In the practice session we first taste the rums neat, and later we taste how it works in some cocktails.
We taste the following rums, making all together notes about taste and aroma :
1- Brugal Extraviejo
Country: Dominican Republic
Made from: 100% molasses
Distillation: 100% column still
Fermentation: –
Aged: White american oak barrels and Pedro Ximenez Sherry Casks
Tasting notes:
Colour: -Dark amber
Nose: Honey, dried fruits, caramel. Light woodiness.
Palate: First sweet notes. Vanilla, chocolate, subtly fruity (apple notes). With a dry finish and leather notes.
2- Chairman’s Reserve
Country: St Lucia
Made from: 100% molasses imported from Guyana
Distillation: Double distillation in pot still and continuous still
Fermentation: Between 24 and 30 hours.
Aged: American oak barrels (Jim Beam, Jack Daniels and Buffalo Trace) separately by still, then blended and reintroduces to oak for a further six months to marry.
Tasting notes:
Colour: Dark brown amber
Nose: Honey, dried fruits, vanilla.
Palate: Dried fruits, vanilla, tobacco, spices (pepper). Honey sweet and fruity (apple) notes.
3- Rhum Barbancourt Réserve Spéciale 8 years
Country: Haití
Made from: 100% fermented sugar cane juice
Distillation: Double pot still
Fermentation: –
Aged: Limousin oak barrels
Tasting notes:
Colour: Pale amber
Nose: Vanilla and pepper.
Palate: A buttery sensation texture in mouth. Cocoa, orange peel, dried fruits.
4- Ron Barceló Imperial
Country: Dominican Republic
Made from: Sugar Cane produced in Dominican Republic
Distillation: 100% column still
Fermentation: 48 hours
Aged: Bourbon oak barrels from Kentucky
Tasting notes:
Colour: Dark amber
Nose: Dried Fruits, vanilla.
Palate: Vanilla, chocolate, dried fruits. I detected a final flour flavor that was unpleasant for me.
5- St Nicholas Abbey White
Country: Barbados
Made from: Sugar Cane produced in Barbados
Distillation: A combination pot/column hybrid still named Annabelle for a double distillation.
Fermentation: –
Aged: Unaged
Tasting notes:
Colour:White
Nose: Vanilla and tropical fruit (specially banana).
Palate: Sweet and fruity. Vanilla, banana, ripe tropical fruit. Spicy finish.
6- Clarke’s Court Old Grog Rum
Country: Grenada
Made from: 100% molasses
Distillation: Column still
Fermentation: Natural
Aged: Oak barrel
Tasting notes:
Colour: Pale Amber
Nose: Caramel and tropical fruit (specially banana).
Palate: Ripe tropical fruit, spices, caramel. Short finish.
7- English Harbour 3 years
Country: Antigua
Made from: 100% molasses
Distillation: Column still
Fermentation: with bakers yeast
Aged: Jack Daniel’s barrel
Tasting notes:
Colour: Amber
Nose: Smoky and fruity aroma.
Palate: Ripe fruits, cocoa, coffee.
8- Angostura 1919
Country: Trinidad and Tobago
Made from: 100% molasses
Distillation: Column still
Fermentation: 36 hours
Aged: Bourbon oak barrels
Tasting notes:
Colour: Pale Amber
Nose: Vanilla, chocolate.
Palate: Sweet Vainilla,Butterscotch, chocolate.
9- Borgoe 8 years
Country: Suriname
Made from: 100% molasses
Distillation: Column and pot still
Fermentation: –
Aged: American white oak barrels (Bourbon)
Tasting notes:
Colour: Dark Amber
Nose: Raisins, dried fruits, dark cherries.
Palate: Walnuts, dried fruits, raisins. Very light taste.
10- Doorly’s XO
Country: Barbados
Made from: 100% molasses
Distillation: Double distillation in column still
Fermentation: –
Aged: Used bourbon barrels and then finished in Oloroso Sherry barrels.
Tasting notes:
Colour: Amber
Nose: Caramel, tobacco, orange marmalade.
Palate: Caramel, fruits, tobacco, orange peel, dried fruits, spices.
11- El Dorado 15 years
Country: Guyana
Made from: 100% local molasses
Distillation: Wooden Coffey Stills and wooden pot stills
Fermentation: 22-26 hours
Aged: Bourbon oak casks
Tasting notes:
Colour: Dark Amber
Nose: Caramel, coffee, orange, dark chocolate, spices, dried fruits, vanilla.
Palate: Toasted spices, orange, tropical fruits, dark chocolate.
12- Mount Gay Extra Old
Country: Barbados
Made from: 100% molasses
Distillation: Double copper pot stills
Fermentation: –
Aged: American white oak barrels (Kentucky Bourbon)
Tasting notes:
Colour: Dark Amber
Nose: Caramel, spices, ripe fruits.
Palate: Molasses, ripe fruits, raisins, caramel, tobacco.
I missed some rums of the ACR Portfolio like Cockspur, Travellers Five Barrel, Westerhall Vintage, Hampden Gold, Monymusk Plantation Special Reserve Rum and Captain Bligh Rum XO, but I hope I’ll have the chance to taste it on the future.
Talking about the cocktails, Alberto Pizarro makes different versions of the same cocktail with different rums, to observe how each rum works in each recipe and the different nuances of flavor and aroma that brings each of them to the drink.
Cocktails of the session:
-Old Fashioned with Brugal Extraviejo, Rhum Barbancourt Réserve Spéciale, El Dorado 15 years and Mount Gay Extra Old.
-Daiquiri with Ron Barceló Imperial and St Nicholas Abbey White.
-Planter’s Punch with Clarke’s Court Old Grog Rum and English Harbour 3 years.
-Mojito with Clarke’s Court Old Grog Rum and Borgoe 8 years
In one of the breaks, they delighted us with a refreshing and delicious Mount Gay Eclipse with Ginger Ale and a wedge of lime.
I think this is a very interesting initiative to help promote and expand the world of rum and, in turn, for give further information about their product to professionals.
ACR will continue making these formations worldwide, so if you are interested in them you can visit their website to see if there are any training sessions available in your cities.
Now, I can only wait to see if I could do the second part of this certification program and obtain the ACR Official Certification.
This post is also available in: Spanish
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