Review: Taildragger Toasted Coconut Rum
Taildragger Toasted Coconut Rum is crafted in Plainfield Illinois at the Tailwinds Distilling Company. Husband and wife entrepreneurs Toby and Jillian Beall launched the brand in 2012 after years of planning. Their focus was on returning Americas first distilled spirit to the states with a truly American rum. Toby spent years traveling as a commercial pilot and adventure seeker through the Caribbean Islands, South America, and Mexico. Together the couple tapped their experience of tasting the local flavors from each of the regions to bring home and create their American made spirits. The distillery also crafts a white, dark, amber, and coffee flavored rum along with a 100% blue agave spirit. Taildragger Toasted Coconut starts with their white rum base made from sugarcane molasses sourced from Louisiana and formed from only boiling the cane juice once. This gives their rum an “Agricole like ” quality. It is fermented over a 4 to 5 day period. The spirit is distilled in a hybrid pot/column still. The rum is never chill or charcoal filtered only a standard plate and frame filter removes the particulate. They toast their own coconut before infusing and lightly sweetening to overcome the natural bitterness toasted coconut has. The spirit is hand bottled and labeled at 60 proof. Read more 
Review: Sugar Skull Rum Native Coconut Blend
Sugar Skull Rum Native Coconut Blend is one five Sugar Skull Rum varieties that may be better know as Master P’s rum. Not only does Master P own the brand but he has rapped about the brand, and if you have been to an Orlando Magic basketball game recently you may have even tipped a few at Sugar Skull Rum Landing located in the arena. Each flavor variety starts with their Tribal Original Rum base made sugar cane molasses sourced from the Caribbean and South America. The rum is distilled at several partner distilleries in the Caribbean Islands where each distillery uses a four column still. The rum is shipped to the US where it is filtered and blended. Sugar Skull Rum Native Coconut Blend is flavored with natural ingredients before it is bottled at 42 proof. Read more
Review: Burnetts Coconut Rum
Burnett’s Coconut Rum is made in Bardstown Kentucky at the Heaven Hill Distillery with rum distilled in the Caribbean. Previously bottled versions of Burnett’s Coconut Rum labeled this as a Virgin Island distilled rum. Burnett’s is a value brand probably best known for the 40 flavored vodka’s they produce. I picked up this bottle of rum for $7.99. Read more
Review: Sugar Skull Madagascar Wildberry Rum
Sugar Skull Madagascar Wildberry Rum is one of five varieties of rum sold under the Sugar Skull Rum label. The brands name and packaging honor Dia de Los Muertos. The other expressions include Tribal Original, Mystic Vanilla, Native Coconut, and Hellfire Cinnamon. The brand was launched November 2014 by CEO J Smoke Wallin. At some point Master P joined the ownership group. Each flavor starts with the Tribal Original silver rum base made from sugar cane molasses sourced from the Caribbean and South America. It is distilled at several partner distilleries in the Caribbean Islands who use four column stills. The rum is shipped to the US where it is filtered, and blended. Sugar Skull Madagascar Wildberry is flavored with natural ingredients before bottling at 60 proof. Read more
Review: Key West Chefs Green Coconut Rum
Key West Chefs Green Coconut Rum is crafted at Key West’s first legal rum distillery since Prohibition. The distillery was founded and created by Paul Menta and Tony Mantia in 2012. It is built on what was originally Jack’s Saloon in 1900. In 1903 it became a Coca Cola bottling facility. Paul considers himself a chef first and a distiller second so their process is called chef distilled. Green Coconut is one of several flavored and spiced rums they currently create, that include Key Lime, Cuban Coffee, Spiced, Devil’s cinnamon, and Vanilla Brulee Dark Rum. Each of their flavored rums start with their original white rum base made from crystal demerara Florida sugar cane. The rum is distilled six times. The unaged rum is blended with coconut water and oils from green coconuts sourced from southern Florida and the Keys and a minimal amount of Florida cane sugar. Nothing else is added before bottling at 80 proof. Read more
Review: Captain Morgan Gingerbread Spiced Rum
Captain Morgan Gingerbread Spiced Rum will be introduced in October as a Limited Edition release. Yes pumpkin is not the only fall seasonal flavor. Over the years Captain Morgan has become the Oreo Cookie version of line extensions. Captain Morgan Gingerbread is made from a blend of rums distilled in St. Croix from Caribbean sugar cane molasses in a continuous still and aged for 1 year in oak barrels. Spice and other natural flavors are blended before bottling at 60 proof. Read more
Review: Papa’s Pilar Marquesas Blend Dark Rum
Papa’s Pilar Marquesas Blend Dark Rum is a Limited-Edition Release that will be available in October. I was lucky enough to get my hands on a bottle a little early. All of Papa’s Pilar’s rum expressions are inspired by Ernest Hemingway. Marquesas Blend Dark Rum is named after the Marquesas Keys, a group of islands just west of Key West. After a brutal storm hit during a fishing expedition, Ernest Hemingway was stranded for two weeks on these islands. Papa’s Pilar Marquesas is made from 7 hand selected rums aged up to 24 years. The rums are crafted by Master Blender Ron Call at Hemingway Rum Company’s distillery in Key West Florida located just yards from where Hemingway used to dock his boat. The rums are sourced from the Caribbean, US, and Central America. After blending, the rum is placed in #4 char Kentucky Straight Bourbon barrels to finish maturing before bottling at 88 proof. Read more
Review: The Devils Own Coconut Rum
The Devils Own Coconut rum is one of 18 rum varieties crafted at Stillwagon Distillery in Coos Bay Oregon. Rick Stillwagon started the distillery in 2013 with a custom built still crafted by Rainer Distillers. They also produce vodka and whiskey at the distillery. Each of the rums start with their silver rum base made from American black strap molasses and cane sugar sourced from Texas and Louisiana. The spirit is fermented in a repurposed stainless steel milk cooler in 500 gallon batches. The rum is twice distilled in a reflux still with a double column. After distillation the rum rests in stainless steel barrels. It took Rick Stillwagon two years to perfect The Devils Own Coconut Rum. 100 pounds of flaked coconut is infused in the 160 proof silver rum base to make 130 gallons of rum. The rum is lightly filtered to remove the flaked coconut. Cane sugar is added to balance the naturally bittersweet coconut flake prior to bottling at 80 proof. Read more
Review: Recipe 21 Coconut Rum
Recipe 21 Coconut Rum is made in Rochester New York by LiDestri Spirits. LiDestri contract bottles and private labels more than 100 different brands of alcoholic beverages for company’s including Blue Chair Bay Rum. They also produce their own line of spirits under the Roc House Brands umbrella. Recipe 21 has a full line of spirits including several vodka’s, whiskey’s, tequila, rum, gin, and liqueurs. Besides the Recipe 21 Brand, Roc House owns and produces Cask & Crew Whiskey, Nativo Rum, Mu Coffeehouse Cocktails, Tuttobello Limoncello, and LiDestri Pink Lemon Liqueur. Roc House Brands received Impact’s Hot Prospect Award given to brands that achieve at least 15% depletion growth for 2017, and 2018. Recipe 21 Coconut Rum is made from a rum base distilled in Puerto Rico. Coconut flavors are blended before bottling at 42 proof. Read more
Review: Boracay Coconut Rum
Boracay Coconut Rum was recently released for sale in the US. It is made in the Philippines by Tanduay. Tanduay has been producing rum since 1854 and they are currently the worlds largest producer of rum. Yes they sell more rum than Bacardi and Captain Morgan. Tanduay also released Boracay Cappuccino Rum. Boracay is named after the Philippines world famous island and beach. Boracay was awarded as the worlds best island in 2012 by Travel and Leisure, and again in 2014 by Code Nast Traveler. Boracay translates to white cotton for the white sugary sand found on the island. Boracay is made from their white rum base made from island grown Asian Heirloom sugar cane. It is fermented for twelve hours before it is distilled. Natural and artificial flavors and caramel color are added before bottling at 50 proof. Read more