Cockspur Five Star Rum Review

This light amber rum is matured slowly in American bourbon barrels before blending takes place. On opening the bottle you are greeted with a simple yet pleasant smell. It has a much lighter golden colour in comparison to other dark rums (such as Appleton XV and English Harbour).

The ambient flavour of the bourbon barrels it is aged in is not lost on Cockspur. Five Star is sweet with a slight butterscotch aftertaste, and there is a little bite that this drinker can only attribute to the barrels. Not unpleasant in any way, just a little suprising. The bourbon undertones become even more obvious when drinking this straight. This is a good dark rum, but one better served mixed rather than neat.

Buy Cockspur Five Star Rum

The White Zombie

RumDood has posted his version of this cocktail invented by Rob V. Burr of Gifted Rums.

2 oz Rum Cream (Cruzan Rum Cream)
1 oz Jamaican Rum (Appleton Estate V/X)
1 oz Rhum Agricole Vieux (Clement VSOP)
1 oz J. Wray & Nephew Overproof
.5 oz Cointreau
.5 oz Absinthe (La Fee)
.25 oz Allspice Dram

Combine ingredients in a tin and shake with ice.  Strain over crushed ice and dust with fresh nutmeg, garnish with a cinnamon stick.

This is a cocktail recipe I’d really like to try myself, maybe even adapt, just need to source some of the ingredients.

Be sure to check out Gifted Rums for the development of this cocktail and, of course, RumDood for the full details of his version.

Bundaberg Dark Rum Review

This Australian dark rum is double distilled using only locally grown sugar cane and aged in it’s own specially made oak vats for a minimum of 2 years, so the taste and aroma is all down to the blending process.

Known locally as ‘Cane Champagne’, Bundaberg has yet to make a big impact outside of Oz.  It’s a light, sweet and straighforward rum, with no real complexity or depth of flavour.

There is nothing overly memorable  about drinking this, but equally there is nothing to dislike either. It’s a generic mixer that wouldn’t be out of place at a party, but in my opinion that’s all I would use it for.

One of the ‘tests’ I light-heartedly apply to any dark rum I drink: Can I imagine pirates drinking this in Tortuga while counting their ill-gotten gains? Sorry Bundaberg, you’ll have to walk the plank.

OVD Demerara Dark Rum Review

O.V.D. (Old Vatted Demerara) is a very dark rum made with a blend of the finest demerara rums in the world and matured in oak casks for around 7 years. This was imported by George Morton from Guyana in 1838 and blended especially for the Scottish market.

First impressions are good. Suprisingly sweet with an hint of treacle toffee which settles comfortably on the tongue. Very enjoyable as a long mixed drink over ice, this will appeal to fans of all dark rums. O.V.D. sits somewhere between Alnwick Rum and English Harbour. Drank straight it reminds me a little of brandy, especially the aroma. Certainly one to add to the collection.

Alnwick Rum Review

One of my work colleagues suggested I give this particular brand a try so off I went in search of a bottle. I’m used to drinking dark rums that are a deep golden colour, so when I saw the black liquid sloshing against the side of the bottle I was a little reticent, but decided to take a chance.

First impressions were good. Alnwick Rum has a distinctive yet pleasant aroma, reminding this drinker of the elderberry wine my grandfather used to make. It pours like thin molasses and has a hint of the taste of black treacle.

After the more golden rums, the first taste was a surprise. Strong, but not overpowering, with a very pleasant aftertaste reminiscent of bonfire toffee, and oddly enough, rum & raisin ice-cream. When I decide to make my Rumtopf, I think this will be the ideal base rum.

This is a dark rum I would serve for special occasions, rather than for everyday drinking.

Zacapa XO Aged Rum

I’ve read a LOT of good things about this rum, so many people are enthused by it but it is one of the most expensive rums around.

I’ve been looking for an excuse to try this one out and I’ve found it, I think. The site I get all my rums from (TheDrinkShop) has put this little beauty on special offer! It’s down from £81.15 to £72.95!

Every month, I allow myself one complete extravagance, and I think this will be it. I often buy art prints with my monthly allowance but I can’t help thinking that this would be art itself.

The bottle and box alone are fantastic!

Anyone tasted this? Do you think it’s worth the price? Let me know!

Zacapa XO Aged Rum for £72.95!

Appleton V/X Dark Rum Review

Appleton V/X is a Jamaican copper pot still rum and it is a blend of rums aged between 5 and 10 years.

When used with a mixer, this colourful and fragrant rum is a delight. A very flavoursome drink which is enhanced by the lime, ice & coke. A favourite for those long summer evenings sat outside with friends.

I wish I could say the same about it when drinking it neat. It bears a very similar taste to whiskey, with none of the sweetness I would expect from a dark rum. Far too harsh on the throat and leaves the palate too dry for this particular drinker.

It will always be welcome in my home, although only as a rum to be mixed rather than enjoyed as is.

Caribbean Rum Cake

I’m currently sampling a rum punch brought back from Antigua by my traveling friend, this recipe from Culinary Escapade for Caribbean Rum Cake would be the ideal accompaniment.

I’ve sampled the Tortuga Rum Cakes before and they are, as you would expect, absolutely lovely. There is something special about a cake that you have made yourself however, so try this recipe, it looks delicious!

My sister just came back from a week long trip to Jamaica. She brought back some Tortuga rum cakes and was raving about how moist and delicious they were. Her biggest complaint was the fact that you could only get them in the Caribbean and that they were tiny.

Needless to say that after listening to her describe said cake, I was hankering for some myself. Out the window went my diet, but it was well worth it.

See the full recipe at Culinary Escapade.

Mojito Ice Lollies / Ice Pops

There is a fantastic recipe on the Simply Piee blog for Mojito ice lollies.

Brilliant idea and I will be attempting these myself.

This is a fairly simple recipe and it is easy to adjust to your taste. For example, I prefer my mojitos more sour so I put less sugar in the recipe. Also, I love rum so I increased the rum ratio. I should warn you, if you put too much rum, the mixture will not set.

Be sure to head over to the Simply Piee blog to read the full recipe.

Seven Tiki Aged Rum Review

As the Spiced Rum variant of Seven Tiki has just been launched in the US (rolling out in California and Florida) I thought I would take the opportunity to review the aged rum.

Seven Tiki Aged Rum is a Fijian rum made with the finest quality Polynesian sugar cane and the purest water in Fiji.

It has a very smooth taste but is full bodied comparable with the larger brands of aged rum. As a sipping rum this is a definite alternative if you’d like to try something different. It doesn’t quite have the same pull for me as the Caribbean rums but as an ingredient in a cocktail or with a mixer this is perfect.

At only £18.62 at the time of writing, it comes in cheaper than most of the big brands and for a premium aged rum that price is incredible.