Rum (General)

Where Can I Buy That Rum?

Matt Robold — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 18:14:16 GMT

I've noticed over the past few months, as the number of readers of my blog have gone up, so have the number of emails and comments. I really enjoy this. I like hearing that someone enjoyed my review or is going to try a cocktail recipe I wrote about or that they agree that such and such rum is fantastic - or even that they disagree with me vehemently (although that hasn't happened yet). It's great to know that people are reading and (hopefully) enjoying the site, as well as (again, hopefully) finding it useful.

The most common question I find in my inbox every week though is one that I always feel a bit guilty about when I can't come up with an answer:

Dear Dood,

I loved your review of RumX. I tried it once about 2 years ago and thought it was great. Do you know where I can buy this rum near my hometown?

I continue to make offerings to my Dood Idol in my basement,

Loyal Fan

OK, maybe the part about the basement is an exaggeration of sorts...but the gist of the message is still true to the most common question I receive: where can you find these rums?

It's a hard question to answer at times. Taking just the United States as an example, each of the 50 states has their own rules about alcohol distribution and licensing, and different distributors don't work in all of the different states. Some states make it easy to bring booze in, others (I'm looking at you, Washington) are a bit more complicated and therefor don't always get the greatest variety.

My most common answer is to check various websites to see if the bigger online liquor retailers ship to your area. Of course, there's no guaranty that they do, and therein lies the rub. And, while it's been attempted, there isn't a solid, comprehensive database of where to buy all of the fabulous rums and other spirits out there in the world. It's just a really difficult thing to maintain. How does one keep track of all of the available retailers and all of the spirits they have available? You can't!

For some, there is good news. If you live in California, I can tell you right away that just about anything I talk about on this site can be located either at Hi Time Wines in Costa Mesa or at your local (or online) Beverages & More. Both of these stores have a great selection (Hi Times is easily the better of the two though) AND will ship to anyone in California. If you live near Orange County, California, drive down to Costa Mesa and check out Hi Time. It's worth the visit.

If you are unfortunate enough to not live in the warm, smoggy, goodness that is the Golden State, however, your options change a bit. While BevMo will ship out of state, they can't ship distilled spirits to all states (*cough*Washington*cough*). Hi Time doesn't ship out of state at all.

There are, of course, alternatives. You can always check out Internet Wines (which has a store located in Illinois), or any one of innumerable websites located in different states that ship to entirely different states. It's a maddening hodgepodge of rules and available stock.

And, of course, I even have a few rums that you just can't buy here in the states at all - including my shiny new bottle of Appleton Estate Master Blender's Legacy.

Once you depart the US, well the rules and regulations and available stock all change all over again, and I simply do not have the mental faculties necessary to keep track of all that stuff. Plus I'd probably have to quit my job just to even consider TRYING to do that, and those few ads I post on my site do not quite make me enough money for that sort of venture (unless that venture can be funded on about $74 a year).

So, for those of you looking for that rare bottle that you just can't seem to find locally, I apologize, but I can't really help you out that much. What I typically recommend is that people visit the Ministry of Rum Forums or the forums at Refined Vices and post an inquiry there. I can't say for certain that anyone will be able to help you, but I've seen it work out before.

Happy hunting!!

New Infusions In The Can...Err...Jar

Matt Robold — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 16:40:00 GMT

Just a short, quick note today.

I'll be in Las Vegas for the weekend of the 21st of June for a party at a friend's house. I like parties. I like hanging out with bunches of people, chattering, dancing, and - of course - having a cocktail or two.

For this particular party (a birthday party of sorts), I figured I'd do something special. Seeing that the guest list would be rather heavy with people of the female persuasion, and knowing that our hostess is a fan of flavored rums, AND being inspired by the explosion of fresh, beautiful berries and other fruits in my produce aisles, I came to the conclusion that some infusing needed to happen.

After much debating of pineapple or strawberry (neither of which I have ever used for infusing before), I decided, "Why not do both?"

So last night I blended some Matusalem Platino and J. Wray & Nephew Overproof in one of my fancy jars, sliced up an innocent pineapple, and deposited the chunks in the jar until they wouldn't fit anymore. I then added a tablespoon of Demerara sugar because I've decided that every RumDood infusion should have Demerara sugar because Demerara sugar is proof that God loves us. That and it's just fun to say "Demerara". Go ahead and try it for yourself. See what I mean?

The pineapple experiment sealed in its container, I then filled a second jar with Flor de Cana White and again blended with the JW&N Overproof. I use the overproof to bring up the total ABV of the rum, creating a larger chemical surface area for drawing out the flavors of my infusing agents. Sounds impressive doesn't it? Makes me sound 3 different kinds of smart. I'm not, I'm really just regurgitating what people who actually do this for a living have told me.

The new blend in the jar, I sliced up a handful of strawberries. I tried to slice them so that they were fairly thin, thereby creating more fruity surface area again, so that I will be able to (hopefully) draw out more of the berries' sweet flavor into the rum. Again I added a tablespoon of Demerara sugar. I'm not really too concerned about this being too sweet...I know it's going to be used in cocktails and I think my target audience in this case will not be looking for dryness as an attribute.

I sealed up the second jar and sat it next to the pineapple jar. Now we get to play the waiting game. Based on my research (mostly reading Infusions of Grandueur), I think that 10 days each should work perfectly...which is doubly perfect since that will take me to the day I leave for Vegas.

I'll be sure to let everyone know how they turn out.

Rum Review: Ron Pampero Aniversario

Matt Robold — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 20:04:13 GMT

A few years ago, I was a rum neophyte. I was a babe in the rummy wilderness, knowing only that I had tasted good rum, and I wanted to taste more. My collection? What collection? I probably had about 3 or 4 bottles of rum...mostly consisting of 2 or 3 bottles from St. Lucia and probably a bottle of Captain Morgan.

Then one day a new bottle entered the fold. A gift was brought unto my household in the form of a squat little bottle from Venezuela, hidden inside of a leather sack. The rum, of course, was Ron Pampero Aniversario Reserva Exclusiva. Yes, all of that is the name of the rum. I'm not kidding. But, since you know me, I'm sure he'll be cool with you just calling him Ron Pampero.

Come to think of it, that would be a great name for a TV character or something. This summer Brad Pitt is: RON PAMPERO! *cue explosions*

The rum was first introduced in 1963 to commemorate the 25th anniversary of Pampero. The rum is aged in oak casks, but the bottle posseses no age statement, and the website for Pampero (which is actually run for them by Diageo) is essentially worthless when it comes to any real information on the rum. I kid you not when I say that I spent a significant amount of time digging through the dark recesses of the internet, braving the dark and dusty tubes that move information about, to figure out that the rum is a blend of rums aged from 2 years to 8 years. Many thanks to Cigar Aficionado for having that info when no one else seemed to.

Appearances

The Pampero is a dark, mahogany color. It's a rich-looking rum...very inviting and it just looks like it will be warm and welcoming. The glass gets its required swirling and a nice sturdy rim appears and quickly gives rise to very strong, nice looking legs.

Nose

Moving right along, I brought the glass up and inhaled deeply of the rumly perfume. The nose is full and rich. Notes of cocoa are dominant at the front, with just a touch of vanilla. More nosing around and you can find hints of toffee and even a very slight hint of leather - and no I didn't just drop the bottle's sack into my glass. At least I don't remember doing so. I generally don't start making Leather & Rums until the bar is at a higher elevation than my head.

Palate

Through the lips and over the gums, watch out palate, here it comes. The spirit is light and warm on the tongue. It is smooth on the entry and finish. There's almost no burn until it reaches your chest and gives it that lovely rummy warmth.

The cocoa that I found in the nose is the first flavor to hit my tongue. It's strong and rich, without being too sweet. There's a little vanilla riding on top of this, as well as a hint of leather and a slight woodiness imparted by the oak barrels used for aging. The finish is buttery - slightly oily - with some smokey notes at the back.

The Long & The Short Of It

All in all, this is a rather simple-tasting rum. I know I've mentioned quite a few flavors...but it really took some searching for those to come through. The rum is predominantly cocoa, vanilla, and oak. There just doesn't seem to be a great deal of complexity to this rum...which seemed a little disappointing. Not disappointing because the rum isn't good. It is. It's very good rum. There's nothing wrong with simplicity. The disappointment stemmed more from this being one of the first truly good rums I had ever had, and now revisiting it with a slightly more evolved (i.e. snobby) palate yielded slightly less effusive results.

Man that sounds like I didn't like it. I DID! It's a great rum. It's incredibly sippable neat, or with an ice cube (I prefer neat), and it plays VERY well with others - allowing you to use it to make fantastic cocktails. If you want a simple cocktail to try with the Aniversario, try 2 oz of the Demon Rum in an Old Fashioned glass with ice and top off with real Jamaican ginger ale/beer and a small squeeze of lime juice. For a little extra pop, add a dash of bitters. It's fantastically refreshing and easy to power through a number of them until you suddenly find yourself surrounded by empty ginger beer bottles and an empty bottle of Pampero.

Dood's Rating: 4 Bottles of Rum Out of 5

* Photo of rum used courtesy of Refined Vices

For another perspective on Ron Pampero Aniversario, be sure to check out Silvio's review at Refined Vices

Dood's Other Rum Reviews

Rum Review: Depaz Blue Cane Rhum Agricole

Matt Robold — Wed, 21 May 2008 04:50:02 GMT

A few weeks ago, your faithful narrator was contacted by representatives of Depaz about his interest in some samples, with the possibility of a review of these alleged samples obviously the goal of such provisions. I received those samples, I sampled the...um...samples, and I even used them in my most recent Mixology Monday entry.

In that entry I promised my readers a review of the rhum within a week - and then promptly failed to deliver that review in a timely fashion. I was going to say that my dog ate my homework, but I don't have a dog, and I haven't met a dog yet that could eat an entire computer or drink an entire bottle of rum faster than I can (NOTE: The Dood will not enter in to any rum drinking contest with your dog).

Depaz Blue Cane Rhum is a rhum agricole from Martinique. That funny spelling and title of the rhum is a French designation for rhum ("rum" to the Anglically-inclined) which is created by distilling pressed sugar cane juice, rather than molasses (rhums of this type are referred to as "rhum industriel" - although you'll probably see it labeled as "rhum traditionnel"). Rhum agricole is made by harvesting fresh sugar cane, shipping it to the distillery where it is crushed in a mill, and the juices collected and then distilled. It's a costlier process than making more traditional rums - err - rhums with molasses and other sugar cane byproducts.

Depaz is one of several Martinique distillers holding the French AOC marque (Appelation d'Origine Controlee) - and it maintains strict adherence to the requisite development and production standards that the French government sets to hold such a marque. Located at the foot of Mount Pelée in Martinique, the Depaz Estate produces its rhum using a variety of sugar cane known as blue cane - one of the more (if not the most) costly varieties of cane to produce. Depaz spares no expense in its hunt for your hard-earned rum dollars - err - rhum euros...francs?

In the US, Depaz offers the Blue Cane Rhum, while out of the States you can get a white rum (rhum blanc) as well as the amber Blue Cane. A word of warning if you buy the Blue Cane Agricole in Martinique (or just about anywhere not in the US): the product in the States is 90 proof, while elsewhere in the world you're probably buying 100 proof. It's not a significant difference, but when I have so much source material, I figure I may as well be thorough. Now, with that out of the way, let's get down to brass tacks...

Appearances

The rhum is a very pretty light amber color...almost straw-colored. Swirl the spirit in the glass and you'll see the legs forming, very light and delicate. A very thin ribbon of spirit clings tightly to the sides of the glass.

Nose

Right out of the gate, the first thing that strikes me when nosing this rhum is that it has a very - for lack of a better term and any real irony - agricultural aroma to it. There's a grassy scent right up front that permeates the entire experience. It's not overpowering...and it's even quite pleasant. I know that I've occasionally stated that I don't like grassy notes in my rums, but this is rhum...and it is exactly what you want to smell.

The grassy notes provide a nice undercurrent to the other scents...a hint of berries at the front, as well as banana both play very nicely with the vegetal notes. There's even an oh-so-subtle hint of honey at the end of the experience.

Palate

Enough dilly-dallying, let's get to the good part: THE TASTE!

I'll be honest when I say that the very first time that the rhum crossed my lips, I was a bit taken-aback by it's boldness. The very first sip had a bit more burn that I would normally like and I could feel the burn traveling down my throat and in to my chest. My impression at first sip was that this rhum was a tad rough, but there was a richness there, and as is my duty as your faithful guide on this journey, I had to go back for more.

Amazingly, the second sip was almost a completely different experience. The entry was smooth and warm. The same went for all subsequent sippings. Perhaps it had just been too long between reviews...perhaps my tongue and throat had forgotten how to handle their liquor...I really can't explain why the first sip was so much rougher than those that followed, but it must have happened because I wrote it down - and I wouldn't lie to the Muppet notepad.

The rhum is light on the tongue...dry but luscious at the same time. One can taste the banana from the nose with a mild sweetness. There's still a vegetal, grassy overtone to the rhum, but not in such a sense that it's a bad thing. I've mentioned here that with cachaÇa I find the flavors to be grassy and yet industrial. These flavors are grassy but - man do I hate using this word over and over again - agricultural. There's a subtlety at play here that most cachaÇas I've tried seem to lack. The flavor is evocative of a large sugar plantation near the sea, with a warm breeze blowing in from the coast as you stand in your linen knickers and open collared shirt underneath a straw hat.

Where was I? Oh yeah...sitting in a 900 square-foot apartment in Orange County wishing I was in Martinique. That's right.

In addition to the banana and grassy notes, there is a hint of vanilla that lingers on the tongue as the rhum's rather spicy finish takes the warmth of the spirit into your chest. It seemed that the more I dug in to this rhum, the more I found to like about it. Glass number two saw me adding one or two drops of water to the rhum to see what other flavors I could tease out of it. In the second glass I discovered tobacco and just the slightest hints of citrus.

The Long & The Short Of It

Wow...looking back on what I've written...there isn't much short about any of this. I don't have many rhum agricoles on my shelf. In fact, I have 2 - and that's including my (now half-empty) bottle of Depaz. I guess you could say I've been a "Dood traditionnel" in that I've tended to stick to my molasses-based rums without "h's". After spending an evening (OK, two really) with Depaz though, I realize that I've been missing out. Rhum agricoles are immensely different from their traditional cousins, and Depaz is a terrific candidate to introduce you to the wider world of rums, rones, and rhums with this exquisite offering. I can't find anything unbecoming to say about it...it's great in a mojito, it's wonderful in a ti'punch (made with Depaz Pure Cane Syrup of course!), and it's spectacular on its own.

It almost makes me sad that I'm finishing this review and my bottle (after being used for two articles) is half empty. Maybe if I scrap this review I can convince the good people at Depaz to send me another bottle...you know...for research and verification purposes...yeah...yeah that's it. No, actually that seems a tad unlikely. Dang.

I'm giving this rhum a 4/5, but if you were to take my scale and pull it out to being out of 100, this is easily an 91 or 92 out of 100. So maybe 4.5 / 5 is more accurate, but I don't have my new rating system finished yet. Let me put it this way: this rhum has earned a permanent spot on my shelf - if the bottle empties, it will be replaced, post-haste.

Dood's Rating: 4 Barrels of Rhum Out Of 5

Dood's Other Rum Reviews

Mixology Monday: Rum!!!

Matt Robold — Mon, 12 May 2008 19:42:53 GMT

It's that time again. Time to hunker down and join the rest of the cocktail blogosphere in celebrating our monthly libation worship. This month's MxMo (graciously hosted by Blair over at TraderTiki.com) is one I couldn't miss. No really, how bad would I look if I - the host of RUMDOOD.com - did not participate in the MxMo with RUM as the topic? Somewhere there is a giant computer crunching the numbers to make that determination, but it may take a few years before the sheer magnitude of badness will be calculated. Let's just settle on, "The Dood would look pretty bad if he skipped the rum MxMo."

Now, you would think that this being a rum blog, a Mixology Monday focussed on rum would be ideal. How much easier could it get?

In reality, there was a great deal of pressure pushing down on me to make this a good entry. My reputation is at stake...but what to write about? I'll be completely honest here...it was a little daunting when I went to pick a rum to write about and ended up staring at this:

That picture is actually a little old...it's missing about 6 bottles (I have an addiction and BevMo and Hi Time Wines are enablers). All told, there are 54 rums on my shelf as of Sunday night...and no, I did not decide to do a tasting of all of them.

As I've mentioned before, one of the benefits of writing reviews of rums is that - sometimes - makers of rum (or their marketing firms) will contact you and ask if you'd like some samples (with the idea being that you will then turn around and write a review of the sample). I recently received samples of Depaz Blue Cane Rhum Agricole (look for a review later this week) and their Pure Cane Syrup. While thumbing through the marketing materials included in the package, I stumbled across a recipe for a "Depaz Midnight Mojito". A mojito! There we go! It's getting in to the summer months, and I just so happened to have a package of fresh mint sitting in my refrigerator, begging to be used in a refreshing cocktail.

Most people make mojitos with white rums. Oronoco, Matusalem Platino, Flor de Cana White, Bacardi Silver (ew)...all make great mojitos. Personally, I don't drink a lot of white rums, and there's only so much room on my shelf, so I tend to dabble with the gold rums. Because of this, the idea of a "midnight" mojito made with a non-white rum didn't scare me one bit.

Per Depaz, a Midnight Mojito is thus:

Depaz Midnight Mojito

8-10 Fresh Mint Leaves
1 oz Fresh Lime Juice
1 oz Depaz Cane Syrup
1.5 oz Depaz Blue Cane Amber Rhum

Squeeze fresh lime wedges into a cocktail shaker. Add ice and all remaining ingredients into the cocktail shaker.

Shake vigorously. Strain contents into a chilled martini glass. Garnish with a sprig of mint.

Pretty basic mojito recipe...I have all of the ingredients...and it gives me an excuse (like I need one) to use my mojito set! Of course, I didn't follow it to the letter. No mentioning of muddling the lime and mint? SACRILEGE!! Only 1.5 oz of rhum? No no no no no...none of that will do. Plus, no one really uses or even needs fresh lime juice anyway.

JUST KIDDING! Put away your bar knives! I'm talking to you, Jeffrey! Put it down and step away slowly...it was just a joke.

One of the key things with a mojito is the use of a muddler. I have a nice muddler that came with my mojito set, and so after tearing about 10-15 mint leaves and dropping them into my shaker along with my fresh lime juice, I went to work pounding and twisting and grinding the menthol out of the leaves and into the juice. I then added 2 oz. of rhum (that's French for "rum"), 1 oz of the cane syrup and some crushed ice (thanks to Stu & Alida for the used blender - it's already coming in handy).

I've had debates with people over the use of crushed ice for mojitos. I don't always do it, but I really think that I should for one very important reason: containment of mint bits. With crushed ice floating at the top of your glass, you very rarely end up with a mouth full of foliage as you suck down the refreshing Cuban goodness of a great mo'. When you use cubed ice, there's a higher degree of difficulty in getting a clean draw from the glass unless you cheat and use a straw.

The ingredients sufficiently shaken, I poured them into a tall glass, and then topped with soda and garnished with lime.

I have to say, the Depaz makes a really tasty mojito. I may have indulged in an additional 1 or 2 after the first one...and I may have tried adding muddled/blended banana in to one of them at some point...maybe.... If I did, it was probably excellent...

An Unjust System?

Matt Robold — Mon, 05 May 2008 17:42:08 GMT

So, I once again went over a week without a post here. I swear that every time I miss a week, it's for a good reason. I yearn for the day when my life will be less..."busy". Or at least, less busy in the manner that I've been kept busy for the past 3 months.

I recently wrote a review of Cabana Cachaca and rated it a 3 out of 5. Now, this is not a bad rating. I would estimate that at least half of my rum shelf is occupied by rums of a 3 rating. In fact, one of my most commonly used and favorite rums in the world is a 3 out of 5 (Appleton Estate V/X).

With the Cabana however, I found myself torn as I determined my completely arbitrary and subjective rating. My rating system, being my own, has built-in flexibility that I like to call the "How do I feel today" variable...but I try not to invoke it. As I stated in the review, I don't typically drink cachacas. I tend to find them industrial and grassy, and not as enjoyable as most rums, and therefor it's harder for a cachaca - just by the nature of cachaca itself - to get a high rating in my system because it's being compared to my favorite and most highly-rated rums. If, by its very nature, a spirit contains flavors that I don't particularly care for, how can it possibly ascend to the upper echelons of the pantheon of Dood's Rum Ratings? HOW? I ASK YOU HOW!?!?!?!

One thing I've been considering is modifying my rating system. Actually "modifying" isn't the correct word..."subdividing" would probably be more accurate. Of the cachacas that I've had, the Cabana is easily one of the top 5 (granted, I haven't had nearly as many different cachacas as I have more "standard" rums - if there is such a thing). So, if you're a fan of cachaca, or you're looking for a rating of this cachaca against other cachacas, then the 3 out of 5 rating can be a bit misleading. If I were rating Cabana strictly against other cachacas and not the entirety of the rum category, I could easily upgrade it to a 4 out of 5 - just under the sought-after 5 out of 5 rating (I've only ever had one cachaca that I would rate as a 5 out of 5, and it would rate that on the overall rum scale on its own, no extra scale necessary).

My concern is that once I start dividing up my rating system, it could become too confusing. Where do I draw the line? Do I only give cachacas a separate system? What about molasses rums versus rhum agricoles? What about demerara rums? What about Jamaican versus Barbadian versus Cruzan versus Cuban, etc?

For this reason, I'm turning to you, dear readers. I write these reviews for you (mostly...I do have to admit that I enjoy the sound of my own typing and getting to sound like I know what I'm talking about at parties when I denounce Captain Morgan and the Bacardi Silver as swill unfit for my consumption), so your input could prove valuable. Should cachacas get their own rating system? How granular should I go? Should spin-offs such as cachacas have two lines of rating, their "cachaca rating" and their "overall rating"? How much wood would a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could drink zombies all night without ending up with a hangover the next morning?

Appleton Estate Is Trying To Bleed Me Dry

Matt Robold — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 14:14:36 GMT

Got the announcement last week, but I'm just getting around to posting it today because I'm lazy. Apparently my favorite distiller of rum, Appleton Estate, is releasing a new super-ultra-mega-mucho premium rum. I love Appleton Estate. I think I own one bottle of everything they offer with the exception of the Master Blender's Legacy (note: Dood now accepting gifts of the Master Blender's Legacy). The V/X, the Extra, and the Reserve are probably the rums I use most often for an evening cocktail, and the 21-year-old is one of my favorite sippers (no need to point out that I haven't reviewed any of these rums, I'm well aware of my deficiencies in sucking up to my favorite rum company). Anyway, it looks like Appleton Estate is going to be introducing a 30-year-old rum that I will be forced to buy as mandated by my religion.

Appleton's press release is below.

Limited Edition Appleton Estate 30 Year Old Jamaica Rum to be Introduced in Select Markets Across the Globe.

April 1, 2008; Kingston, Jamaica. Appleton Estate Jamaica Rum has introduced a limited edition 30 year old rum.

Only 1,440 bottles of Appleton Estate 30 Year Old Jamaica Rum has been produced, and according to David McConnell, Managing Director of Global Marketing for Appleton Estate Jamaica Rum, this limited edition rum will be available in select markets across the globe.

“Appleton Estate 30 Year Old Jamaica Rum is a very rare and special rum that has been aged in oak casks for 30 years. It is a limited edition product and we are only producing 1,440 bottles which we will release in select markets across the globe where it will be available in duty free and luxury or boutique accounts.”

Appleton Estate 30 Year Old Jamaica Rum is packaged in a proprietary bottle whose design was inspired by the Appleton Estate signature bottle that has been a hallmark of the brand since it was launched 20 years ago. The bottle has a cork finish and each bottle has a hand-numbered certificate of authenticity.

McConnell noted that the Company was very excited about introducing the first Appleton Estate Limited Edition brand. “We are thrilled to be able to introduce a Limited Edition Appleton Estate rum. The Appleton Estate is recognized around the world for producing premium aged rums of the finest quality and we are very excited about the prospects for our Very Rare 30 Year Old. This rum will appeal not only to persons who are passionate about rums, but also to all spirit connoisseurs.”

The brands that make up the Appleton Estate Jamaica Rum range include the flagship brand, Appleton Estate V/X Jamaica Rum, the super premium Appleton Estate Reserve Jamaica Rum, the ultra premium Appleton Estate Extra 12 Year Old Jamaica Rum, and the luxury rums, Appleton Estate Master Blenders’ Legacy and Appleton Estate 21 Year Old Jamaica Rum.

The Appleton Estate Jamaica Rum range is produced exclusively on the Appleton Estate which is located in the Nassau Valley in the parish of St. Elizabeth, Jamaica. The first known documentation of rum production on the Appleton Estate is dated 1749 and it is the oldest sugar estate and distillery in Jamaica.

Appearance
Bright and shiny colour with a coppery hue

Nose
Baked pear, maple, spice and orange peel notes with hints of ginger and vanilla

Palate
The subtle oak character is wrapped with delicate spices and vanilla

Finish
Its clean finish lingers with molasses

Rum Review: Cabana Cachaca

Matt Robold — Sat, 19 Apr 2008 07:04:41 GMT

Since I started down this adventurous path of rum blogging several months ago, a goodly number of people have asked me, "Why, Dood? Why do you blog about rum?"

It's a fair question. I think I started for two reasons: 1. It's fun and 2. Because occasionally you can get free stuff. So imagine my glee when I came home from work one day to find a large package sitting on my porch! Ok, so I wasn't quite gleeful at just the package...I'm not that easily gleed (is that a word?). When I opened the box however, that's when the glee started, as inside was a bottle of Cabana Cachaca, along with a note from their marketing group saying that they hoped I would enjoy it.

Oh I will...oh yes, I will.

I don't know if this quite qualifies as having "arrived" in the world of blogging. I likely received the box because I'm taking part in the Tales of the Cocktail Blog this year, and Cabana is a sponsor of said blog and related blogging activities. And while there was no real request for a review, I find it hard to imagine that they sent a bottle of their cachaca to guy that writes rum reviews without it crossing their minds that, "Hey, maybe he'll write one of our stuff! And then the BIG BUCKS start rolling in!"

And for those who are concerned that my desire to continue to receive free booze by courier will influence my review, tssk tssk. I have integrity...or was it an Integra? The one without power steering. On to the review!!

Cabana Cachaca is a relatively new entry into the world of spirits, having been launched in 2006 by Matti C. Anttila of New York City (suddenly I find myself thinking of those BBQ sauce commercials with the cowboys..."This stuff's from New York City!?!?!"). Don't worry...this isn't made in New York City...it's made in Brazil, otherwise it couldn't be called "cachaca". Says Matti in the materials provided me, "We set out to introduce something American consumers had never experienced - a truly super-premium cachaca."

A noble goal, to be sure. I do take a minor issue with the label "super-premium". What is it with spirit-makers trying to outdo each other by saying their premium is more premium than the other premium? Listen, you're either premium, regular, or well. The avalanche of "ultra-premium", "super-premium", "mega-premium", and "premium-premium" labels is getting out of hand people. Let's try to keep things in perspective.

Cabana is distilled, aged, and bottled in Brazil before being imported into the US with the trendy "super-premium" label (note: "Super Premium" does not appear anywhere on the label, but the phrase is used 3 times on one page in the materials provided to me). The marketing spiel says that the spirit is hand-crafted, and is double-distilled in copper pot stills as opposed to the more ubiquitous column stills. After distillation, the cachaca is aged for six months in Jequitiba barrels, bottled, and then shipped.

Appearances

Cachacas tend to be "white" or clear, and Cabana does not stray from this. The spirit looks clean and clear in the glass. A swirl reveals a spirit that clings tightly to the sides of the glass, only slowly relenting and returning to the bottom.

Nose

I'm not typically a huge fan of most cachacas. I tend to find them grassy and a bit unrefined in a way that is totally different from my classy unrefinedness - almost industrial. After another swirl of the glass I held the Cabana up to my nose and inhaled. The scent was not what I had been expecting. It was fruity and warm. Notes of banana and lime, along with honey. There was a bit of a grassy hint to it, which is typical of Brazil's national spirit, but not as strong as I've seen in most other cachacas. I found myself already doing a mental inventory of my liquor supplies, wondering if I could make myself a caipirinha.

Palate

As I've already stated, I don't tend to be a fan of cachaca. I usually find the offerings I see in liquor stores to be harsh, grassy, and industrial-tasting...like a mix of lawn clippings, rum, and tequila (if you ever want to know what that tastes like, go get yourself the cheapest bottle of cachaca you can find and you will know pain). Cabana's goal was to "[refine] cacaca from its overly vegetal and harsh taste to a smooth and versatile elixir." In this effort, I think they have largely succeeded - while this is not the best cachaca I have ever tried, it is one of the better ones.

The entry is a mildly harsh, with a bit of burn on the tongue. The spirit is dry, but fruity. Flavors of overripe banana and citrus mingle together nicely. There's a subtle sweetness here, but nothing overpowering. Overall it's quite pleasant. There's a tad more burn in the chest than I normally like, as well as a grassy aftertaste. Neither of these is so bad as to make the spirit undrinkable neat, but it is unlikely to become a regular sipper for yours truly.

The Long & The Short Of It

Overall I have to say....I like it. This is a bottle of cachaca I will happily keep on my shelf and offer to friends, relatives, and strangers who somehow find their way into my house. I find that the flavors are more...cohesive than other cachacas I've had...better blended and balanced. I, personally, wouldn't label this a sippable spirit, but I can't wait to try this in a caipirinha or a mojito. The number of cocktails that could use this are probably close to limitless.

The only thing that concerns me a tad is the price: $34.99 according to the marketing materials. That's about what I pay for Ron Zacapa 23 Anos, and that's one of the best rums in the world and something I happily sip neat. Other than that though, this seems like the kind of Spirit of Brazil that will do you right, regardless of how premium you are.

Doods Rating: 3 Bottles of Rum Out of 5

Dood's Other Rum Reviews

Blogtailing

Matt Robold — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 14:58:42 GMT

Man, I am so far behind the curve these days. With many apologies for my tardiness, I have a note from my doctor saying that moving, a death in the family, and various other sundry issues all happening within 4 weeks of each other is a reasonable excuse for not posting. Of course, I realize that my readers try to hold me to a much higher standard...but I'm kind of heavy, so they can't hold me there for long.

It's April now, and that means that tickets are now on sale for Tales of the Cocktail in New Orleans. That's right, you can now go get your tickets. Do it. Stop reading, go back and click on that link and get your tickets. How could you NOT get your tickets.

You still need motivation? You need incentive? You need prodding to go to New Orleans for the biggest, baddest spirits event in the US in July? Seriously?

Just check out this list of events. Check out the list of VIP's that will be speaking and delivering fantastic demonstrations on everything from this history of rum to molecular mixology. What more do you need?

How about this: The Dood, himself will be there. There you go, now you've got no excuses. In fact, several of my fellow cocktail bloggers and I will be there contributing to the official Tales of the Cocktail Blog. We'll be easy to spot because instead of wandering around imbibing various cocktails and spirits, we'll be wandering around imbibing various cocktails and spirits while typing. I'm thinking this is the perfect occasion for introducing my laptop holder + drink holder apparatus. OK, I don't really have one, but it would be an awesome thing.

If you simply can't make it, or if you still need motivation, keep your RSS reader pointed to the TalesBlog over the next few months, as in addition to blogging at Tales, there will be sneak-previews of various sessions and other goodies to help entice you.

Hope I see you guys in NOLA!

Dood's World Tour: 2008

Matt Robold — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 14:36:29 GMT

Sorry things have been so slow here lately...there's a lot going on that's just had me "head down" busy for the past several weeks. I'll be participating in next week's MXMO, hosted by Kaiser Penguin, and then I'll get back into the swing of posting rum reviews. I swear.

In the meantime, I thought I'd announce that there may be a Rum Dood coming to your town in the next year as I jet around from spirit-related event to spirit-related event.

Not all of this is set in stone, but these are my current event plans for the rest of the year...

In June I'm going to do my darnedest to make it to the Chicago Rum Fest (I think it's in June). I haven't been to the Windy City in quite a while, and that's too big of a while. Plus, there's a rumor that there will be rum there, which is kind of my thing. I'll post more info about that as it comes to me.

In July (as I've mentioned before), I'll be attending Tales of the Cocktail in New Orleans. I can't even begin to tell you how excited I am about this. Ed Hamilton has graciously asked me to sit on the panel for his annual rum tasting competition during the show, and I'll also be participating in various blogger events to keep you, my loyal readers, up-to-date on all the goings on and hullabaloo. I'm really looking forward to meeting more folks from the Ministry of Rum, as well as my fellow cocktail & spirits bloggers. It's been almost 10 years since I last visited New Orleans, so even that alone holds a tremendous appeal. This is an event I can promise you I will be at. There is no try.

In October, should the stars align themselves correctly, since I have canceled my trip to Germany, I am going to do everything in my power to make it to Rum Fest in London. I haven't been to the UK since I started walking, and have always wanted to go...add that to an event centered around Demon Rum, and how can I pass that up?? I'll tell you how - I can't!

There will be a smattering of other travel as well, although admittedly that other travel will not be rum-focussed (I do have other hobbies and stuff to do...I do! No really! STOP LAUGHING!!!!), as I hit Texas, Florida, and Nevada...and maybe even Washington and Oregon. Anything is possible I suppose.

Speaking of which, do you have or know of a rum or spirits-related event that The Dood should be interested in attending? Let me know! Hit me up via the "Contact Me" page and we can do lunch, babe. Ciao!