Famous Newfoundland Screech Rum/Rhum

[PirateNord]

So I will be travelling to Newfoundland next month. I received a tourist guide courtesy of the Tourist Board of Newfoundland and Labrador and on the back was an ad for this rum. Has anyone had it? Heard of it? I looked at their site...

http://www.screechrum.com/home.asp

[Scottes]

From everything I've heard, it's not on my list of rums to try.

There are a few reviews on the Net that I've run into. Google will bring up some info.

[Edward Hamilton]

Screech is a Jamaican rum bottled in Canada. There are a lot of stories about the origin which make good conversation over a glass of rum.

[Dood]

From everything I've heard, it's not on my list of rums to try.

There are a few reviews on the Net that I've run into. Google will bring up some info.

QFE.

The guys at Liquor Snob (www.liquorsnob.com) panned (http://www.liquorsnob.com/archives/2005/10/newfoundland_screech_rum_review.php) Screech in their review, going so far as to end the review with Kill Us. For the love of all that is holy...kill us.

[Scottes]

ROFL! That's the one I was thinking of!

[Edward Hamilton]

Screech isn't that bad, I wouldn't consider it the best rum in the world that has yet to be discovered but it isn't terrible. Best enjoyed with a lot of ice and something strong like grapefruit juice.

[Rum Runner]

My girlfriend and I spent a few months in Maine last summer and Screech was widely available there..I did try a few bottles...It certainly has an individual and artisanal flavor...A bit rustic around the edges...I agree it's better mixed than sipped...It did well when mixed with parcha and limones juices. It was less than $15 per bottle...So not bad for a unique product in my estimation.

[Count Silvio]

I don't know what the guys who don't like this have been drinking but I actually found it to be quite nice! Probably has the most banana in the nose I've ever encountered in a rum. You can read my opinion here (http://www.refinedvices.com/Famous-Newfoundland-Screech-Rum).

[TheRumelier]

I quite like it aswell. Two of my salesmen come from north of the border, so I have a regular supply now. I usually go on the liquor board control websites before they go home and select something for them to pick up. It has an interesting history and is named after a US officer stationed in New Foundland taking his first swig of the rough tasting rum. The "Sreech" was the piercing howl he made after downing a shot of the rum. It is apparently much smoother now than it was then!!
PS Don't forget to kiss the cod!!

[fon_eti_que]

As a rugged fisherman i must say that the Screech isn't at all bad. After a cold day at sea, it sure is nice to have a few shots, and lie about all the ones you never caught... may it be salmon, cod or women...
Newfoundland has a special place in my heart...

/fon_eti_que

[JMac]

I was wondering when Screech would make it to these pages. Its definitely an acquired taste.

Because of its heavy flavor and dark coloring, standard procedure is to mix it with Coke or something similar.

I have even seen some old timers drink it mixed with hot water...something like a toddy.

[Vanpatt]

I don't know why I've held off so long in trying Canada's most famous rum, but I decided to pick up a bottle today and am pleasantly surprised after hearing and reading so many bad reviews.

Count Silvo's review was excellent, I definitely noticed the banana aroma right away and it has a good caramel and molasses flavour. It reminds me of Pusser's blue label in a way but is definitely a little younger with a little more bite. This rum warms you all over and would be a good friend on a cold night.

I'm enjoying it neat but I think it might be a good compliment to a ginger beer or ginger ale.

[Arctic Wolf]

Its funny how many different stories I've heard as to how this rum got its name. I've heard Rummelier's version but the one that seems to be more realistic is that the rum is named after the sound the sails on the old fishing schooners made as they cut across the cold winter wind in the Newfoundland fishing waters. I've heard the sound and it certainly is a 'screech'. It has been reported that when the first shipment of rum arrived from Jamaica to the port in Newfoundland the sails were echoing this screeching sound right up to the dock. The 'screech rum' was aged but the name stuck amongst the townsfolk and bottlers. Naturally when the officer was offered a sip of the first bottling he imitated the sound of the sails to carry the joke forward. A legendary Rum was born and more than one person has had to try it based upon the name alone.

I suspect the marketing guys keep all the stories alive just to keep the PR going.

As for my impressions of this rum, it tastes like an unrefined Appleton to me. On a cold Canadian night.....
it goes down just nice...with coke.

[Patapouf]

I don't know why but I'd love to try to age this stuff in oak barrels.

I've tasted it, I did enjoy it, but it could use a little more aging for my taste.

[jjwest]

Recently someone brought in a bottle in that had been in the car for a few days during the recent arctic cold snap. Neat, but icy cold, the Screech was good. Smoother than most rums in this lower price range, the flavor had a very slight spicyness - as if someone had taken a spiced rum and blended it with another non-spiced rum, and not so much a burn as a pleasant warmth as it went down.

I have a bottle which I got last year and tried once, thought nothing yea or nea about it, and just didn't get back to it. Thanks to the very chilled re-sampling, I will put it back into rotation and see what I can do with it.

I can't help but think that the name gets in the way of some people enjoying this rum. In a blind tasting of several rums I'd wager it would do better than the many of the scathing reviews would have you believe. Imo, it is worth a try.

[Edward Hamilton]

Icy cold seems to be key here. I always try to encourage people to try things again after they've gotten their initial impression of them. More often than not, my impression of a particular bottling changes over time as I drink the bottle over the a few weeks with friends. Rarely is the first sip confirmed by the last.

[itsme_timd]

I have a friend in NL and when I saw this post I had to ask him about this rum. We were on a video chat and I mentioned that I'd heard of a rum that is a bit of a local treasure. When I mentioned the name he said "Well, I wouldn't call it a local treasure." However he said he's drank plenty and it is quite popular there.

He relayed a story to me of "Screeching" tourists when they come around. Here's what Wikipedia had to say about it.

Screeching someone visiting Newfoundland for the first time is a longtime custom of many older bars in Newfoundland, in which the person is to drink a shot of screech, kiss a codfish on the mouth, and answer the question "Is ye an honourary Newfoundlander?" with the phrase "'deed I is me ol' cock, and long may your big jib draw." After completing these tasks, they receive an official 'Screecher' certificate.

Sounds like fun! JTR.gif