Caribbean RUM wars continue

Puerto Rico Must Open Books on Secret Rum Subsidies, Says Letter From Black Chamber of Commerce to Gov. Fortuno
- Governor Must Address Rumored Puerto Rico Payments to Rum Companies by Releasing Contracts, Financial Information

Alleged Hidden Payments Mislead Citizens and Lawmakers; Payments from General Fund Exceed Self-Imposed Cap

WASHINGTON, Feb. 24 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- In a letter to Puerto Rico Governor Luis Fortuno, National Black Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Harry Alford today called upon him to disclose his territory's direct and indirect payments and subsidies to its rum companies....

http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/puerto-rico-must-open-books-on-secret-rum-subsidies-says-letter-from-black-chamber-of-commerce-to-gov-fortuno-85248882.html

Admiral Nelson Premium Spiced RUM

Shopping for RUM, or any spirit, is the same as ordering a drink in a bar...lower on the shelf, typically means lower the quality. When I bought my bottle of Admiral Nelson's Premium Spiced RUM, I found it on the bottom shelf at the very end of the RUM aisle. Not a good sign for any distiller but a preview of what to expect from this RUM.

I won't spend long on this RUM because it is simply not worth it. It has a light tea color, smells like of mixture of chemical, leather, light vanilla and oak.

Drinking this straight was not a good idea. The initial chemical flavor lead to a slight burn and left me with the slightest spiced vanilla flavor. Adding ice removed the burn but seemed to enhance the "skunky" flavor. Adding Coke Zero did kill the chemical taste but it somehow managed to remove all of the Coke taste too.

Generously, I give it a 2 of 10. This "spiced rum" made me long for Captain Morgan's...never a good sign.

NOTE: I have decided to re-taste Admiral Nelson's because this tasting was done off the last drops of my bottle; not the first. I am concerned that the age of the opened spirit might have effected my review. So, I will be retasting this Spiced RUM in the near future.

Folly Cove RUM

I just read an interesting article about a new, small-batch RUM producer in Glouchester, MA...Folly Cove RUM.

"Produced from molasses, Folly Cove is fermented and distilled in Ryan and Wood’s alembic custom copper pot still. Once distilled, the rum ages in white oak barrels which adds a distinctive flavor. The rum is then bottled and labeled by hand.

The still, or the component that actually distills the rum, was custom built in Germany and its style has been appreciated for hundreds of years by manufacturers interested in hand crafted or small batch products."
- North Shore

Follow up to RUM bars - La Descarga (Los Angeles)

The LA Times blog covered the opening of La Descarga, a new RUM bar in Los Angeles. Sounds like the opening was to be appreciated...just look at the title "Opening night at La Descarga: Rum, rum and more rum"

Rum war threatens the Carribbean

I found this article quite interesting. The US Virgin Islands have used $2.4 billion in direct subsidies and other incentives to convince Diageo, LLC (Captain Morgan) to move production from Puerto Rico to USVI. USVI also firmed up their relations with USVI-based Fortune Brands (Cruzan) convincing them to stay in USVI long-term. Needless to say, Puerto Rico is not very happy with this turn of events.

The quote that jumped out at me. "The Puerto Rican delegate said that the Virgin Island’s subsidies are so large that, in the case of Diageo, the rum producer could manufacture a gallon of rum free of cost." Diageo is the 2nd largest RUM distiller in the world and now it can manufacture its RUM for FREE! Yikes!

The article gets kinda complicated from there but it's still worth the read.

Rum Bars

Here in South Carolina, the closest thing to a RUM bar that we've got would be Voodoo Tiki Bar in Charleston, SC. However, more and more RUM bars seem to be popping up around the rest of the country. I thought I would take a second to mention some of the great RUM bars out there.

I have been to Pat Croce's RUM Barrel, in Key West, FL. With Johnny Depp proportedly being a part-owner, this RUM bar is themed completely in Pirate's of the Caribbean. Ask to see the 120+ RUM book to choose your spirit or flight. Lastly, checkout the Pirate Soul Museum next door.

Cuba Libre is about to open their fourth RUM bar, this one in Washington, DC. You can also find them in Philadelphia, Atlantic City, and Orlando. Themed like Old Havana throughout, this RUM bar is a cultural party every day. Be sure to try their own "Cuba Libre" brand RUMs, distilled by Demerara Distillers.

Doc Ford's Rum Bar & Grill on Sanibel Island, FL is another fun RUM bar that I've visited. Owned by author Randy Wayne White, the place is named after MARION "DOC" FORD, who is the hero and main character in several of White's best-selling novels. Huh, it looks like they've also opened a new location on Ft. Myer's Beach, FL too.

RUM Bar in Philadelphia looks to be a great spot to bring out the pirate in you. Their RUM list is extensive (200+) and they run nightly specials.

Other RUM bars I found:

Smuggler's Cove (San Francisco, CA)
Woody's Rum Bar and Island Grill (Baltimore, MD)
Mojitos Restaurant and Rum Bar (Los Angeles, CA)
The Volcano Room & Rum Bar at Bottom Lounge (Chicago, IL)
Rum Bar at Panama Hattie's (North Palm Beach, FL)
Cruzan RUM bar (North Palm Beach, FL)

Ron Cubaney Anejo Reserva 5yr.

I actually bought this RUM a couple of years ago while in Key West, FL. I've held onto the last two drinks of this one longer than I should have, much to the shagrin of Mrs. The Rum Trader.

There are a number of things I love about this RUM: The bottle is tall and thin, they've included a "bottled" date, the RUM has a nice amber color and the label shows a turn-of-the-century photo of Cuba.

Like I mentioned above, this RUM has a nice shaded, amber tone with fairly nice legs. Pouring into my glass I notice the RUM has a nice smokey, slightly sugary aroma with no noticable alcohol smell; which is nice for a relatively young, five-year-old RUM. I also detected notes of toffee, orange cream and a light vanilla.

Without ice: This was a nice sipper. With a slight burn, you'll immediately notice the smokey, oakey, peppery notes. Yum! The finish is uniquely good with a slight citrus taste mixed with a mossy burberry hint. With ice: The burn disappears and the smokey, peppery flavor takes over nearly completely. Good!

With Coke Zero: I really enjoyed this RUM with Coke. I wrote down "silky smooth" and that about captures it. I taste the smoked barrel, the pepper, the carmel, the spice, etc. The linger here is most enjoyable with a mixture of carmel, toffee and herbal spice. Delectable: 8.5 of 10