In 1884 Danish sailor Valdemar Hanschell created Cockspur rum in Barbados. The rum has been an integral part of island life ever since. Cockspur is distilled using, what at the time was considered a revolutionary continuous still, along with more traditional pot stills. Cockspur Fine Rum is the companies flagship brand. In most territories outside of Barabos it is to be found alongside their 12 year old rum (Cockspur 12/VSOR) and the companies more recent spiced variant (Cockspur Spiced). More information and background on the Cockspur brand is available at http://cockspurrum.com/home.
For those in the UK please don’t let the title confuse you. This is NOT the “Original” Sailor Jerry rum which was so radically altered back in 2010. This is a recent bottling of the “newer” recipe. For those outside the UK, Sailor Jerry has always been more in keeping with this formula. In the US the rum is bottled at 92 proof (46% ABV). In the UK it is bottled at 80 proof (40% ABV). It is also marketed as a Navy rum in the US. To be honest a lot of the information relating to Sailor Jerry is a bit confusing and contradictory. If you can clarify any of the information please feel free to comment below this review. The title of my review, as always is based on how the rum is described on its/my bottle.
La Hechicera pronounced etch-ee-see-rah is Spanish for enchantress. The rum is a product of Colombia. I have previously given a very favourable review to a Colombian rum – Dictador 12. The rum is produced by Casa Santana Ron Y Licores. The rum is marketed as fine aged premium sipping rum. Information available suggests that the rum is produced using the “solero” method. With rums aged between 12 and 21 years. No age statement is present on the bottle or alluded to.
Smith & Cross can trace their heritage back as far as 1788, producing of sugar and spirits. Importing vast quantities of rum and sugar from Jamaica. At one point they had a Sugar Distillery at 203 Thames Street at the old London docks. on the banks of the River Thames.
Smith & Cross is a 100% Jamaican pot still rum. It is distilled in Jamaica at the famous Hampden Estate, who still produce their own line of rums. The rum is produced from molasses, cane juice and syrup from freshly pressed sugar cane. It is a mixture of heavy Wedderburn pot still rum (aged for only six months) and the more medium bodied Plummer, which is aged for up to 3 years in our old friend the bourbon barrel. For further detailed information try http://www.alpenz.com/images/poftfolio/smithcross114rum.htm they will explain things far better than I ever could!
Ron Zacapa Centenario is a premium rum produced in Guatemala by Rum Creation and Products, a subsidiary of Industrias Licoreras de Guatemala and distributed and marketed by Diageo. Zacapa was created in 1976 to celebrate the centenary of the foundation of Zacapa, a town in eastern Guatemala.
The rum is produced using Virgin Sugar cane honey rather than molasses. One of the confusing aspects surrounding the various Ron Zacapa rums which have been available has been the ageing statements. This has also been further confused by different territories enjoying different expression of their rums. I have used the full naming convention on the bottle for the purpose of this review to avoid any confusion. This is something I usually do with my reviews but I took extra care with this particular one.
Pirates Grog rum is from (wait for it…) Roatan. Yes, me neither. Roatan located between the islands of Útila and Guanaja, is the largest of Honduras’ Bay Islands. The company have been trading since 2012 and are currently trying to extend their distribution into the UK market. The Pirates Grog has its own website http://www.piratesgrogrum.com. The website builds around the Pirate theme and adds some mystique to the rum.
Produced in Mexico by Licores Veracruz. The rum is bottled in small quantities and aged in white oak barrels (ex bourbon). There is more information on the bottle. Unfortunately other than the attached label it is all in Spanish!
Licores Veracruz have been trading as a going concern for 55 years but have only been exporting their products for 11 of those years. The Mocambo brand is imported into the United Kingdom by WSI LTD (Wine and Spirit International http://www.wineandspirit.com) who seem to import a number of unique products. The Mocambo 15 years is marketed as a premium rum.