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Rum questions/discussions |
General questions or discussions about particular brands should be posted here. |
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10-23-2008, 12:23 PM
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#1
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: East of the Sun; West of the Moon
Posts: 573
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Private / Independent bottlers of rum and profiles:
This sort of came from the recent mention of Cadenhead's Green Label rum, but it's something I've wanted to discuss for some time.
I'm not excessively familiar with Private bottled rum. Most of what I have imbibed was bottled by Cadenhead, Murray McDavid and of course Ferrand's Plantation.
That said, I notice each pretty much avoids color & flavor "additives". It is probably just my own palate / taste, but I find most or rather all of the private bottles I've been through to possess a lot of fruit and other subtler nuances. While some of these nuances are common in distillery bottled rum, they tend to not be as bright or come through as clearly when compared to private bottles.
What I'm curious (hopefully Ed has some opinion on this to offer as well) - would it likely be that I find these rums "fruity" (to keep it simple), because of the lack of additives and other distillery processes? Or do these private selectors each tend to pick fruity barrels for future bottling purposes to begin with? Or is there some other potential common denominator?
Note: I realize this doesn't take into account "finishing" or other regiments the bottler may employ upon acquisition or further maturation etc.
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♫ If *IF* was a fifth, we'd all be drunk! ♫
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10-23-2008, 03:23 PM
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#2
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Senior Member
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: Vieques Island, Puerto Rico
Posts: 1,493
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Great observations and questions Mat. I'm no expert either. I have had the fortune to taste some of these offerings.
I agree with you that the flavor profiles are "brighter" and more "fruity" compared to most of the distillery bottled products. And we know that these "Indie" bottlers are buying and ageing product from the established distillers. So what gives?
One thought I have is that the established brands are all blending at least 2 or more different ages in their premium offerings to achieve a house style. This blending leads to a consistent style, but will also "dumb down" the individual flavor profile of each component.
The "Indies" are hand selecting small lots, sometimes as small as 1 barrel. These are very often Vintage, as in the case of Ferrand and Bristol Spirits. I think this allows the individual flavor profile to show through.
In addition, "additives" such as caramel as well as other proprietary flavorings that many premium rums employ tend to shade the bright fruity aspect that many of the "Indies" display.
Lastly, I believe that most of the "Indie" bottlers tend to filter very lightly or not at all. They may not always look polished in the bottle, but I believe it helps to keep the clarity in the flavor.
Just my 2 cents.
Last edited by Rum Runner; 10-23-2008 at 03:41 PM.
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10-23-2008, 06:29 PM
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#3
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: East of the Sun; West of the Moon
Posts: 573
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Brilliant RR. A lot of my thoughts are with yours.
Still I wonder if we'd come to the conclusion that the addition of coloring / flavoring agents might be the biggest culprit of the distinction.
To give another example, of all the (actually in the grand scheme of things, FEW) private bottles I've tasted, only 1 of the bunch I would describe as somewhat heavy. All the rest were light bright!
Further, it's my thinking that these 3 primary buyers/bottlers that I'm most versed with, didn't all conspire to turn out fruity non-crude oil based rums that taste quite a bit off anything the guestimated distilleries ever offer.
I also realize "different than & unusual" tend to be qualifying points in the private purchasers' interest - so that might play some part here as well.
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♫ If *IF* was a fifth, we'd all be drunk! ♫
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10-23-2008, 11:54 PM
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#4
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Senior Member
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: Vieques Island, Puerto Rico
Posts: 1,493
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I agree that coloring/flavoring agents may not be the biggest culprits. They do however act as "masking" agents as you know.
I like your term "Crude Oil" in describing how some of the more popular premium come across.
I think you are correct that the independent bottlers are not sitting together in a marketing war room figuring out how to make the same product.
So, where is the common bond amongst these rums?
At first I thought it might be the climate they are aged in...Bristol Spirits ages in England..and Murray McDavid in Scotland...But, Ferrand ages in the Caribbean...So that shoots that down.
That would bring me back to the base distillate that the Indie producers are selecting. My guess is that they are selecting an intermediate run as opposed to a light or heavy run as a choice of which to age and bottle.
They may well be "cherry picking" the distilleries lot for these distinctive styles. The UK guys are especially good at this as are the French and the Italians.
Last edited by Rum Runner; 10-24-2008 at 12:58 AM.
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10-24-2008, 01:30 AM
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#5
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Senior Member
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: Costa Mesa, CA
Posts: 1,178
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In the case of the Murray McDavid line, I think that, as you both mentioned, their expertise in selection is beyond compare. Their experience and history with second barrel/cask aging Scotch whiskies gives them an edge this way...they let the barrels do the work. I think that they put away the "bag of tricks" and rely on the drinker to study their product in multiple tastings. When I taste the recent multi-cask/barrel aging of some fine whisky, I am stunned by that "light, bright" subtlety which Matusalem mentions. I second Rum Runner's bewilderment for other lines of specialty rums, though.
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10-28-2008, 10:02 PM
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#6
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Senior Member
Join Date: Apr 2007
Posts: 1,197
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Much of the "magic" in these bottles is a result of the special barrels with unique qualities in which they rest. Since they do not make rum, their expertise is in the maturing of it and the blends. Their creative use of various casks, the blending of these unique marks, and the willingness to experiment outside the bounds of competitors who seek consistency in their approach, is often reflected in their best products. They also are likely to produce duds form time to time, or perhaps quite often.
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