Review: Sammys Beach Bar Kola Spiced Rum
Sammys Beach Bar Kola Spiced Rum was introduced May 2017, and at launch it was bottled as Sammys Beach Bar Maui Kola Spiced Rum. It was originally produced at the Haliimaile Distilling Company in Maui Hawaii. The rum base was made from Maui Gold sugar cane grown near the distillery. The rum base was distilled once and filtered once. Sammys Beach Bar Kola Spiced rum is now 5 times distilled from the finest sugar cane in the Caribbean at Destileria Serralles in Makawao Puerto Rico. This is the distillery that also makes Don Q rum. After distillation the rum is shipped to Levecke Corporation in Mira Loma California where flavors are blended with the rum and it is bottled at 70 proof. Read more 
Review: Plantation Xaymaca Special Dry Rum
Plantation Xaymaca Special Dry Rum was launched September 2018. Xaymaca was the name given the island of Jamaica by it’s first inhabitants, the Arawaks, and translates to the land of wood and water. Xaymaca Special Dry is made from 100% pot still Jamaican rum. When Pierre Ferrand purchased the West Indies Rum Distillery they also acquired 1/3 ownership of the Long Pond and Clarendon Distilleries. Xaymaca Special Dry is a blend of rums distilled in the old John Dore pot still at Long Pond and the Vendome pot still at Clarendon. Two rums from each distillery are selected. Each rum is aged for 1-3 years in Jamaica in once used bourbon barrels. After blending, the rum is shipped to Southwest France where it is further matured for one year in cognac barrels. Read more
Review: Pinkertons Coconut Rum
Pinkertons Coconut Rum was released March 2017. It joins Pinkertons Platinum Rum and was followed by Pinkertons Gold Rum. Each rum starts with a base made from Texas grown cane sugar molasses from the Rio Grande Valley, water, and yeast. The molasses and yeast ferment for a week. Distillation follows in a still designed and built by Founder and Master Distiller Lucas Pinkerton. Once reduced to proof, coconut essence and natural flavors are infused. The spirit is redistilled before bottling at 60 proof. Read more
Review: Angostura 7 Year Old Rum
Angostura 7 year old rum is distilled in Trinidad at Trinidad Distillers. The House of Angostura dates back to 1824 when Dr. Siegert perfected the formula for aromatic bitters to use in his medical practice in Venezuela. In 1875 the family business moved to Trinidad. Angostura 7 Year Rum is made from molasses, and is fermented with the same proprietary yeast strain used since 1947. The rum is distilled in a five column continuous still. A blend of both heavy and light rum is aged a minimum of seven years in once used American oak bourbon barrels. The spirit is then filtered, and blended before bottling at 80 proof. Read more
Review: Bacardi Gran Reserva Diez
Bacardi Gran Reserva Diez was released May 2018 as part of the Bacardi Premium Portfolio which also includes Bacardi Anejo Cuatro, Bacardi Reserva Ocho, and Bacardi Gran Reserva Limitada, a 12 year old rum that retails for $100. Overall rum sales have been in decline for years including 2017 where total rum sales where down 1.5%. By contrast the five leading Super Premium rum brands which include Plantation, Ron Zacapa, Diplomatico, Pusser, and Pyrat grew a combined 29% last year. With brands like Grey Goose and Patron already in their product portfolio Bacardi already know the power of premium brands. Currently premium rum makes up 15% of the total rum market. As a comparison 53% of tequila and 43% of whiskey sold is in the premium category. Bacardi Gran Reserva Diez is made from high grade sugarcane molasses, and purified water. It is fermented with La Levadura a proprietary single strain yeast. The spirit is column distilled and American oak barrel aged for a minimum ten years. Unlike some of their rum competitors who use an age statement to refer to the oldest rum in the blend, the Bacardi age statement refers to the minimum age. Read more
Review: Captain Morgan Apple Smash
Captain Morgan Apple Smash was just released. This is their fifth cannon ball shaped bottle of flavored rum designed to be served chilled in a shot glass. The other flavors include Cannon Blast, Jack-O’Blast, Watermelon Smash, and LoCoconut. Each is made with Caribbean rum that is shipped to the US where natural flavors and certified colors are blended before bottling at 60 proof. Read more
Review: Blue Chair Bay Pineapple Rum Cream
Blue Chair Bay Pineapple Rum Cream was recently released. This is the 9th Blue Chair Bay variety in Country Music star Kenny Chesney’s line of Caribbean rum. Each variety starts with a white rum base distilled and aged up to 15 months in oak barrels at the West Indies Rum Distillery in Barbados. After shipping to Rochester New York real cream, pineapple and coconut flavors are blended before bottling at 30 proof. Read more
Review: Mezan XO Jamaican Rum
Mezan XO Jamaican Rum is made in small batches of 5000 bottles from rums produced by several different Jamaican distilleries. While no age statement is published on the bottles label or the companies website, several reliable sources claim these rums are aged from 4-23 years. Three of the distilleries said to produce rum for this blend include Monymusk, Worthy Park, and Hampden. These casks are shipped to England where the Master Blender carefully selects and blends these rums and then re-casks the rum in bourbon barrels to encourage the marriage of flavors. The rum is unsweetened, uncolored, and only lightly filtered before bottling at 80 proof. Read more
Review: 896 5 Year Old Rum
896 5 Year Old Rum is made from a blend of rums distilled and aged for a minimum 5 years in Barbados. Sitting next to 896 5 Year Old Rum on the shelf at Total Wine and More is 896 8 Year Old Rum. Both are imported and bottled by Universal Brands in Princeton Minnesota. If you have ever visited a Total Wine and More, I have no doubt you are amazed at the selection of beer, wine, and spirits they carry. While they sell most of the top name brand spirits you would expect, they specialize in selling local craft spirits, along with spirits you just can’t find at any of your local liquor stores. Some of these spirits are hidden gems from craft distillers that would never make there way to your state if not for Total Wine and More. Others are produced or bottled by some of the nations biggest private label distilleries including the one in Princeton Minnesota that produces 896 Rum. Unfortunately little or no information is available about these products. I often stay away from these products because as a reviewer there is very little to write about other than the actual product review. I purchased this bottle because I am a big fan of rum produced in Barbados and since it was on sale for $13.99 I thought I would give it a shot. Read more
Review: Bacardi Anejo Cuatro Rum
Bacardi Anejo Cuatro Rum was just released. If Bacardi Anejo sounds familiar it is. Bacardi Anejo was produced from a recipe dating back to 1862 and aged up to three years before bottling. As the name would imply Bacardi Anejo Cuatro is a rum that has been aged a minimum four years in oak barrels. Bacardi includes some 5 and 6 year old rum in this blend. As a comparison Bacardi Superior is aged for a minimum one year with some of the rum aged up to three years before blending. Bacardi Cuatro is part of a lineup that includes Ocho 8 year old, and Limitada, a rum aged up to 16 years. Gran Reserva Diez, a 10 year old rum will soon join this lineup. Read more