Review: Cape May Distillery Toasted Coconut Rum
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ape May Distillery Toasted Coconut Rum is one of six rums crafted at the Cape May Distillery in Cape May New Jersey. The other five rums include Beach Rum, Barrel Rum, Spiced Rum, Blueberry Rum, and Strawberry Banana Rum. They also produce vodka, gin, and whiskey. The distillery was the dream of two college friends with a love of distilling, and was founded in 2015. Cape May is located on the southern tip of New Jersey and is recognized as the country’s oldest seaside resort. Cape May Distillery Toasted Coconut Rum is made from their Beach Rum base. Real coconut is toasted in butter and aged in the barrel with the rum. Read more 
Review: Admiral Rodney HMS Princessa
Admiral Rodney HMS Princessa rum is distilled, blended and bottled by St. Lucia Distillers. Admiral George B Rodney will forever be remembered as the Admiral who broke the French line at the battle of the Saints, safeguarding British control of the Caribbean. The HMS Princessa was one of the first ships to engage the French in this battle. This is one of three rums in the Admiral Rodney line of spirits. All three are now available in the US. It is crafted on a twin 45 plate Coffey column still. The rums are extracted from the bottom plates of the still as these distillates have the balance of flavors to provide intensity and complexity. The rums are aged for 5-9 years in both American white oak bourbon, and port casks. The Master Blender then blends together the rums before bottling at 80 proof. Read more
Review: Big Spring Spirits Coconut Rum
Big Spring Spirits Coconut Rum was released December 2014, along with a Spiced Rum, and Seven Governors Gin. Big Spring Spirits is named for Bellefonte’s Big Spring. This spring was awarded the Best Tasting Water in the State by the Pennsylvania Rural Water Association. The distillery also received a Gold rating from LEED, considered the leading benchmark in green buildings. Big Springs was conceived by friends, and Penn State alumni, Paula Cipar and Kevin Lloyd, and is located in the old Bellefonte Match Factory. This factory opened in 1900 and was one of the leading producers of wooden matches. The factory closed in 1947 due to competition from book matches and cigarette lighters. Big Spring Spirits Coconut Rum is made from 100% Caribbean Fancy Molasses, and is distilled in a pot still. Water sourced from the before mentioned Big Spring is blended to reduce to proof. Natural flavor is added before bottling at 70 proof. Read more
Review: Sunset Reef Coconut Rum
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nset Reef Coconut Rum is produced by Toorank Distilleries in Zevenaar, The Netherlands. and is imported by Saranty Imports. Bottled at 42 proof, Sunset Reef weighs in with the same alcohol content as Malibu. The bottle describes Sunset Reef as a liqueur with the flavor of coconut and rum. No additional product information is available. I found my bottle at Total Wine and More. Read more
Review: Oak and Palm Coconut Rum
Oak and Palm Coconut Rum is made at the St Petersburg Distillery that was founded in 2014 by the father-son team of Dominic, Steve, and Dominic Jr. Iafrate. In 1997 they moved their successful recycling business from Michigan to Florida. The St. Petersburg Distillery also produces Oak and Palm Spiced Rum, Tipplers Orange Liqueur, Royal Mead, Banyan Reserve Vodka and the complete line of Old St Pete’s spirits. The Master Distiller is Henry Kasprow. While no specific production techniques are offered, the distillery boast a handcrafted copper pot still produced in the early 1930’s by EB Badgett and Son. Oak and Palm Rum is flavored with real coconut and natural flavors. Read more
Review: Chairman’s Reserve Original Rum
Chairman’s Reserve Original Rum was first blended in 1999, overseen by then Chairman Laurie Barnard to create a quality rum that could represent the iconic style of St. Lucian rum. The Barnard family first settled in St. Lucia in the 1930’s and established their distillery by making rum from the molasses produced by the islands massive sugar plantations. Due to the rise of the European sugar beet, the local sugar industry was forced into extinction. The remaining two distilleries consolidated their operations creating St. Lucia Distillers. Chairman’s Reserve Original Rum is made from rich molasses sourced from Guyana. Selected aged rums distilled from Coffey Column stills and copper pot stills aged in ex-bourbon barrels are blended and further rested in oak vats for an additional 6 months. The average age of the blended rums is 5 years. Read more
Review: Bom Bom Coco Mochanut
Bom Bom Coco Mochanut was launched by husband and wife team Kevin Mowers and Eva Maria Janerus in 2016. Coco Mochanut was inspired by Kevin’s attempt to deconstruct a Mounds candy bar, Eva Maria’s favorite sweet treat, while trying to craft a cocktail with the same flavor DNA. Kevin is a food scientist. Bom Bom translates to “my sweetheart” in Spain. Coco Mochanut is an all natural, gluten free, and kosher blend of chocolate, coffee, cream, coconut, and Caribbean rum. It is produced and bottled at 36 proof, by LiDestri Spirits, a private label bottler in Rochester New York. By comparison Baileys weighs in at 34 proof. Read more
Review: Bacardi Lime Rum
Bacardi Lime Rum was just released. It is Bacardi’s 9th flavored rum. The other flavors include Limon, Coconut, Dragonberry, Pineapple, Mango, Raspberry, Banana, and Grapefruit. Bacardi Lime is made from a molasses rum base. The molasses is fermented for 30 hours with a single strain of yeast, Le Levadura Bacardi, in closed fermentation tanks. The fermented molasses is split. Some is column distilled, and some beer distilled. Each is aged separately in charred American white oak barrels previously used to age bourbon. Once mature the rums are blended and filtered through a mix of charcoal made from tropical woods and coconut shells. Natural flavors are infused before bottling at 70 proof. Read more
Review: Puerto Angel Blanco Rum
Puerto Angel Blanco Rum was launched in the US the summer of 2015. It is crafted at a distillery founded in 1938 by the Krassel family. The family also grows their own sugarcane in the Oaxaca Mountains of Mexico. The hand harvested cane sugar is delivered by donkey down the mountain side to the distillery. The cane is immediately pressed. Fermentation with wild yeast begins within 24 hours of harvest. The spirit is small batch double distilled in copper pot stills, and aged for six months in oak casks. Read more
Review: Bumbu XO Rum
Bumbu Xo Rum was just released. It follows the successful release of The Original Bumbu Rum, aka Lil Wayne’s favorite rum. Bumbu takes its name from the navy strength rum softened with native fruits and herbs of the Caribbean created by 16th and 17th century sailors of the West Indies that they lovingly named Bumbu. Bumbu XO is crafted quite differently than both the early sailors recipe, and The Original Bumbu. The Original Bumbu is made from sugar cane sourced from eight Caribbean islands, distilled in Barbados, infused with spices, fruits, and herbs and bottled at 70 proof. Bumbu XO is made from locally grown Panamanian sugar cane and pure spring water. It is distilled in a still build in 1912 at a distillery in Panama dating back to 1890. The rum is aged up to 18 years in bourbon barrels and then finished in sherry casks made from white oak grown in the Andalusia region of Spain. Read more