Review: Downslope Vanilla Rum
Downslope Vanilla Rum is one of five rums created at the Downslope Distillery in Centennial Colorado. They also distill Gin, Vodka, and Whiskey. The distillery was founded May 2008 by three friends, Mitch Abate, Matt Causey, and Andy Causey. The first two spirits, white rum and a vodka made from sugar cane were released in August 2009. Downslope Vanilla Rum is made from dried Maui cane juice that has been processed into sugar. The cane juice is fermented in 300 gallon tanks and double distilled in 220 gallon batches in a Double Diamond pot still created by Copper Moonshine Stills in Arkansas. The rum is than filtered through The Lichtenstein, a devise designed by Master Distiller Mitch Abate. Tahitian and Indonesian Vanilla Beans are steeped in the white rum infusing only the natural flavor of these two unique beans with their well crafted white rum. Read more 
Review: Muddy River Coconut Carolina Rum
Muddy River Coconut Carolina Rum was released June 2015. It is one of four rums crafted at a distillery that is located 50 yards from the Catawba River. Hence the name. They also produce two Moonshine varieties. The husband and wife team of Robbie and Caroline Delaney moved into 500 feet of warehouse space they found on Craigslist in 2011. Their first product Muddy Water Silver Rum was introduced September 2012. They soon quit their full time jobs and needed more space to keep up with demand. Today they operate in a 6100 square feet warehouse in the same old textile mill. Their other rums include a Spiced, and Queen Charlotte Reserve, their oak barrel aged rum. Each rum starts with high quality molasses sourced from Louisiana and Florida sugarcane. Two new custom hybrid reflux column stills are used. After distilling, natural flavors are blended with the rum base, before hand bottling and labeling at 70 proof. Read more
Review: Bear Creek Silver Rum
Bear Creek Silver Rum is crafted at the Bear Creek Distillery in Denver Colorado. The distillery is named for the Bear Creek. With it’s headwaters at the base of Mount Evans, one of Colorado’s tallest peaks, Bear Creek flows east and eventually joins the South Platte River near Denver. The distillery currently creates 3 whiskey’s, 3 rums, and 2 vodka’s. Each spirit is produced from grain to bottle. Bear Creek Silver Rum is small batch distilled from a wash of evaporated cane juice in a German built copper hybrid Kothe pot still. Each bottle is hand signed and batch numbered. Read more
Review: Toppers Mocha Mama Rhum
Toppers Mocha Mama Rhum is one of six rhums crafted in St Maarten at the Toppers Distillery. For years Melanie Daboul created several flavored rhums out of her home kitchen. These rhums were given as a complimentary after dinner drink at the 2 restaurants she and husband Topper Daboul own on the Dutch side of St Maarten. These rhums were so well received they were soon selling bottles of this rhum at their restaurant. On November 1, 2012 they opened a distillery on St Maarten where they now craft their rhum. Mocha Mama is a premium rhum made with roasted coffee, and decadent chocolate with notes of vanilla. Read more
Review: Plantation Stiggins Fancy Pineapple Rum
Plantation Stiggins Fancy Pineapple Rum was created by Alexandre Gabriel, Cellar Master of Plantation and David Wondrich, author of the book Imbibe. This rum was not intended for sale it was created to share among colleagues and friends at Tales of Cocktail 2014. The rum is named for Reverend Stiggins whose favorite drink was Pineapple Rum in the Pickwick Papers novel by Charles Dickens. The hand cut bare rinds of Queen Victoria Pineapple are macerated with Plantation 3 Star White Rum for 1 week, and then distilled in a copper alembic pot still. It is then blended with Plantation Original Dark Rum which has been infused with the fruit of the pineapple for three weeks. The rum is then rested for three months in oak casks. Read more
Review: Toppers White Chocolate Raspberry Rhum
Toppers White Chocolate Raspberry Rhum is one of six handcrafted rhums produced on the island of St Maarten at the Toppers Distillery. Rhum is the French spelling of rum. The other Toppers rhums include Coconut, Spiced, Mocha Mama, Banana Vanilla Cinnamon, and Caribbean White. These rhums are based on recipes Melanie Daboul has been perfecting since 1994. Each Toppers Rhum is handmade with natural ingredients and hand bottled in St Maarten. Read more
Review: Toppers Coconut Rhum
Toppers Coconut Rhum is one of six handcrafted rhums produced on the island of St Maarten at the Topper’s Distillery. Their other rhums include Spiced, Mocha Mama, White Chocolate Raspberry, Banana Vanilla Cinnamon, and Caribbean White. Each flavor is handmade with natural ingredients, and hand bottled in it’s own beautifully colored bottle on the Dutch side of the Island of St Maarten. Each bottle features a glass embossed Topper’s on both bottles sides, and a hand painted palm tree on the flip top bottle topper. If there is a more attractive rum bottle design it doesn’t come to mind. Read more
Review: Toppers Banana Vanilla Cinnamon Rhum
Toppers Banana Vanilla Cinnamon Rhum is one of six handcrafted rhums produced on the Island of St Maarten at the Topper’s Distillery. Rhum is the French spelling of rum. The other varieties include their unflavored Caribbean White, Coconut, Mocha Mama, Spiced, and White Chocolate Raspberry. The rhums are based on recipes Melanie Daboul has been perfecting since 1994. They were given as a complimentary after dinner drink at the two restaurants owned with her husband Topper. A partnership was later formed with good friends Mike and Thelma King and a distillery was build. Unfortunately the Kings were killed in a random home invasion and robbery shortly before Topper’s Rhum was first released for sale November 2012. One of Mikes brothers Todd took his role in the company. Toppers Banana Vanilla Cinnamon Rhum is handmade with natural ingredients and hand bottled in St Maarten. Read more
Review: Captain Morgan Black Spiced Rum
Captain Morgan Black Spiced Rum was launched April 2012. It is one of 10 rum varieties currently produced by the Captain. While there are several black spiced rum varieties on the market today Captain Morgan Black Spiced and The Kraken are the two best sellers. Captain Morgan Spiced Black is a blackstrap rum made with select spices including clove and cassia bark and is aged in a double charred blackened oak barrel. Read more
Review: Crusoe Organic Silver Rum
Crusoe Organic Silver Rum is hand crafted by the husband and wife team of Melkon Khosrovian and Litty Mathew at the Greenbar Distillery. Tru Organic Vodka and Gin, Slow Hand Organic Whiskey and IXA Organic Tequila are also crafted by this team. Greenbar was the first legal distillery in Los Angeles California since prohibition. The Crusoe name was inspired by Robinson Crusoe. Crusoe Silver is made with organic molasses fermented slowly with white wine yeast and double distilled in small batches. The rum is micro oxygenated, a technique used by California wine makers to mellow out their tannic reds. This process replaces the traditional barrel aging and charcoal filtering Caribbean distillers use to make their silver rums. Read more