” part if certainly there as it is very dry and crisp on the palate. The finish is relatively short with this one as it dries out quite quickly from the initial sip.

    The mid palate has notes of chocolate, vanilla and toffee. With some tobacco and oak spices.

    It also has a nice fruity layer of banana and green apple.

    Flor de Cana Extra Seco 4 works best in mixed drinks. It makes a really nice rum and coke which is similar to one made with the 7 but with a much drier overall profile. It’s quite sharp with some zesty notes.

    It also mixed really well in things like Daiquiris and Mojito’s. It’s a really good mixing white rum. Pretty inexpensive as well.