Rumfest Recap – Part 2 – Pyrat XO
What more can I add to my compatriot’s initial comments. This was our first trip and I am certain it will not be our last. The sights and aromas that greeted us were simply astonishing, and I cannot wait for next year’s RumFest.
And now on to the review.
Pyrat XO is distilled on the small island of Anguilla and aged upto 15 years in French Limousin and American sweet oak barrels, before being decanted into handcrafted bottles. These bottles are based on traditional rum bottles of the 1800’s and each bottle is hand numbered by the cask. The length of time they spent crafting an authentic looking bottle is an example of the effort they put into creating this blend.
Sat in the glass, this aged rum looks like liquid cinnamon. Swirling it around gently, it sticks to the side of the glass and using a wine-tasters phrase ‘has good legs’. Pyrat XO smells sweet, with a slightly citrus edge to it. It sits very gently on the tongue with gentle overtones of orange and caramel, and slides down the throat with an unexpected smoothness and none of the afterburn I was expecting. A very subtle sipping rum.
As a secondary drink, Pyrat XO used in a Cuba Libre is a very pleasant suprise. I was expecting the coke and lime to mask the subtle taste of the rum, but far from it. The coke and rum bring out the caramel flavours in each other, while the lime brings the citrus to the fore.
This will be a permanent fixture on my shelf, and with the memories I have of RumFest, this shelf is going to be very very full indeed.
Related posts:
- More Rumfest – Brugal Ron Añejo This stand at Rumfest 09 seemed very lively, and...
- Rumfest Recap – Part 1 – Ron Barceló We came, we saw, we drank some rum. This was...
- The UK Rumfest 2009 This weekend sees the biggest event in any Rum fan’s...
- Rumfest Recap – Part 3 – Appleton Estate White Rum I was a little reticent about this as my...
- English Harbour 5 Year Old Dark Rum Review Produced and bottled in Antigua, English Harbour 5yr old is...