Glen Catrine Distillers are probably not very well known outside of the UK. The distillery is based in Catrine, Ayrshire, Scotland. Glen’s are best known for there entry level vodka which competes somewhere in the void between supermarket vodka and Smirnoff, Russian Standard, Absolut etc. The vodka is quite often bootlegged and a number of television programmes have warned consumers to be on the lookout for counterfeit Glen’s. I have to say I hope the same problem hasn’t afflicted their Dark Rum as I bought this in a back street supermarket in Cyprus!
Bacardi Black. Along with Bacardi Gold, the two rums have recently been re-released into the UK market at 40% ABV rather than 37.5%. For whatever reason Bacardi Black is not as readily available as the White Superior or Gold. In most supermarkets and many off licenses the White Superior and Gold can be picked up at entry-level prices. However, the Black is largely absent from these outlets.
English Harbour is a rum which I had been looking at for some time. For whatever reasons I had resisted the temptation to buy a bottle online. I was presently surprised to find Newcastle (Upon Tyne) department store Fenwick’s had it in stock. There is something satisfying about actually being able to have the experience of being able to buy a half decent bottle of rum over the counter. Whilst the rum was slightly more expensive than online (£27.50) this was tempered by the ability to have the rum instantly (even though its taken nearly 3 weeks to try it!) and the fact no P&P charges.
Bacardi 8 rum was the “sole preserve of the Bacardi family for over one hundred and thirty years” it is a “unique blend of the finest Bacardi Rums matured for no less than eight years”. Whilst the first part of the of the statement may be slightly fanciful the second part indicates to me that ALL the rum in the bottle is at least 8 years old. Still this hasn’t stopped the Bacardi Bashers and the Rum Conspiracy Theorists (there are some absolute crackers to be found online) from suggesting otherwise…….
Captain Morgan Black Spiced Premium Spirit Drink with Caribbean rum, select spices and natural flavouring – to give it its full name. The spirit drink is aged in Double Charred Blackened Oak Barrels. It is Blackstrap rum (very thick molasses), Rich Clove Spice and Premium Cassia bark.
I purchased this rum mainly due to the demography. I hadn’t tried a rum from Belize, simple really. One Barrel also boasted of a number of gold medal awards, in major spirit competitions. A Gold Medal in the Dark Rum category at the second International Cane Spirits Competition in 2007. In 2007 and 2008 Gold Medals at the International Rum Festival.