Admiral Edward Vernon AKA “Old Grog” was responsible for a reduction in the British Royal Navy’s rum ration in 1740. Many of the sailors were dissatisfied with the dilution of their rum ration and legend has it that Admiral Vernon suggested the men spruce up their “tot” with sugar and limes.
Cruzan are a very popular bottler of low to medium price rum in the USA. Sales of Cruzan in the US are high and you will frequently see articles relating to Cruzan’s Diamond and Blackstrap rums. These rums are used mainly in the mixology and are popular with bartenders.
Cruzan’s Single Barrel Estate rum is (to my knowledge) their high end product. Cruzan are based on the US Virgin Isles and as a result the firm benefit from subsidies from the US government. These subsidies are a massive bone of contention amongst other rum producers in the Caribbean. Rightly so.
An El Dorado Demerara White Rum aged for at least 3 years in oak casks, then double filtered through natural charcoal to remove the colour. This pretty much rounds off my El Dorado collection. The 3,5,12,15 and 21 have now been reviewed. Time will tell if any of the Single Cask, Spiced or Overproof offerings ever get a review. Time and Geography anyway as if I could actually get certain El Dorado rums I wouldn’t hesitate…..
Today’s interviewee is Johnny Drejer, who has been publishing information regarding additives in rum since 2013. Specifically sugar using a Hydrometer method.
Johnny’s site is brief and to the point and I would strongly recommend spending time to read all the articles and information. The site can be found at http://www.drecon.dk/
Pusser’s “Nelson’s Blood” Aged 15 Years is their marquee expression. I think, (and I will get this all confirmed) that the rum is a different blend to the Blue Label. It is not just a more aged version of it. However, I also understand that despite this it is still a blend of Trini rum with a hefty dose of the famous Port Mourant wooden still distillate.
In 2011 after numerous “flavoured” expressions and a couple of rum “liqueurs” Bacardi finally released a Spiced rum to the market. Except at only 35% they aren’t legally allowed to market it as a Spiced rum so it becomes a Smooth and Spiced Spirit Drink.
Oakheart takes its name from the charred white oak barrels that the rum, sorry spirit drink is housed in. The rums contained within the blend are aged between 1-3 years. Bacardi were hoping upon its release that the tagline “Oak and Coke” would be heard in bars all over the world. I don’t think that has quite worked.
Richard Seale is in the UK next week on a bit of a mini-tour. Sadly the nearest he is coming to thefatrumpirate’s neck of the woods is Edinburgh. Which due to work commitments means missing out on meeting the man himself. More details of Richard’s tour can be found