Santa Teresa 1796 Solera Rum (40%) - Review

Santa Teresa 1796 Solera Rum (40%) - Review

Rum info:

The Santa Teresa 1796 Solera Rum is part of the Santa Teresa range which is well established across the bars of Europe but not as mainstream as your Havana's or Bacardi's.  This rum, like the range is produced only in the Aragua Valley, Venezuela. The distillery is run by the 5th generation of the Vollmer family. Santa Teresa 1796 rum is aged in bourbon oak barrels through the Solera technique.  This process involves stack rum barrels on top of each other after ageing. As the oldest blend barrels at the bottom are drained, mixed and bottled the rum in the top barrels are cascaded into the barrels below, refilling each time.

This bottle has certainly had a visual upgrade with a much more premium feel across the label and a red wax dipped cap.

Description:

Beautiful tall bottle with a rich red wax dipped lid. When peeling the seal open and popping the cork it delivers a lovely loud yet elegant pop. Nice smells of smooth, oakey honey with very light notes. These smells seem to match the light amber coloured liquid which is highly viscos and no legs.

There is a surprisingly strong kick, likely due to the spicy ingredients. But the initial burn doesn’t flow down the throat. There is a nice sweetness to it but on its own I don’t get a lot of the other delicate flavours that combine so nicely when smelling this amber rum.

In short, despite great expectations this rum isn't packing the flavour you anticipate from the visual of the bottle or the delightful aromas. Sadly a typical example of looks over substance. Something people are oh too familiar with in this day and age.

Serving Suggestions:

Stir this up with any mix in a tall glass over lots of ice.

Rating: 

2 out of 5 limes

Find out more:

To find out more visit www.santateresarum.com. Interestingly you can't find any information about the range on this website which is a shame. The Santa Teresa Rhum Orange Liqueur is a must try!

Written by Chris. H, Oliver. L & guest reviewer Jimmy. C

Dillon Tres Vieux Rhum Agricole Martinique (43%) – Review

Dillon Tres Vieux Rhum Agricole  Martinique (43%) – Review

Rum Info:

Its been over four years since we reviewed the white younger sister of the Dillon collection, with 3 starts to its name we were sure this would deliver in the aged rum category. Also created in Martinique French West Indies, where the Dillon rum was actually named after an Irish solider (Arthur Dillon) as a tribute for his role in the removal of the English from the island. Now it is the most popular rum in France. Tres Vieux, directly translated means “very old” and as its name sake is aged in oak barrels for a number of years to absorb the flavours of the barrels into this sugar cane based rhum.

Description:

When poured Dillon Tres Vieux has a strong amber colour. If immediately sniffed there is a very strong initial cane spirit hit. For the best experience give the rhum time to breath for five minutes… you wont regret it. You can really get the sweet caramel smells and charred wood notes from the oak barrels they have been resting in. When tasting this rum packs a punch with liquorish notes coming through. It balances nicely in the mouth but with that goes the flavour a little too soon. Over time the sharp tickle in the back of your throat starts to build, like you would expect from a sugar cane rhum or cachaca.

Best Serving Suggestion:

Like the Dillon Rhum Blanc, this rum works so well as a Caipirissima, with fresh lime mixing well with the sugar cane spirit to give you a sharp sour cocktail at its heart. But as its aged, why not try squeezing either a wedge of orange or grapefruit to give it another dynamic that will complement the oak flavours.

Rating:

3 out of 5 limes

To see our review of the Dillon – Rhum Blanc click here. And to purchase a lovely bottle of Dillon… best enjoy a road trip to France.

Written by Soren. R and Chris. H

Chamarel Premium Gold Rum (18 months) 42% - Rum Review

Chamarel Premium Gold Rum (18 months) 42% - Rum Review

Rum Info:

Chamarel Distillery

The history of Chamarel Pemium Gold Rum and how I discovered it are equally important, all be it subjective. Crafted in the tropical climate of Mauritius, the small distillery of Chamarel is picturesquely placed among the hills to the south of the island. A popular tourist spot on route to either the Seven Sands or Black River Gorges. Mauritius is just off the coast of Madagascar, making the conditions perfect for making rum and a popular destination for honeymooners (you guessed it, that’s why the discovery to me was so important). I haven’t been to many distilleries but this is certainly the most beautiful I’ve been too. The majority of the ingredients used in Chamarel’s flavored rum are grown around the site, encasing the place with some amazing aromas of Vanilla, mango and sugar cane.

But now to the rum!

Description:

Chamarel Gold is the perfect concoction of citrus fruits and alcohol. The electric notes from the raw sugar cane are so prevalent, no doubt due to the short aging process of just 18 months. Visually Chamarel Gold is very light, almost a yellowy gold and certainly very light for an aged rum.

 

Chamarel Premium Gold Rum - chilling in the grass

I have to say… this is not rum designed for neat drinking in our opinion. It smacks of high alcohol and you can see that by the high legs around the glass. However when combined with lime and Pepsi Max we are in unanimous agreement that it’s a great tasting drink. The smell is liking to a good Cachaca coming through, is amazing.

While the short aging is less than that of Vintage Cheddar you certainly get a nice floral note and easy blend with mixers. The trade off is that the neat flavor isn’t as rich as most other aged rum

While the bottle says sip and mix, we suggest you ignore the first element of that instruction.

Serving Suggestion:

Pepsi Max with three wedges of lime for the easy going. For more adventurers and keen on Cachaca, this makes a great rum Caipirinha alternative.

Rating:

2 our of 5 limes (1 lime when neat but 3 with a mixer)

Find out more:

http://www.rhumeriedechamarel.com

Written by: Chris. H, Soren. R, Oli. L