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Rum Guy has been at it again. Not sure how he does it, but this boy consumes a lot of rum!  Here is a review of his latest foray:

Kraken Black Spiced Rum. Apparently Not So Good

Today’s review of the latest Rum adventure is The Kraken (Black Spiced Rum).  This rum, brought to us via import from  Proximo Spirits, Jersey City, New Jersey.   The website is somewhat contradictory, which is becoming more and more common with some rums. At one spot it states the rum is distilled from Sugar Cane Molasses from The Virgin Islands. At another place is states the base rum is from Trinidad and Tobago, aged 12-24 months in oak barrels and the various spices are added.  The website states the rum is all-natural, gluten-free and vegan.  But is it any good?

The bottle itself is a contradiction.  The glass itself is quite attractive , solid, with handles on either side of the neck for carrying.  The label is black and white , much too busy with the hand-drawn logo of a huge sea creature like a cross between an octopus and a squid enveloping a large three-masted sailing ship.  The art style is as if taken from the old sailing maps from several hundred years ago.  The label is not impressive, but may catch the eye from a marketing standpoint.  I have bought rums previously based on the attractiveness of the bottle/label/contents.  But I won’t buy that rum again, unless it’s a good rum for the value.

Opening the screw-top of the bottle to let the rum breathe a little, I find my first concern.  No cork in the top—just the screw-top.  Upon pouring straight into a glass, the rum is dark, but not what I would call “black”, more of a dark brown, hmmm another concern.     The first taste offers a basic rum, with a touch of cinnamon, earthy chocolate, and perhaps clove, but all are very feint, and are more a vague echo then actually notes.  This is a 94 proof rum, much higher kick then most rums which are around 80 proof, but you can’t tell that by the taste, or the kick.  The rum mixes relatively well with regular and diet cola, not as well with fruit drinks.  For a spiced rum, this is very bland stuff, like a Disney Afternoon Special for kids.

Overall, I give this rum only a disappointed three corks out of ten.  Not a terrible rum, but for approximately $18 a bottle, I expect black spiced rum to taste like a dark, spiced rum, not a basic rum with some spices dipped in briefly like a tea bag.   This  wild sea creature of a rum is more krill then Kraken.

The Quest goes ever on….

–The Rum Guy

Today’s candidate for election into the Rum Guy’s Top Ten rums is  “Cayman’s Reef Barbados Rum”.  This is a mysterious rum, as the bottle indicates it is imported and bottled by the Cayman Reef Rum Company in that famous rum hotbed of Princeton, Minnesota just a few miles north of Minneapolis.  This town of less than 4,000 sits on the appropriately named Rum River.  However, web searches for the name of the company, and/or the name of the rum are fruitless.  It is evidently connected to World Spirits, LTD in Princeton, but there the search dies as World Spirits is privately owned and evidently doesn’t release much information about itself.

The clear-glass bottle is attractive with the name and two palm trees etched in gold offsetting the darker amber liquid within.  It states it is aged five years in oak casks.  Pulling out the cork, the rum aroma is quiet but flavorful.  Sipping straight, you can taste a hint of chocolate, and a brief kiss of blackberries.  This 80 proof rum mixes very well with both regular and diet colas with very little back-bite.   The finish is very smooth.  While it is not a perfect match for fruit juices it does not clash either.  It is good for frozen Boat Drinks.  This rum is soft and easy, like old comfortable house shoes, but like house shoes, you wouldn’t take them to a party.

At under $20 a bottle, this is a good rum for the price.  As a candidate for the Top Ten, however, it does not win the election.  It is not a great rum,  but I could see buying it again.

The Quest Continues……

The Rum Guy

On the never-ending road to seek out the world’s best Rum and best Rum values, today’s entry is Pecan Street Rum, from that noted Rum hotbed that is Pflugerville, Texas.   Produced by Spirit Of Texas Distillery, this company began in 2010 as the result of three friends in the high-tech industry were looking to stretch their wings and try something new.  Rumor has it the basic business plan was hatched in a sauna.   The first product released was Pecan Street Rum and they have now added Spirit of Texas, a white dry rum.

 

The Pecan Street Rum bottle is a pleasingly squat, clear bottle that amply shows the golden-brown  mixture within.  The cream colored label is simple with filigree in each corner and the name written across a bronze metallic pecan nut, with a five-pointed Texas star underneath.  Upon opening slowly to allow the bottle to breathe, the cork pulls gently.  The aroma is quite impressive, pecans, molasses, hint of orange.   You can tell it was aged in oak barrels.  This rum is made from scratch from molasses and pecans are added for flavor.  And what flavor.  Pouring it into a glass the color promises a new adventure.  The initial flavor is quite surprising, as the pecans are out in front but not overpowering.  Surprisingly, this is a good sipping rum.   Mixing it with cola or Coke Zero, it keeps a consistently good flavor and texture.  However, mixing it with fruit juices or Boat Drinks the pecan flavor does not play well with others.

 

I am not a huge fan of most “flavored” rums, indeed I have to be in a particular mood for them, but this rum is an exception to the rule.  This is a good rum.  At approximately $20 a bottle, this is a great value and a truly unique product.  It may not be a rum for the weekend party, but definitely a rum for a sunset watching from the porch.

 

 

As I have not listed my Top Ten rums in a while, I thought I would list them below.  They are almost all dark or golden rums as that is my preference these days.  Of course, as with most Top 10 lists, it may vary from week-to-week depending on mood, money, madness, and cosmic debris…..

 

1)      Pyrate

2)      Plantation Grande Reserve

3)      Old Monk

4)      Mount Gay Extra Old

5)      Flor De Cano 7 yr

6)      Railean

7)      Pecan Street Rum

8)      Gosling’s Black Seal

9)      Tropic Isle Spiced Cask

10)   Bacardi Gold (Yeah, I know—I am slumming)

 

 

The Quest Continues!

 

—The Rum Guy

Now that title is a mouthful.  The Rum Guy jumps into obscurity with his latest entry.

Today’s featured rum is from the lower price range of the spectrum.  The ultimate goal is to try every commercial rum and to find the best rum values on the market.  While some of my top rums are indeed in the upper cost tiers, not all have been a good value for your hard-earned cash.  So today’s entry, “Tropic Isle Palms—Spiced Cask Rum” addresses the other end.   While research found very little information about the company, the bottle states it is imported from Barbados, where “modern” rum is thought to have been originated.  The origin of the word “Rum” is lost to the mists of time, and several different linguistic experts disagree on that origin.   One item we can agree on, good rum means good times.  The island of Barbados makes a number of rums, some better than others but all are worth trying.  Historically, I have never been a huge fan of the “spiced” rums.  I have to be in a certain mood, and generally that happens only a couple times a year.  Purchases therefore have been few and far between, as I hate to spend the money on a rum and have it sit, lonely and ignored for months at a time.  That would not be a good rum bargain.  Having said that, I tried this Tropic Isle Palms.  The bottle has an appealing picture of two coconut palm trees and underneath that two barrels, to induce that impression of having been aged in barrels.  The rum itself is yellow-gold in color, similar to a beer when poured.  Upon opening the top, the aroma of fruit and spice rises gently to the nose.  Pouring a straight shot, this 70 proof rum is lighter than most I have tried.  The first taste on the tongue takes me to the tropics, with banana and vanilla overtones with a hint of cherry.  The spices seem to include a touch of cinnamon, cardamom, and light black pepper, but are subtle not overpowering.  It has a very smooth finish, perhaps due to the lower alcohol content but also to the right mix of spices.  While this is not a rum for drinking straight up, it mixes very well with both regular cola and Cherry Coke Zero.  With fruit juice it is a refreshing mix for a hot summer day.   Tropic Isle also sells a number of flavored rums if you are so inclined.   I am not a fan of flavored rum, but obviously people like it, as all the major rum distillers sell their own versions.   The texture and flavor of this Palms rum hold together, even if the drink sits unattended for a few minutes, which some rums do not do.  At about $12 a bottle, I was very pleased with this rum.  If you like spiced rums, or are looking to try one, I can recommend this rum, especially for summer outdoor social occasions.

Does it make my Top Ten Rums?  No, but a very good rum for the price.

I am not one to steal thunder from one of my valued contributors, but Rum Guy has fallen on the job, and I must go pick up the pieces. We review Balcones Rumble Rum.  This comes from the Balcones Distillery, in my very own Waco, Texas.  Now in order to assure Rum Guy I am not retiring him, I must reveal the misconception that led to this review. I went into my fav liquor store in Dallas this weekend seeking some whiskey.  On the Whiskey shelf was this unique smaller bottle labeled Balcones Rumble.  Now, since we review liquors regularly on this and our sister sight VODKAFACTS.COM, I pay attention to things like packaging, pricing, and word of  mouth.  But this little mis shelved gem had nothing but unique packaging.  So upon picking up the bottle, we realized that this was a Texas Distillary for making and marketing Whiskey. In fact, the only one in Texas.  In fact, right from my second home town of Waco, Texas.  Curiosity peaked. We had to purchase.  Of course, we thought this was a whiskey.  But one taste, and it we found this would be the most unique tasting whiskey ever.  So further research to their website Balcones Distilling revealed this is actually a rum……now I should have known that from the taste.  Well, I am not the rum expert, Rum Guy is.

Balcones Rumble, Waco, Texas. Not Your Mother's Rum

This rum has a truly unique taste. In their marketing pitch, they embrace everything that is Texas Hill Country.  They make it with Texas honey. They make it with figs.  They use turbinado sugar.  Anyone in their right mind out there know what turbinado sugar is?  Then they tease you further by saying “this is what happens when whiskey distillers play with sugar”.  OK.  I know understand my favorite liquor store’s confusion.  I am confused.  Is this whiskey or rum?  Well, it tastes like one of the best rums I have ever consumed, so lets call it rum. In fact, tonights dinner is this mixed with my favorite soda.   But do not get me wrong, mixing this is somewhat of a sin. This is a strikingly smooth drink that is better suited for sipping. I would put it over rocks, especially now since it is been over 100 degrees in this distillers home town of Waco, Texas for over two weeks.  The honey taste leaps forward.  There is a smoothness to this drink that smacks of sipping over rocks. It starts fresh on the palate.  It never has a chemical burn or after taste despite its advanced alcohol content of 47%, ah thats 94 proof for you newbies.  A party waiting to happen, but please drink responsibly.  As stated earlier, the taste of honey is recognizable. In fact, this is the driving taste of the rum. There is a hint of fig in the taste as well.  OF course, if you mix it, which I am doing for my dinner tonight, these tastes fade somewhat.  You need to put this over ice, and slowly sip it.  Never mind, you northern states.  You likely cannot buy this rum, or global warming has not completely caught up to you yet.  But for us Texans struggling with one of what I believe will be the hottest summers in many years…….this is a mind altering godsend.

This rum is available in Central Texas, which includes some of the Dallas liquor stores.  Not sure about the planet Houston.  The other interesting thing is the name.  ”Balcones” is a fault line that runs prominently from Dallas (most people in Dallas have no idea there is a fault line in Dallas, but a trip to southwest Dallas around Duncanville will prove it) to south of Austin, Texas.  In fact it is the Balcones Fault that creates the gorgeous Texas Hill Country.  If you check the website, one of the owners lives in Austin (the site for other liquors like Tito’s Vodka, subject to an upcoming review) with a ’512′ area code number.  In fact, there is little on the website that would indicate this is a Waco Distillery.  Waco is just not cool enough.  I am surprised in this city of 125,000, home of the largest Baptist University in the world, and a ultra conservative attitude to boot, that we have this distillery smack dab in the middle of town. I love Waco in a sick way.  I find it interesting that these blokes marketing this product try to give the impression it is from Austin, which stands for ‘everything cool in Texas’, at least in an Austinite’s mind.  But check the bottle folks.  It is Waco.  17th and Franklin to be exact.  Sorry owner’s, you have been outed.

Go buy this if you are in Texas, but do expect to pay $30-40 for a 750 ml. bottle. And if you are not in Texas, well, you are screwed, because this one is well worth the money.