Nassau, Bahamas Update

[TheRumelier]

Arrived this afternoon and have and have already added some new rums to the collection.
1) Cruzan Gran Reserva 15 Year Old from USVI.(not seen this before)
2) Barton Gold Rum from the Virgin Islands.(bottled in Chicago)
3) Nassau Royale Banana Rum from the Bahamas.
4) Nassau Royale Coconut Rum from the Bahamas.
5) Nassau Royale Pineapple Rum from the Bahamas.

Also paid a quick visit to the Bacardi Store on Bay Street. Word has it the Bacardi distillery has already closed its doors but have contacts trying to sneak me in tomorrow.
Ole Nassau Rums are everywhere as is Bacardi. I'm drinking a Bacardi Gold (from Puerto Rico) and Coke right now. Earlier had a few "Sands Beer", not bad with some grilled conch!!
Saw a big bottle for the famous Nassau Royale Policeman today, hopefully will have space in the suitcase to take one home, as this is a brand that may well disappear.
More updates to come soon.:):)
Cheers

[Rum Runner]

Arrived this afternoon and have and have already added some new rums to the collection.
1) Cruzan Gran Reserva 15 Year Old from USVI.(not seen this before)

Bob. Great to hear you made it and you are not wasting any time! The Cruzan 15 GR is new to me also..What is going on there?

Cheers!

[RonJames]

Ditto on the cruzan gr, i got confused on the Policeman thingy. Is it a rum? Seems like a bad marketing idea, involving rum and police throughout history doesn't lend it's self to a good relationship.

[rumdog007]

glass.gif And I thought I knew of all the Cruzan. I know that we will have to wait for a report of the tasting.

[TheRumelier]

After driving down to the Bacardi Distillery this afternoon I was unable to gain access to the distillery. No visitors are allowed anymore before the final closure in April. I spend about twenty minutes talking to security and management but failed miserably to get in. During this time two rum tanker trucks left the site for the Clifton Pier Transhipment Facility, where the rum is loaded on to ships destined usually to Europe. I also paid a second visit to the Bacardi Store on Bay Street where I picked up a bottle of the famous Nassau Royale Policeman Figure bottle, which is abut two foot talll, that now takes up half my suitcase.
I had a few Bacardi Anejo's (Mexican Version) and some Bacardi Select's this afternoon. We fly to Freeport tomorrow, so hope to pick up some Cubans there.
I will open the Cruzan Gran Reserva when I get home depending on my hosts in Freeport, might have to buy a second bottle as it has my mouth watering!!drooling2.gif

[young0076]

BOB

I am gonna retire from the Marine Corps in April of 2010, I want a job in those islands down there somewhere !!!!!!!! HELP ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !

Glad to hear you made a good trip of it.

Again, thanks for all the good info......I learn from you more and more.



Gary

you rock.gif

[Bluehammer]

I enjoy the Cruzan line quite a bit too. You have a captive audience for any information about this Gran Reserva 15 year old. A quick Google search only reveals you mentioning it. Perhaps Ed might have some insight? Perhaps you can reveal some info on label as to where bottled, location etc.????

Or perhaps you should just enjoy your trip and answer these mundane questions from me when you get home.

[rumdog007]

Or perhaps you should just enjoy your trip and answer these mundane questions from me when you get home.

Mundane? I think not! We want answers, NOW!

[Hank Koestner]

Cruzan GR 15? This is a new one, definetly news to me. Looking forward to more info!

[RobertBurr]

Ian Burrell and I were at the South Beach Food And Wine Festival Friday. We stopped at the Cruzan booth and saw all the products in new bottles. There was a "secret rum" behind the counter which the presenters knew nothing about and the boss was nowhere to be found. We understood that it was a rare aged rum from Cruzan that was being shown only to a select few VIPs. Although I'm sure we qualified for a teaser introduction, without the boss in sight, the airheads in the booth were not about to whip it out. Speculation suggests this was Grand Reserva 15.

[Lew Barrett]

I enjoy SB and it's unique profile. I will be curious to see how the new premium lines up with that.

[TheRumelier]

Hi guys, just got back from Freeport with 11 bottles in my suitcase. The Cruzan Gran Reserva was everywhere in the Bahamas but was in the old bottle, I was thinking maybe it was for the Spanish market, but the label is in English, so who knows. It actually says it is Cask 15 and not 15 years old, which is a trap I'm sure many people have fallen into. I will open it right now Wally so that you don't have to wait much longer. Here is a list of the rums I bought back, some were small sizes so I could sneak them passed Customs!!

Cruzan Gran Reserva Cask 15 from the USVI.
Ron Viejo De Caldas 3 Year Old from Columbia.(US$25)
Ron Vigia Gran Anejo from Cuba.(US$90)
Ron Vigia Gran Reserva 18 Anos from Cuba.(US$120)
Ron Mulata Reserva Real 12 Year Old from Cuba.(US$85)
Nassau Royale Policeman Bottle from the Bahamas.
Nassau Royale Banana Rum from the Bahamas.
Nassau Royale Coconut Rum from the Bahamas.
Nassau Royale Pineapple Rum from the Bahamas.
Ole Nassau Chick Charney Gold Rum from the Bahamas.
Barton Gold Rum from the USVI.
Bacardi Anejo from Mexico.

I would have bought more back but my wife had to smuggle back 3 bottles of White Hennessy for a friend!!
The Cruzan Gran Reserva is certainly different to their other rums. It does have a Latin/Dominican profile to it, but I will do a more indepth review soon, as I have been travelling since 5am and everything is fried includng my taste buds.
I am looking forward to tasting the Cubans, the store I got them from had a great selection. I also found a food store that was selling some rare rums but most were not priced yet, except the Columbian. I have a good friend who now works there so it could be a good source in the future.
Cheers
gzzg

[Rum Runner]

Great haul Bob. Will look forward to your reviews on your site after you've had time to "decompress"!

[Bluehammer]

Sounds like a great haul. I too wait with great anticipation for the Cruzan review. Thanks for keeping us informed!

[RonJames]

Rumelier, you go out with a fishing net where mortals like myself go out with a fishing rod! Great haul, looking forward to the cruzan review as well as the colombian and cubans. Being american I know little about the cubans and the only name that comes to mind is HC. Welcome back.

[Bluehammer]

The Cruzan Gran Reserva is certainly different to their other rums. It does have a Latin/Dominican profile to it, but I will do a more indepth review soon, as I have been travelling since 5am and everything is fried includng my taste buds.

gzzg

I hate to be the one to say this, but it has been a while....ummmm.....this new Cruzan????......ummmm......DID YOU DRINK IT YET!!!!!!!!!!!drooling.gif

[rum bluff]

That was a great haul Bob. It sure makes you feel good when you get home after toting such booty. I'm taking our boat to freeport/ port lucya next week. What stores would you suggest for some unavailable rums in the US such as the Cubans. That's if you left any behind!

Tom

[TheRumelier]

That was a great haul Bob. It sure makes you feel good when you get home after toting such booty. I'm taking our boat to freeport/ port lucya next week. What stores would you suggest for some unavailable rums in the US such as the Cubans. That's if you left any behind!

Tom

Tom,
the Cubans were available at the Liquor store at the Airport and they have a branch in Port Lucaya in the Our Lucaya Hotel. Just across the road from Port Lucaya, I think the store is call Havana or Habana, they also make cigars in this store. Butler's Specialty Food had some good rums, this is downtown, they also own the Irish Pub, Shananigans in Port Lucaya.
There is a store called "The House of Rum" in Port Lucaya that looked promising from the outside, with old Todhunter barrels as a display, but there was no surprises inside, but it made a good photo!
Most of the other liquor stores just sell Bacardi, Ole Nassau and Ricardo.
Bristol Cellars have some Clements.
The Cruzan Gran Reserva was also available eveywhere.
Have a safe trip, and don't drink too many BahamaMamas:)

[TheRumelier]

I hate to be the one to say this, but it has been a while....ummmm.....this new Cruzan????......ummmm......DID YOU DRINK IT YET!!!!!!!!!!!drooling.gif

I have tried it a couple of times and now you have me trying it again for Sunday breakfast!! Luckily some friends are coming down from Freeport soon for a rugby game so I will be ordering some more, along with some other rums I couldn't fit in my small suitcase.
The "Cruzan Gran Reserva Cask 15"
"Cruzan Gran Reserva, one of the World's foremost handcrafted rums, is a blend of oak cask aged rums. Gran Reserva is still made at the original sugar plantation site which has been home to the Cruzan Rum Distillery since 1760."
40% alc/vol
I will try a very quick review, as the beach is calling:-
The rum comes in the standard old Cruzan bottle with the same style oval label. The colour of the rum is pretty much the same as the 5 year old. It has long thin slow legs when swirled in the glass. Initial nose aromas are lots of oak, sugar and coconut with a little alcohol. (my assistant confirmed this, my 10 year daughter!!) It has a sweet almond, coconut taste, fairly smooth with just a little afterburn. It reminded me of the Old Master rums I recently tried from Belize. I don't think it is a go to rum to drink neat. I think it would be better as a mixer, maybe a good one (the next step) I think I will stick to the Single Barrel as my Cruzan of choice, but it still a great addition to the collection and will certainly follow up with Cruzan to see if we can add it to our portfolio.

[Bluehammer]

Thank you!!!!!

[Rum Runner]

The rum comes in the standard old Cruzan bottle with the same style oval label.


Bob, Thanks for the tasting notes on this. I'm wondering if this bottling is a "trial balloon"...or a product that never got off the ground during the succession of ownership changes recently. It's not showing up on the Cruzan website....Or anywhere else for that matter. Showing up in the old bottle is a bit of a head scratcher too.

What's your take?

[TheRumelier]

Jim, I'm not sure, it is certainly an enigma. It was the first rum that caught my attention in all the liquor stores on Bay Street. The only other thing that caught my eye was the amazing bright colours of the Ole Nassau flavoured rums. I will try and contact our Cruzan supplier to find out more and think I should try it as a mixer.
I have a great collection of Cruzan rums, but like Rumdog007 said this is new to me. I will post a photo soon on my website, but it looks just like all their other rums!!

[Hank Koestner]

Thanks for the info! I will check your site for further info on the others. I have been told that a popular drink in the Bahamas is Ole Nassau, ginger ale, and a slice or 2 of cucumber. Have you ever tried it?

[TheRumelier]

Thanbks for the info! I will check your site for further info on the others. I have been told that a popular drink in the Bahamas is Ole Nassau, ginger ale, and a slice or 2 of cucumber. Have you ever tried it?

Bacardi Aсejo (Mexican Version) and Ginger was one of the most popular cocktails when I lived there, but the cucumber addition is a new one to me.
I had several glasses of the BA and Ginger during my short visit. The cheapest was at Seсor Frogs at Nassau Harbour!!!