This is really the signature rum for the Captain Morgan brand. However, it is no longer its most recognised rum/spirit drink. A lot of people recognise Morgan’s Spiced (UK) Or Captain Morgan Original/Gold Spiced Rum (USA). There are so many differences around the world that I won’t even begin to try and explain any further variations within the Captain Morgan brand. The UK has recently begun adopting the US style bottlings of the Spiced Rum.
Appleton Estate V/X Jamaica Rum was the entry level rum for the Appleton Estate brand. It has now been re-branded as Signature Blend – the juice I can reliably assure you all is exactly the same as before.
The rum is distilled, blended and bottled in Jamaica by J Wray & Nephew. It is imported into the UK by J Wray and Nephew (UK) Ltd. The Appleton V/X is bottled at 40% abv. The blend of rums are between 5 and 10 years old. The master blender at the Appleton Estate is Joy Spence, who was the first female master blender in the spirits industry. Joy has been at the Appleton Estate for over 30 years now. She became the master blender in 1997. The Appleton Estate has been producing rum since 1749, officially.
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!
The rum is sealed with red wax with ES (English Spirit) emblazoned on the top of the bottle. English Spirit is the name of the distillery which produces the rum. The distillery is based in Cambridgeshire. The rum is sealed (once you get into the wax) with a synthetic cork stopper. The 50cl (not 70cl) bottle is taller and thinner than most. It will require carefully handling as it will be quite easily knocked over. The styling of the bottle, in keeping with the Pirate theme is very similar to Patron’s Pyrat Pistol rum. The packaging of which is supposed to evoke the image of the firearms a Pirate would have used. The rum retails at around £25 per bottle. I’ve yet to find it in a store but its available very easily online in the UK (maybe less so abroad).
The infamous Wray and Nephew White Overproof rum has been available in the UK via Tesco for some years now. I imagine this is due to its huge popularity in Jamaica where it counts for 90% of all rum sales.
At 63% its not for the faint hearted, mind you neither is the packaging! It’s bold and slightly brassy. However the distinctive green and yellow bottle does stand out especially amongst the other white rums on the shelf. Rather than a metal screw cap it has a plastic screw cap and a diffuser in the neck of the bottle. This means the rum cannot be poured quite as quickly. At 63% ABV this is not necessarily a bad thing. A 70cl bottle costs around £25 in the UK. It is more expensive than other White Rums on the supermarket shelf but the extra ABV must be taken into account. You have in theory over a litre of a more standard 37.5-40% ABV white mixing rum in this bottle. View it as being concentrated.
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