National rum day

Happy national rum day Reef Warriors! The greatest day of the year. Time to celebrate the best spirit in the universe and the only spirit to be endorsed by pirates.

Rum Quest month week 4 Diplomatico Ambassador

I hope you all have enjoyed rum quest month as much as I have. It has been a lot of fun catching up on this delicious hobby. I want to raise a glass of Pyrat in thanks to Brian for his great review from the shores of St. Lucia. I hope the wicked wild-eyed sirens allow him to return to the U.S.

This week is going to put a wrap on things and I have saved the best for last.

Every year we chip in on a very high-end rum and this year we chose

Diplomatico Ambassador from Venezuela

This rum comes in a very beautiful oak box.

It is a dark and inviting rum, yet the display is full of mystery.

In the glass it is a deep coffee color and has strong rum legs.

The nose is sweet and strong, but not overpowering.

There are hints of dried fruit and vanilla (?). Very complex. (which is a term I may use often in this review)

The taste is wonderful. Again very complex, hints of many delicious flavors, I found a masterful blend of vanilla, spice, coffee and chocolate. Subtle hints of the barrel add to its mystique.

The finish is very pleasent, long,smooth and creamy

The maturing process of 12 yrs in oak is followed up by 2 yrs in sherry casks.The attention to detail in the blending  and aging aims for and hits the mark of perfection.

We have enjoyed the Diplomatico rums for many years and this rum is the patriarch of the family.

This is a rum to keep locked away. It is a luxury a true rum lover should experience.

Additional Notes:

While tasting for this review, Gail and I both remarked how different we observed this rum upon first tasting in late summer 2012. We both had similar thoughts that  it was a good rum, a complex rum, but not outstanding. I can say that our opinion has changed totally. This is one of the finest rums we have ever enjoyed. Have our palettes become more refined? Possibly, Have our other senses awakened? Maybe. Who knows? This is why we Quest!

Rum Quest month week 3 Dos Maderas

Today we will travel to spain for some very fine rums.

Dos Maderas 5+5 and 5+3 are very unique in how they are aged .

The 1st part of the aging process is at the point of origin (Guyana and Barbados)  for 5 yrs. in oak barrels. And then on to Spain for aging in Dos Cortados sherry casks. This is the final stage for the 5+3, where as the 5+5 undergoes a final stage of aging in Don Guido sherry casks.

This multi stage process creates very wonderful rums.

5+3……boasts a sweet spicy smoky nose.

Rich honey color and strong rum legs make it pleasing to the eye.

You get a wave of flavor as it moves across your palate. Starting with a well-balanced spice and smoke, blended with fruit sweetness, followed by a smooth vanilla finish.

This is a top shelf rum.

5+5 ……is a much darker nectar, almost coffee color,with even nicer legs.

The nose is more complex with a hint of chocolate and tobacco.

Sweet on the tongue, the sherry characteristics are more pronounced, creating a sweeter ,fruiter, full-bodied flavor. The finish is smooth and creamy.

A very very nice rum. Keep this locked up and share with only true friends.

Casey’s Take: 5+5 is a top ten sipping rum. I love the stuff. I find it both very complex and very smooth which are two traits that are hard to find together. The combination makes it soo flavorful. This is one rum I try to always have on the shelf.

Rum Quest month week 2 —–Cane and Abe

Today we sample  Cane and Abe freshwater rum from the good old U.S. of A.

Distilled in Madison Wisconsin,  made from brown sugar from home-grown sugar beets, and aged in american oak barrels this rum was a pleasant surprise.

American Still Life goes into great detail sharing the story of this small distillery in the article  “‘From Garage to Greatness’

A sugary, sweet nose, fair rum legs, and a honey gold hue.

Smooth, smokey,oak from the barrel taste combines with sweet,sweet honey. This rum has a clean, but slightly sour/oily finish often found with pot stilled rums.

A delightful sipping rum to keep on your top shelf.

Rum Quest Month special Mardi Gras edition

Old New Orleans Cajun spiced rum New Orleans, Louisiana

Mardi Gras and Fat Tuesday are in full swing and I am sure plenty of this rum is being consumed, as liquid courage helping the shy girls to earn some beads.

Before I get off track  dreaming of girls earning  beads, let’s try this unique rum, made from black strap molasses and aged in oak bourbon barrels.

The nose is warm and spicy.

The taste is also warm with spice, lots and lots of spice.

Cinnamon and pepper (cayenne?) are up front and very noticeable, followed by

nutmeg and ginger. The taste is similar to a stick of Big Red Gum. Only better because it is RUM not gum.

The smooth finish is warm and spicy with a hint of pepper.

This is everything a spice rum should be, Keep it on your top shelf for sipping and on your bar shelf to make some great mixed drinks.

CASEY’S TAKE: Cajun Spice is my favorite Spiced Rum of them all, By far! Sip it, mix it. It does everything. Especially in the winter! it warms ya up just right. Make sure ya get 2 bottles, cause the first one won’t last long!