La Mauny V.O. Rhum Vieux Agricole

Bythefatrumpirate

La Mauny VO Rum Review Agricole RhumAhhh the French you could almost hate the entire nation for Michel Platini and his Anglophilic tendencies alone.  So the French being the French they couldn’t make r(h)um the English way they had to do it their way.

And so was born Rhum Agricole (Agricultural Rum) a more expensive way of making rum.  Agricole rum is made from fresh pressed sugar cane juice rather than molasses.  Due to the price of the various rhum agricole’s on offer I was expecting something quite spectacular.  However, from looking online it seemed quite overlooked and not a lot if it seemed to be getting on any notable award lists.

So I thought I best try a bottle myself.  I bought a cheapish (£25) bottle from the Whisky Exchange, I noted as soon as I bought a bottle it disappeared from their website.  Upon receiving the rum the dust on the admittedly very nice cylinder housing the rum confirmed that they might have had it around for a while.

Nevertheless the rum came in a very nice cylinder with a really lovely bottle and a cork stopper.  It promised so much, it looked to elegant so graceful, so very French.

I’m not sure if I’m the only person as a youngster to chew on grass during breaks from playing football but this is what this rum reminded me of.  I suppose as its made with fresh pressed cane juice rather than molasses this maybe isn’t so unusual.  Unfortunately the taste of the rum also is predominantly grassy.  It’s not horrendous or hugely unpleasant just weird.  To me personally it just isn’t rum.

I originally thought that perhaps the rum was “off” (the dust on the bottle and the disappearance from the website) however I tried another Rhum Agricole shortly afterwards and again felt I was back on the football field chewing the cud.

It’s weird I’m not even sure it should be classed as rum maybe it really is something else this rhum…………

1 stars

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  • Skotlander Handcrafted Rum V 1,400 SØMIL

    Bythefatrumpirate

    Skotlander Handcrafted Rum V 1,400 SØMILSkotlander Handcrafted Rum V 1,400 SØMIL is perhaps the most bizarrely named rum I have reviewed so far.  The strange name owes mostly to the way it has been aged.  When translated into English and the story is told it does make a lot more sense.  Even if the way the rum has been aged is a little baffling…….

    Skotlander Spirits hail from Denmark.  Not Scotland as some have commented on Social Media.  Believe it or not but some people have suggested the name is confusing. A simple Google search would easily dismiss any misconceptions.  This seems beyond some.

    Skotlander’s website asks you immediately on visiting if you wish to translate it into English.  It is currently available in English and Danish.  It’s really well done and has a great deal of information on the rums.  You can also buy their range online via the site.

    The rum up for review is their most recent release.  Translated into English the 1,400 refers to Nautical Miles.  As I mentioned the rum has been aged in a rather unique way.  The rear label of the bottle gives us the backstory.

    As you can see the rum has been aged in PX Sherry Casks and aged onboard Anders Skotlander’s Schooner Mira.  The rum was bottled at Cask Strength after being aged for 1400 Nautical miles around the Danish coast.

    Skotlander Handcrafted Rum V is packaged in a modern stubby style bottle with a wooden topped synthetic cork stopper.  The presentation is very sleek and clean.  It’ a very modern looking package.  Included with my two rums came a booklet on Skotlander’s rums and a Cocktail booklet with a number of cocktail and syrup recipes.  The rum also came with a white cloth bag with the Skotlander hog/pig logo.  All in all a very classy package.Skotlander Handcrafted Rum V 1,400 SØMIL

    The 50cl bottle has been released at Cask Strength of 61.6% ABV.  It is a limited edition of 704 bottles.  My bottle is number 415.  The rum retails at around the 200 Euro mark. The rum is small batch, pot distilled it has no additives, no chill filtration and is a natural colour.  It is not cheap but Skotlander ensure their customers that the rum is made using the finest grade sugarcane molasses in the world.

    In the glass the rum is very vibrant reddish brown.  I don’t know how long aged 1400 Nautical Miles is but it seems there has been quite a lot of interaction with the PX Sherry Cask to get this colour.

    The nose is sweet – there are some quite strong scents of sweet “booze”.  Beneath these quite strong fumes you also get a nice toffee aroma.  There are notes of what I would recognise as port or sherry – rich deep wine like scents.

    Further nosing reveals a slightly vegetal note – reminiscent of young Jamaican Overproofs.  It also reminds me of a small batch Pot Still rum from England called Old Salt Rum.  However these notes are only slightly detectable.  There is on occasion a little flash of varnish.

    All in all at full ABV it is a very complex smelling rum.  It is quite menacing and certainly a rum which you should approach with respect.

    Sipped at full strength it is initially sweet as the nose promises.  Skotlander Handcrafted Rum V 1,400 SØMILYou get a really nice fruity burst – redcurrants and blackberries.  Then the toffee notes arrive, they quickly fade into quite a sharp bittersweet melding of spices and smokiness.  Despite its sweetness it is quite a heavy and very rich rum.  Kind of like a mix of
    Pussers and Caroni in many ways.  The nearest I have tasted in terms of intensity of flavour has been the Foursquare 2013 Habitation Velier release.  They are very similar in a lot of ways.

    Taken down a notch or two with a drop of water the rum is a little lighter to sip.  You don’t lose any of the intense flavours but I can certainly taste a lot more oak which for me gives it a little bit more balance.  Initially I felt this was a better option but over time I have developed quite a taste for the rum at the higher ABV.  Albeit in much smaller sips.

    It’s expensive.  Both to the consumer and for the producer.  It is not something being done on the cheap, by a company looking to make a quick buck.  They want this rum to be the best it can be and they have also produced something, which is very distinctive.

     

  • Bacardi Superior

    Bythefatrumpirate

    Bacardi Superior White rum reviewThere’s probably not a lot to be said about Bacardi that hasn’t been said before.  Probably, on this blog and one of my other Bacardi reviews amongst other places.  It was on completing a review of Lemon Hart White Rum that I realised I hadn’t actually reviewed Bacardi Superior.  I’d had the pictures taken and reviewed a few other of Bacardi products but somehow I’d totally forgotten to review their flagship offering.

    To most people Bacardi (and even rum) begins and ends with this rum.  Ask for a rum and coke and many places won’t even ask what you want and just serve a Bacardi and Coke.  To be honest in some places in the UK you’d be more than glad of a Bacardi!

    Do I need to explain the bottle that Bacardi Superior comes in? Is there anyone on the planet with even the vaguest interest in rum (or just drink in general) who wouldn’t recognise Bacardi?  Bacardi Superior, Bacardi Gold and Bacardi Black all come roughly the same bottle.  I’ve said it before but I do like the way Bacardi presents it products.

    The Bacardi Superior comes in, well a standard Bacardi bottle complete with bat logo, gold medals and the “Case Fundada En Cuba estd 1862” which any Bacardi aficionado will recognise.  The bottle I’m reviewing is 40% ABV and its a 1 litre bottle.

    I made the mistake of trying to sip Lemon Hart White rum (and Wray and Nephew!) I’ve drank more than enough Bacardi Superior to know that sipping is not a good idea.  I sipped it along side the Mastro De Ron when conducting that review.  It’s a mixing rum and any pretence of anything else is frankly just plain stupid.

    Bacardi works well in a classic Cuban Cuba Libre.  It is a mixing rum.  It is a white spirit that has a sweet fruity taste which vodka cannot match.  If you wish to look beyond this spirit and try to make it something else then you are looking at the wrong drink.  Let’s be honest a lot of people who drink Bacardi probably don’t even know its rum they probably just think its well errrm Bacardi!

    A review of Bacardi Superior can be nothing other than brief.  It is a very sweet -apple, banana and a little sweet pear are all in the profile.  I don’t know how much sugar is in this rum but it is very, very sweet.  Being honest it isn’t something any serious “rum” lover is going to get excited about.  It’s probably of more interest to a mixologist or bartender.  I don’t build cocktails but I would imagine there will be times when certain cocktails really benefit from Bacardi Superior.

    I often think of Bacardi Superior as “sweet vodka” a relatively inoffensive yet very sweet mixer.  I think if you knock this you’re kind of missing the point.  There’s plenty room for the rum’s you like alongside this.  Hey sales of this rum might even help subsidise the “better” Bacardi offerings such as 8 anos and Reserva.

    2 stars

     

     

     

     

    This rum is available from

    THEDRINKSHOP

     

     

     

     

  • 24 Days of Rum – The Original Rum Box

    Bythefatrumpirate

    24 Days of Rum - The Original Rum Box Review by the fat rum pirate24 Days of Rum – The Original Rum Box. Warning! This article contains spoilers. If you have bought this calendar and do not wish to know any of the contents. Stop reading now!

    I would imagine the young child I once was would have given someone a very strange look had they suggested they would one day be writing about a Rum Advent Calendar.

    Indeed, I remember first seeing the 24 Days of Rum and the Rum Advent Calendar from Master of Malt and thinking “Is that for real?” Well indeed they are. Very real in fact. 24 Days of rum comes from our Danish friends at 1423.dk

    For those who are a little slow on the uptake – 24 Days of Rum is a Rum Advent Calendar. It is intended to be used during December on the run up to Christmas Day. That said there is nothing stopping you using it any other month………

    As a child, I was always hopeful of getting a more upmarket Advent Calendar. You know one with real chocolate in it. Something like Thornton’s or even Cadbury’s. Alas invariably, I would be presented with a Transformers or Star Wars calendar (both of whom I had little interest in) from Kinnerton. Yes that’s right Kinnerton. Purveyors of the most repulsive synthetic chocolate you could ever imagine. Heck, I bet if I had left my calendars from the 80’s untouched the “chocolate” would still be as edible as it was back then. The most disturbing thing about Kinnerton advent calendars, is that they were a £1 back in the 80’s and they are still a £1 now………..

    Anyway, it maybe in part to be deprived childhood but the thought of having an Advent Calendar full of rum seems very exciting…….

    24 Days of Rum – The Original Rum Box comes in, well a black cardboard box. Presentation wise it keeps up with the 1423.dk S.B.S and Companero vibe. Thankfully isn’t all Red, White and Green and tacky. It’s quite minimalist with its black and grey colour scheme. Nicely done.

    In the UK it retails at £79.99. Which you may notice is significantly cheaper than other Rum Advent Calendars. As well as the rum you also receive 2 drinking glasses and a little brochure each to write your notes about each rum.

    The small drinking glasses are actually quite nifty and handy. They are a bit of a bonus. I didn’t realise you got them with this calendar. In terms 24 Days of Rum - The Original Rum Box Review by the fat rum pirateof opening everything, it works pretty much like every other advent calendar. Perforated card with a handy little opener for each window. It’s very solid and works very nicely.

    At this stage I will point out the good and the bad about the rum in this box. Firstly, the individual bottles are 2cl or in more familiar “British” terms 20ml. So they just below a standard “shot” measure, here in the UK. I’ve got to say the idea of sharing such a small amount of rum does seem a touch optimistic. Maybe you’d need to buy a calendar each?

    I’ve griped before about the small measures in these advent calendars. However, I appreciate the cost of creating miniatures. Try and assemble 24 miniature rums from Master of Malt for £80. You’ll struggle for sure.

    As well as being 24 Days of Rum you also get rum from 24 different countries/islands. Now, this is the part that really got me interested. As a reviewer and someone who just likes trying new things, I have looked at a number of bottles over the last few years and thought – I’d24 Days of Rum - The Original Rum Box Review by the fat rum pirate like to try that.

    Often though I have baulked at the price of a full bottle. I’ve then ended up frustrated at not being able to buy a little tester. This gives you the option to try satisfy some long running curiosity.

    It also takes the choice out of your hands. Great if you are similar to me and just like trying new things. Even if you know some you might not be too keen on. This box is absolutely ideal. We have rums from Nepal, Phillipines, Indonesia, alongside more familiar favourites such as Guyana, Barbados and St Lucia. It truly is a completely random selection of rum.

    I noticed last years box seemed to have a fair few spiced and flavoured rums in the line up. This year we have 24 “straight” (I dare say one or two might have some special sauce in there somewhere) rums. In the photos, I have shared a few of the rums available in the box but I don’t want to entirely spoil everyone’s fun so I won’t give the full “tracklisting”.

    Quite a few of these rums I have barely heard of. Some are are rarely available in the UK. So it has certainly been a very good investment from my point of view. I’ll get quite a few reviews out of this box. There are are only around 5 rums24 Days of Rum - The Original Rum Box Review by the fat rum pirate I have actually tried in this box. There are some real surprises and some genuine oddities.

    I’m not going to review this box as such in terms of giving it a score. I haven’t tried all the rums yet. I need to be a good boy for Santa so no opening until Advent begins! As a package I think at the price, its pretty hard to beat.

    Attention to detail on the miniatures should also be commended as 1423.dk have shrank and re-created the original labels onto the bottles. This is a really nice touch and particularly useful when trying to track down information on some of the rums in this box.

    If you are willing to go a little outside the box and are looking to try some new rum then this is will be great fun. Sure you aren’t going to like everything in this box but I’m pretty sure you’ll find a couple of gems you hadn’t previously even heard of.

    Should you wish to buy 24 Days of Rum – The Original Rum Box you can find it in the following retailers.

    Amazon, Master of Malt, Drink Supermarket and The Whisky Exchange. It will also be available at various European retailers.

    Give it a whirl you might find a few new favourites!

    24 Days of Rum - The Original Rum Box Review by the fat rum pirate

     

     

  • Ron Cubay Anejo

    Bythefatrumpirate

    Ron Cubay Anejo rum review by the fat rum pirateRon Cubay Anejo is a Cuban rum.  In 1964 Ron Cubay was founded in Santo Domingo, Villa Clara. Ron Cubay rums are produced by Cuba Ron S.A which also produce Havana Club. The Ron Cubay brand was only ever intended for domestic consumption, hence the reason that we are only just seeing it in the UK with it only having a presence in Europe since around 2010.

    The importers for Ron Cubay in the UK – JBE Imports have set up a website which gives a little background to three Cubay rums they currently import.

    As with many “rons” Ron Cubay is a blend of column distilled rums aged up to 7 years.  On many websites this is listed as a 7 year old rum.  Exactly how old the rums in this blend are – I do not know.

    Ron Cubay Anejo is bottled at 38%.  I’m not entirely sure – but rums from Cuba and the Dominican Republic are often bottled at this strength.  Economically it makes sense and a bottling strength of 37.5% is often used by cheaper supermarket own brand spirits.  Anyone who has visited Cuba will be aware that rum their by comparison to the UK in particular is dirt cheap. A 70cl bottle will set you back around £23-25 in the UK.  Personally I do not think a differing ABV of 2% makes a great deal of difference.  I know many may disagree with this.

    Presentation wise the Anejo comes in a similar bottle to the other two rums in the Cubay portfolio.  It’s a familiar bar style bottle with a slightly retro feel especially on the bottle cap.  It has a metal screw cap of good quality and re-assuringly it has the green Authentic Cuban rum sticker just below the main label on the bottle.  Immediately below that it has Ron Cubano etched on the glass bottle itself.  It’s very typical in presentation terms of a Cuban rum.  It’s all a bit retro.

    In the glass Ron Cubay Anejo is a slightly lighter to golden brown.  The nose is Ron Cubay Anejo rum review by the fat rum pirate familiar.  Notes of spicy oak and hints of tobacco, chocolate and an almost honey like sweet note.  The nose is well balanced and doesn’t suffer from any petrol like notes that are evident in the Havana Club rums.  The 7 and Anejo Especial in particular.

    Sipped – the rum has a very nice sweet entry – nice soft tropical fruits and berries, a nice hit of milk and dark chocolate notes.  The mid palate and the finish have a nice spicy heat to them.  The finish whilst not particularly big is quite long lasting but slightly muted.  It’s nice and oaky and slowly burns out – there is a little heat maybe some white pepper but it doesn’t have much burn.

    Maybe the 38% ABV works in this rum’s favour as a sipper – giving you less burn and more flavour. (When assessing new rums distillers often dilute their rums to around 20% when tasting to get all the flavours and nuances)

    Having tried the Reserva Especial and the Carta Blanca I was expecting something good from this rum.  It certainly hasn’t disappointed.  In comparison to Havana Club 7 Anos this rum has less of the tobacco and petrol notes and more fruity notes – nice smooth chocolate, even coffee.  It tastes much more complete and better balanced.  In my opinion it is a lot better.

    You can mix this rum but to be honest I doubt you will feel the need.  It really is a lot better as a sipper than I expected.  It would certainly qualify as a bargain sipper.  Mixed in a Cuba Libre it works very well – making a very rich, luxurious and smooth drink.

    You can pick up all three Ron Cubay rums for under £90.  All are great additions to any rum collection.

    4 stars

     

     

  • Pampero Anejo Especial

    Bythefatrumpirate

    Pampero Anejo Especial Rum ReviewRon Pampero is typically known by Venezuelan’s as “Caballito Frenao” (literal translation “The Restrained Horse”).  Which is guess explains in part the man astride a white horse on it red label (though it shows no sign of restraints).For those unfamiliar with Venezuela it is sandwiched between Guyana and Venezuela.  Venezuela’s coast line is on the Caribbean Sea.

    Pampero or Industria Pampero C.A was founded in 1938 by Alejandro Hernandez.  The are subisdiary of Diageo,  This probably goes some way to explain how this rum is quite easily available in the UK and most of Europe.  My first experience of this rum was in a UK bar and it is often one of the “better” (not saying much) available rums in more trendy establishments.

    The Anejo Especial is a blend of Venezuelan rum aged upto 2 years in American Oak (Bourbon) Barrels.  Pampero currently have four rums in their line up, this, a similarly aged White (Blanco) rum, the 1938 Seleccion and finally the Pampero Aniversario.  A 70cl bottle of this rum will set you back around £18-22 in the UK.

    As can be seen from the picture the rum comes in fairly standard bar style bottle (save for the horse emblem embossed on the neck).  Whilst the rum comes with a screw top enclosure, the screw top is of very high standard.  There is very little chance of the cap becoming detached from the bottle without the threads breaking first.  Despite being from a mega corporation such as Diageo the bottle is entirely in Spanish.  A HMRC duty sticker is not part of the label and is instead stuck on the rear of the bottle.  I find this quite unusual.  This is usually common amongst less commercial bottlers.

    In the bottle the rum presents itself as gold rum.  Similar in many ways to other Anejo’s such as Diplomatico and Havana Club’s anejo offerings.  For those who don’t know anejo simply means aged (it is often used to describe rums aged between 2 and 5 years on its own).  When poured the rum retains its colour.  The nose is quite flowery and buttery.  It has a little bit of the Havana twang but doesn’t exhibit the tobacco tones of the Havana Club Anejo Especial.  It’s quite similar to the Diplomatico Anejo in terms of smell.  The nose in many ways is quite boozy but at the same time delicate with hints of vanilla.  It reminds me of a Bajan style rum.  The Pampero Anejo Especial is not overly sweetened as many of these Central/South American rums tend to be, whilst there may be a little sugar added it doesn’t seem to have been adultered much by way of additives. On the nose at least it seems quite a clean rum.

    Onto the tasting.  The taste is fairly pleasant.  Despite the relatively young age of the rum it doesn’t burn much at all when sipped. It’s really quite an easy going rum.  There is a little burn and the finish lingers in the mouth giving a little spice.  It’s quite a dry rum – again similar to a Bajan (think Seales 10 year old).  It has quite a long finish and leaves notes of toffee and slight sugary caramel.  These notes aren’t very distinct though it isn’t by any stretch of the imagination a particularly sweet or fruity rum.  There is a little bit of banana and vanilla initially but isn’t in spades like some rums.

    As a mixing rum its perfectly acceptable.  To be honest often when I’m out and about it’s a welcome relief to see Pampero Anejo Especial behind the bar.  However, despite this it isn’t a rum which I am going to stock regularly in my bar.  Like so many rum’s in the £20 price bracket it is (as the price would suggest) bang average.  It’s a relatively smooth if uncomplicated sipper and its pretty  much the same as a mixer.  It does both job’s well but there isn’t a lot shouting out at you in this rum to make you feel the need to buy it again.

    2 stars

     

     

  • Peaky Blinder Black Spiced Rum

    Bythefatrumpirate

    Peaky Blinder Black Spiced Rum Review by the fat rum piratePeaky Blinder Black Spiced Rum. Peaky Blinder’s is a very popular programme in the UK at the moment. It is a Gangster Family Epic set just after the First World War. I’ve never seen it to be honest.

    The term Peaky Blinder refers to the gangs Flat Caps which they stitched razor blades into to slash the foreheads of their enemies, causing blood to drip into their eyes rendering them temporarily blind and unable to defend further attacks on their person.

    Sadler’s like the Peaky Blinders gang hail from ” The Black Country” which is a region in the West Midlands. They have been brewing for over 100 years. As part of their new Peaky Blinder range they are also marketing Gin and Irish Whiskey. There is no doubt when looking at their website that the TV series is definitely the inspiration behind the bottlings.

    Priced at around £22-25 Peaky Blinder Black Spiced Rum is bottled at 40% ABV so is a true “Spiced Rum”. The Black colour is no doubt helped with some Caramel Colouring.

    “Over a century’s worth of knowledge and passion has led the family to create this bold rum, blended with selected spices delivering notes of orange, nutmeg, vanilla and raisin.”

    Presentation wise I like the stubby rounded bottle and the wax dipped cork stopper, adds a nice touch.

    The nose is very sweet. Huge amounts of concentrated vanilla and caramel dominate. Surprisingly there is a little hint of oak spice and quite a sharp hit of alcohol. Clove and maybe a tiny hPeaky Blinder Black Spiced rum Review by the fat rum pirateint of ginger. It has a kind of “burntness” to it. Like old coffee grinds.

    Sipped its not as sweet as the nose would suggest. It’s quite artificial tasting – synthetic flavourings. It doesn’t really offer a great deal on its own. Tastes a bit like a sugar substitute with a really biter artificial after taste. There is a little bit of oak and spice but its mostly just young alcohol giving you a bit of a burn. Burnt toffee and some cloying clove and vanilla keep drifting in and out of the mix.

    Up front it offers a quick sharp burst of sweetness. Followed by a fade of bitterness and just about no finish at all.

    Mixing this with cola you get a different experience and a lot of coffee. Now I like coffee but I’m not that keen on overly sweet vanilla laden coffee. Which is what this gives you when you mix it with cola. Vanilla laden coffee with some steeped cloves. Lovely………

    This is yet another spiced rum which seems reasonable enough, for about half of the first glass. To be honest as much as it was no show stopper sipped, at least it was drinkable. Mixing this just gives you a very sweet, cloying drink. Which only the sweetest sweet tooth will manage to drink beyond a glass or two.

    Peaky Blinder Spiced Rum Review by the fat rum pirateThe eagle eyed amongst you may notice similarities between this review and my review of Liberte Black Spiced Rum from Lidl. That is because beyond the label and the wax seal this is EXACTLY the same rum. Even the bottle is the same one. So if you are considering buying Peaky Blinder Spiced Rum you’d be much better off buying the Lidl offering as it is around £5 cheaper – and trust me it is exactly the same juice.

    I knew this was a bit of a “cash in” on the series of the same name. In fairness I wasn’t expecting anything spectacular. Sadler’s have a solid if uninspiring reputation. I was expecting something a little better though, maybe with a little more authentic flavouring.

     

     

2 Comments

  1. lol…very funny…comment on grassy yet half the bottle is consumed…on my bar if it sits it’s no good…and if its good…it’s GONE…

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