Dominic Roskrow - Rum

Australia

HarperCollins Publishers (Australia) Pty. Ltd.

Level 13, 201 Elizabeth Street

Sydney, NSW 2000, Australia

http://www.harpercollins.com.au

Canada

HarperCollins Canada

2 Bloor Street East - 20th Floor

Toronto, ON, M4W, 1A8, Canada

http://www.harpercollins.ca

India

HarperCollins India

A 75, Sector 57

Noida, Uttar Pradesh 201 301, India

http://www.harpercollins.co.in

New Zealand

HarperCollins Publishers (New Zealand) Limited

P.O. Box 1

Auckland, New Zealand

http://www.harpercollins.co.nz

United Kingdom

HarperCollins Publishers Ltd.

1 London Bridge Street

London SE1 9GF

http://www.harpercollins.co.uk

United States

HarperCollins Publishers Inc.

195 Broadway

New York, NY 10007

http://www.harpercollins.com

Dominic Roskrow is an award-winning drinks writer and magazine editor. He specialises in whisky and has written 12 books on the subject. He has edited The Spirits Business, Club Mirror, Pub Business, and Whisky Magazine, writes a spirits column for Drinks International, and has contributed to dozens of newspapers and magazines across the world. He was Fortnum & Mason Drinks Writer of the Year in 2015. His most recent book, Whisky: Japan, was chosen as Britains best spirits book in the Gourmand Food and Drink Awards and is shortlisted for the title of Gourmand Worlds Best Spirit Book.

Dominic is one of only a few people to be chosen as a Keeper of the Quaich for his work on Scotch whisky, and to be appointed a Kentucky Colonel for his promotion of bourbon. Dominic is an avid Leicester City and All Blacks fan, and loves loud heavy rock music.

PRODUCER: Atom Supplies

AREA OF ORIGIN: Tonbridge Wells, England

VARIETY: Spiced rum

ABV: 46.2%

WEBSITE: www.ableforths.com

Ableforths Rumbullion 15 Years Old is one of the most thrilling and outstanding rums on the market, not because it is the very best, or the coolest, or the most popular, or the most fun, but because it contains elements of all those attributes, making it a truly great all-rounder. Rumbullion!s creators have a healthy, irreverent approach to the world of spirits, and theres something very playful about this delicious-tasting rum. It is loaded with Christmas spices, tastes wonderful in a trifle, and as a stand-alone drink, having won the title of the worlds best spiced rum in the past. Packaging-wise, its as cool as rum gets. Like the original, the 15-year-old is a rich blend of vanilla, orange peel and fine spices, but the extra years give it an oaky, rich and more complex flavour. Excellent.

PRODUCER: Bacardi Brown Forman

AREA OF ORIGIN: Puerto Rico

VARIETY: White rum

ABV: 37.5%

WEBSITE: www3.bacardi.com

Familiarity can breed contempt but this rum is a success because of its quality. This is the world famous version of Bacardi, the one seen in tens of thousands of bars, and there are very good reasons for its global success. White rums were considered to be harsh, crude, and unrefined until they were reinvented by the companys founder, Don Facundo, who introduced charcoal filtration to remove the rums impurities, and oak-ageing to smooth the raw edges of the spirit and produce a mellow, clear, white rum. This is a perfectly good rum, but it is deliberately smooth and unchallenging and this might not appeal to serious rum drinkers.

PRODUCER: Takamaka Bay Distillery

AREA OF ORIGIN: La Plaine St Andr, Seychelles

VARIETY:

ABV: 40.0%

WEBSITE: www.takamakarum.com

Takamaka Distillery is the brainchild of brothers Richard and Bernard dOffay who opened the distillery in 2002 on the other side of the world to where the bulk of rum comes from, with the intention of making a genuinely different rum. They make a number of rums but the St Andr 8 Year Old is based on the brothers grandfathers recipe. So is it any good? It sure is, and it has a clutch of awards and medals to prove it. It has been described as the most coveted rum in the Takamaka range, and among its fans are the chaps at online retailer Master of Malt, who were impressed by its creamy mouthfeel, its ginger spiciness and its toasted oak notes. And yes, it is a bit different.

PRODUCER: Foursquare Distillery

AREA OF ORIGIN: St Philip, Barbados

VARIETY: Gold rum

ABV: 40.0%

WEBSITE: www.realmccoyspirits.com

The Real McCoy is named after Bill McCoy, who built his reputation for quality spirits during the Prohibition era, early in the last century. This rum, which is absolutely outstanding, has no added sugars, perfumes or flavourings, and its made with pure spring water and the finest sugarcane. There are three in the range, aged for three, five or 12 years in heavily charred ex-bourbon barrels, and they taste as good as a fine bourbon or single malt whisky. The five year old makes fabulous value for money, and I strongly recommend you mix it with nothing. This is rich in vanilla, caramel and spice, with dried raisins, some treacle and lashings of oaky tannins. It is not sweet and cloying and if whisky is your thing, this rum is well worth exploring. The Real McCoy alright.

PRODUCER: Foursquare Distillery

AREA OF ORIGIN: St Philip, Barbados

VARIETY: Gold rum

ABV: 40.0%

WEBSITE: www.realmccoyspirits.com

The Real McCoy is named after Bill McCoy, who built his reputation for supplying quality spirits to the United States during Prohibition. He would sell unadulterated spirits offshore to customers who included speakeasy owners. Unlike many other unscrupulous suppliers, McCoy never interfered with his spirits and they became known for their superior quality. Visitors to speakeasies would seek them out, asking for the Real McCoy. This rum has no added sugars, perfumes or flavourings, and its made with pure spring water and the finest sugarcane. This rum is matured for 12 years in heavily charred ex-bourbon barrels, and its outstanding: rich in vanilla, caramel and spice, with dried raisins, some treacle and oaky tannins.

PRODUCER: Trois Rivires Distillery

AREA OF ORIGIN: Martinique

VARIETY: White rhum agricole

ABV: 50.0%

WEBSITE: www.plantationtroisrivieres.com

Ah, they were the days. Trois Rivires has roots stretching back to 1660, when Nicolas Fouquet, superintendent of finances under Louis XIV, awarded himself the largest plot of land ever allocated in the Antilles: 2,000 hectares in the south of the island. Some 125 years later rum production started there. Trois Rivires rum was established as an agricole rum in 1940, and although the distillery has moved, it has continued to make a distinctive iconic rhum ever since. This is a stronger version of rhum blanc, and is a great example of a premium white rum. Its sweet and strong but with a pungent thump of a finish. Agricole rhum at its best.