NY Ministry of Rum Festival

[erickaye]

Happy to be the first to post about an absolutely outstanding Rum Festival here in NY. Thankfully, I was able to take copious notes, unfortunately which I'm too inebriated to post right now. I will post a more sober recap in the morning, but there was a splendid array of rums to be tasted. Even at 1/4 shots, you still end up with 15 or so jiggers of rum. Thanks to good old pen and paper. It was wonderful to finally meet Ed as well, and much kudos for putting this together.

Better recap in the AM when I'm more coherent, but without a doubt, my personal grand prize goes to Vizcaya. What a wonderful rum. Reminds me of what Zacapa used to be 10 years ago.... I still can't believe it's an agricole.

More tomrrow.
EK

[RonJames]

Even at 1/4 shots,

I have no idea who was filling your glass my friend...but I actually had to tell quite a few to be easy on me. Thats not something I ever thought I'd be doing.

I finally got to meet Ed, RumBar Philly, and leisure master. We must have crossed paths erick but my head is still pounding so it might be awhile until I remember.

To summarize, this was a blast! And if you have the ability to attend in the future, do. I heard from several that it was even better than last year which is something you like to see happen. I am very, very impressed with Ed and this tasting. Ed was running around MAKING things happen early on, and what impressed me the most was that he MADE time to talk to me. That is very dear to me and I can not begin to describe how much I appreciate it. Kuddo's again and a better posts describing the rums to follow.

[RonJames]

All right, here we go off my rum infused memory of last night...One thing I do remember is that I didn't have a bad rum. Honestly.

Mamajuana-best rum of the show. Odd choice I know but EXTREMELY different. I don't run into too many spiced spanish rums and this one is amazing but strong spice tastes

Brinley-I met Zack Brinley last night and what a treat. I love Brinleys anyway but if ever there was a situation where I would buy the product just because I like the people(person) this is it.

Santa Teresa-greeted me first...with a flight of 6 rums! Ouch.

Smith&Cross-quite possibly the best navy rum I've had

Scarlet Ibis-mellow unasuming entry and then a hard kick

Chairmans Reserve and Admiral Rodney-both good and coming to the states!

Regatta Ginger beer-very smooth and sweet, I have to see if it uses HFCS

Zaya-oh so vanilla-y

Neisson and La favorite-my 1st vieux rhum, very nice.

Brugal-extra viejo, very very approachable

Ron Abuelo-the 7 and 12 years are very spanish island like. Light and refined.

zacapa-was itself, very good

cruzan-I actually didn't try as I'm stocked with everything they had.

El Dorado-oh my god was the 15 good, heavy esthers and banana. 21 was good too.

Vizcaya-a wonderful rum. On of those that transports you to a different time and location mentally. Cloves were in full effect.

Mt Gay-3 cheers for cracking open the 1703, and IT IS worth every penny. It explodes out of the glass with a scent that is fresh and citrus like.

Diplomatico-good sweet and heavy, strong body to go along with the sweet

I know that there are some that I am forgetting and I did not try the cachaca as I've never really developed a taste for it. But wow, great stuff, great time, good people.

[leisure master]

What they said.

It was great to see Ed and Adam again and to finally meet Ron. Sorry we did not cross paths EK - but I am sure we will have other chances in the future.

It was great to sip on old favorites like Zacapa, Zaya, Vizcaya, Mount Gay 1703, Diplimatico R/E and El Dorado 15, but I was really happy to see so many new rums - Smith & Cross, the Abuelo 7 anos and 12 anos, the Hispaniolas and the new Santa Teresas.

Like I said somewhere else - thanks and congratulations Ed on an excellent event that seemed to run flawlessly for the attendees.

[Edward Hamilton]

. . . an excellent event that seemed to run flawlessly for the attendees.
Thanks for the comments, presentation is everything. Thanks to you and the others that made this event seem to run flawlessly.

[lperry]

Many thanks to Ed for organizing such a fun event!

Nobody has mentioned the liqueurs that Santa Teresa offered, so I will. The rhum-based orange is just delicious. I won't drink either Cointreau or Grand Marnier straight, but this one is a lovely sipping liqueur with rich orange flavor and caramel undertones that I can imagine would be perfect on a chilly winter's night. It is beautifully smooth. The coffee was lovely as well.

Mr. lperry liked the Diplomatico better than anything else, and I liked the El Dorado 15. I also will be picking up a bottle of Scarlet Ibis the next chance I get. I think this one will be an excellent mixer. We're still in NY, but when I get home I'll post a picture of our fearless leader at the festival. :cool:

[erickaye]

OK. I've somewhat recovered from last night. An absolutely amazing event, with amazingly friendly and knowledgeable vendors and tasters alike. At $50 this was an absolute steal. You can spend that on 2 cocktails at some bars in NYC. Ed - You are my hero.

Tasting 50+ rums is definitely an endurance test. I found myself skipping many of the whites and flavored rums, solely in an attempt to preserve my palate and sobriety.
Having said that, here are a few of my hits and misses, solely according to my personal tastes. I generally prefer sipping rums to cocktails, and prefer molasses rums to agricoles.

Vizcaya - I can't believe it's an agricole. A wonderfully rich and smooth rum, with none of that agricole bite. Extra points for having the owners of the company, Riccardo and Herman, pouring the rum. At less than $40, it should give El Dorado 15 and Zacapa a solid run for their money. Probably my favorite rum of the evening.

Hispanola Mamajuana - A pleasant surprise. What a beautiful spiced rum. Complex and tasty, with too many different spices to count them all. Unlike anything else at the event. Hard to believe it was 60 proof. Tasted closer to 40 proof. Definitely worth adding this one to the collection. The Hispanola anejo was decent, but nothing special. Reminded me of most of the other Dominican rums. The gran anejo was a step up, but the Mamajuana was the definite winner from Hispanola. I didn't try the white.

Mount Gay 1703- This was a fantastic rum. Since the Tricentennial has become extinct, this is the best Mt Gay has to offer. At $99 a bottle, it's definitely pricey, but well worth it. Wonderfully rich and complex. Oaky spicy goodness. Yum. Up there in that price/quality tier of the Zacapa XO, Appletons 21, and El Dorado 21.

El Dorado - Consistently wonderful. Unfortunately they ran out of the 21 before I could get to it, but the 12 and 15 were as good as they always were. Also tried the El Dorado Rum Cream, which was, not surprisingly, one of the better rum creams out there, if you're in to that sort of thing. At $15 a bottle, it's a no brainer to have in your collection. Ian Lye of Demerara Rum also told us an amusing story about the Chairman of the company not being able to get any of the 25 year. If you've got a bottle of the El Dorado 25, make it last until April. That's when the next batch will be ready...

Zaya - I hadn't realized it became a Trinidadian Angostura rum. Not surprisingly, that's what it tasted like. Similar enough to still be called Zaya, but a much stronger vanilla note, and sweeter than the old as well. Definitely drinkable and enjoyable though. Best to think of it as a new rum with an old name. Had it been called anything else, it would have been a great new discovery. Wonder why they tried to keep the Zaya name, which doesn't have huge name recognition in the first place.

Brugal//Barcelo - These Dominicans have always been very similar to me. The Brugal anejo and extra viejo and the Barcelo anejo all tasted like high quality mixing darks. The Barcelo Imperial was more complex and tastier. Surprisingly, though, they had it sitting in a bowl of ice, which chilled it and took away most of the complexity. When I tasted from an unchilled bottle, it became quite rich and enjoyable.

Abuelo - I'd only had the regular Ron Abuelo before, and it was nice to taste the 7 and 12 anos. A solid Panamanian competitor in the vein of other Spanish rums, similar to the Brugal/Barcelo types.

Cabana Cachaca - Not a huge cachaca fan, and although this was pleasant enough, I don't think it's meant to be drunk straight. It made a wonderful cocktail though, especially with the jalapeno lemon syrup.

Diplomatico - Been a fan of this Venezuelan for a while. The reserva exclusiva may be my favorite Venezuelan rum. More importantly, they had the rare and elusive Rum Blanco on hand. Why is this not yet available in the States? There's nothing quite like it out there, a smooth, sipping, 12 year old white rum. Very happy to see it and taste it once more. I really like this rum.

Zacapa - It's so hard for me to rave about this rum. In the wicker bottle days, this was my favorite rum in the world. It is no longer that rum. It has had two distinct drops in quality since those days. The woman pouring it tried to convince me it's the same rum it has always been, and they changed the label from 23 anos to 23 solera for legal reasons. I asked her how long she'd been working for Zacapa. She answered, "One year". I was also disappointed but not surprised they had no XO on hand. I would give an eyetooth for a case of the old wicker Zacapa....

Santa Teresa 1796 - Another welcome old favorite, holding up well with the other premium sipping rums.

Smith & Cross - A great Jamaican Navy rum. Strong, too. Wish I'd tasted it earlier in the night, since by the end of the night my palate was shot, as was my mind. I do remember enjoying it.
Scarlet Ibis - less memorable than the Smith and Cross.
St. Elizabeth Allspice Dram - Not sure when I would ever drink this rum. Intensely strong allspice flavor, with pepper, clove and cinnamon thrown in to boot. Might be good as a digestive.

Neisson Reserve Speciale - Again, I'm not a huge agricole fan, but I enjoyed this rum. If I were forced to drink French agricoles, this would be the one. The other Neisson agricoles were solid, if that's your thing.

So - So rums.
Cruzan Blackstrap - Going after the Goslings market. Very similar, yet a bit sweeter than Goslings, in my opinion. Needed to try it as a dark and stormy to properly compare. No reason to drink straight.
Cruzan Single Barrel - I'm not sure why this rum gets rave reviews. It's just an average aged rum to me. There are easily a dozen other rums I'd rather drink.

Regatta Ginger beer - Hard to rate a ginger beer along with 50 rums, but it was a relatively simple mixer, with sweet hints of ginger. I tend to prefer my ginger beer with a lot more bite to it. This was on the smoother side.


Some of the misses.
Brinley - The vanilla rum was far too sweet for my tastes. Almost syrupy. The coconut was a little better, but I don't think I'll ever love the flavored rums. The Brinley folk were wonderfully nice. I just wish I liked their rum better.

Tommy Bahama - Trying to give Bacardi a run for their money, complete with marketing swag such as shotglasses and keychains. Wish they spent as much time on developing a complex rum as they do on marketing. It's like my friend who plays a "Bradivarius violin". It's a decent violin, but hard to take seriously with a name like that.

Surprising absences from the party: Appletons, Pampero, Pyrat, Angostura, Flor De Cana, Barbancourt.

The four bottles I'll definitely be adding to the collection are the Vizcaya, Hispaniola Mamajuana, Mt Gay 1703, and the Diplomatico Blanco (if it ever becomes available).

Again, major, major thanks to Ed for putting together an incredible event, from top to bottom. I'm already looking forward to next year!

[Edward Hamilton]

I had a chance to upload pictures of last night's event here on the event page for the New York Ministry of Rum Festival 2009 (http://www.ministryofrum.com/forums/../events/newyork09.php).

If you have more pictures you'd like to add you can email them to me.

[Edoc]

I had a great time last night and enjoyed a lot of terrific rums. It was my first time trying Vizcaya, and I was blown away by this terrific & essential rum. As others mentioned above, the Hispanola Mamajuana rum has a very unique flavor, and I'm excited to track this down and add to my collection. Also, I have to mention the Mount Gay 1703-- at $100 , it's very pricey, but I think the congac-like dryness and its wonderful nose will make it hard for me to pass by if I see it on the shelf. I also enjoyed Santa Teresa's flavored offerings (the orange and the coffee rums-- natch I'm a big fan of their other rums). El Dorado had a 3 yr white rum that I thought was pretty darn good. The Neisson offerings did not impress me, but I enjoyed trying them. And while I'm not a huge fan of cachaca, the Cabana Cachaca was a good offering that I would consider trying again.

[RonJames]

Off of the coment about drinking 50 rums, I forgot to mention that I also found it difficult. I might have to go on the wagon for a couple of nights just to regain my proper non-toxic levels. HMMR

[Sylbaris]

Wow & Wow! This was my very first "organized" Rum Festival tasting after more than 30 years of serious rum consumption. The first kudo must go to Ed's choice of venue. Papillon Bistro & Bar and all its wait staff were superb, and everything coming out of the kitchen was fresh, hot & delectable. I will definitely return there to try some of their drafts. The place reminded me of some of the most popular haunts in Paris' St. Germain district and even at its most crowded was still friendly and navigable.

Now to the rums, I was definitely intimidated by the volume and premium quality of all the selections present, so pacing and appropriate knoshing was in order to extend the palate and the senses for the duration. Having arrived early, I had the opportunity to survey the field and formulate a bit of a battle plan.

It happily started with a Jamaican rum I was totally unfamiliar with but set the tone for the evening, and that was Eric Seed & Scott Krahn of Haus Alpenz's very formidable "Smith & Cross". This was rich and velvety Navy rum of the first order that I can not wait to find a bottle of soon and their punch was the best I tasted all evening.

After this, I became a bit of a humming bird flitting from table to table in search of the room's best nectars. I was encouraged by the beauties at the Zacapa Centenario stand to take a chance. I did and would again. I have a bottle of their fully dressed 23 year old, still unopened after 10 years in my collection, saved for a very rainy day.

Next to them was a most happy find and that was the Mount Gay 1703. I imagined but never really knew that Barbados was harboring such a gem, after having sampled their more commercial stuff for years and only when necessary. If they could lower their price point by a third, they would be challanging many fine cognacs and bourbons for what to drink regularly with that Dominican or Cuban stogie.

Having spent many vacations in DR, I purposely ignored the Abuelo, Ron Barcelo and Brugal, then I got hi-jacked by perhaps the most original appellation of the tasting, Rum Hispaniola's Mamajuana. This is the true "love potion" in a bottle, and I would take this on a date instead of a bottle of wine, if you know where I'm coming from, for you single guys or gigolos who want to kill two birds with one stone. Enough said about that one, other than I will be snatching up a bottle next time I am in Washington Heights to share with my wife, maybe I'll get lucky.

A very interesting entry which did not make the rum menu was Admiral Rodney Extra Old from St. Lucia, a tasty sipper that was worthy of its fancy decanter, and we all know presentation is the icing on the cake particularly when its contents delivers. I took home the empty and can not wait till I can add a full bottle to my collection.

Now to the Agricoles, something that I really know about. I experienced my first Neisson Rhum Ti-Punch at the 1902 Bar in St. Pierre, Martinique in November 1983, a week after the Grenada invasion. It began my love of agricoles and of the island where my all time favorite Rhum was created, namely Rhum Bally. The La Favorite Rhum Vieux was a nice chaser to the Ti-Punch which by the way were very well made thanks to the imported cane juice syrup which should be a staple in any mixologists bar. By the way, Depaz's Rhum Vieux would have been a nice addition to this event, and maybe a little of Clement's Creole Shrubb and where was the ubiquitous St. James?

The next rum is clearly the gold standard, and that is all things El Dorado. My first exposure to Demerara rum was in 1972 with a bottle of Lemon Hart, a true Guyanese Legend. Master Ian Lye is the consummate guide to this extraordinarily refined and consistent rum portfolio. I would take a bottle of the 15 year old into any situation with confidence and pride.

And finally, the Vizcaya VXOP, a truly exceptional rum regardless of its origins and the clear cognac of rums served this evening. However, when I brought home their beautifully empty decanter my wife sniffed the bottle and declared the aroma of its elixir better than cognac...I guess it takes a woman's hormones to know better.

With hardly an exception there is a time and place for nearly everyone of these rums, thus there are no winners or losers, just moments in life memorialized forever in the company of a fine cane spirit. Does it get any better than that?!!!

Well beyond the reason we were all there was all of us sharing the moment and as a consummate network marketer I could not have relished it more. Thank you Ed and everyone I had the pleasure of raising a glass with. I look forward to many more.

[Patapouf]

All I can say is you all seemed to have a great time! Perhaps one of these day I'll make to one of these events.

I'm glad Mamajuana is finally getting the accolades it should be receiving. I've been consuming this elixir for the past 3 or 4 years and, although I make it myself, I find it ranks up there with Legendario Elixir and beats the living day out of any spiced rum I've tasted so far. IMHO.

Cheers!

[Arctic Wolf]

Thanks Sylbaris

That was a very nice posting about the festival. glass.gif

[Patapouf]

Thanks Sylbaris

That was a very nice posting about the festival. glass.gif

I agree!

[Ellis34]

Any word on the location of the next festival? I would really like to go to one of them one day. I just have to figure out how to turn it into a business trip. :)

[Edward Hamilton]

I'm glad everyone enjoyed themselves responsibly and that they were able to try some of my favorite sugar cane spirits.

[Edward Hamilton]

Here is a link to more pictures from New York 2 Night (http://newyork.cities2night.com/GalleryDetail.aspx?galid=25696) by Jennifer Holme.