Monday, 29 December 2014

Greetings from Nicaragua: rum Flor de Caňa

I bought the rum Flor de Caňa at the Miami airport, but it is produced in Nicaragua. To make the journey worth it, I chose a more expensive 18 year old bottle. It cost 40 USD, which means I saved about 10 USD when compared to the prices in Czech shops. Not mentioning the added value of knowing, that not a penny went to the Czech Ministry of Finance!  


 So what is Flor de Caňa like?

Honestly, I don’t really know. I opened it all excited, I poured it into a glass and tried to find all the undertones that should be there. Caramel, roasted hazelnuts, oak, vanilla or dark chocolate… All that should be in this rum, but it all came out somewhat hazy. 
I don’t mean that the rum is bad though! It tastes great drinking it in the evening, just sitting on the porch. Compared to other types of rum from this region, it is not as sweet and heavy. Don’t get confused by the bottle – the picture shows new design. You can still find the old design on Czech web sites. 

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Sunday, 14 December 2014

Rum from Trinidad and Tobago

I must admit that I had to have a peak on the map to find out where Trinidad and Tobago is situated. To my surprise, this state is not in Africa but it is an island near Venezuela. It is the country of origin of exceptional rum I would like to recommend:  Kraken Black Spiced Rum.

 In comparison with other kinds of rum that I usually prefer, like SantaTeresa from Venezuela or Zacapa from Guatemala, this rum is much sweeter. Kraken Black Spiced Rum matures for 24 months, a mixture of 11 herbs and spices macerates in the rum for several weeks. The local caramel is added too. It has a coffee like brown colour, taste reminds of molasses, exotic spices, chocolate with a drop of vanilla, finishing with traces of cinnamon and ginger. 

 Kraken Black Spiced Rum will be appreciated by people who prefer sweet kinds of rum to the tough pirate kinds. It might be very popular with women. The price is affordable, which makes it even nicer. In the czech e-shops it can be purchased for 25 USD. And one cherry of information for the end: the design of the bottle is said to be a replica of a Victorian bottle. 

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Sunday, 7 December 2014

Rum from Costa Rica

This year we went for a holiday in Costa Rica, ant besides its renown natural beauty we also planned to check out local rum. The traditional brand, and probably the only one too, is Centenario. (I couldn’t find anything else but I will be happy for any suggestions.) 

 From the Centenario offer we decided to try “young” nine year old rum, which is dark but is used mainly for cocktails. After one rather copious diner, we also treated ourselves to a 25 year old rum of the same brand (Ron Centenario 25 years Gran Reserva), which was a great choice. The rum is produced using the solera system, the taste is slightly sweet, you can taste tropical fruit, vanilla, molasses and tobacco.  


 The thirty year old Ron Centenario Edicion Limitada 30 aňos is even older. 
Ron Centenario Edicion Limitada 30 aňos
We decided that mainly because of the price we will not drag bottles of rum halfway round the world but we will buy them from Czech e-shops. We can certainly recommend the Centenario though. 

 The price was a bit disappointing. A couple of friends sent me messages saying I should bring something nice home with me. Unfortunately, retail prices of rum in Costa Rica are similar to those in Czech Republic. The availability of local produce was a bit problematic too. Restaurants preferred foreign brands (eg. the popular Nicaraguan Flor de Caña, Zacapa, Havana Club).


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Sunday, 30 November 2014

Armagnac Clos Martin XO Folle Blanche

Another little discovery that I somehow managed to forget to mention.  Armagnac Clos Martin XO Folle Blanche is distilled from ripe vines of  Folle Blance, exclusively from the Bas Armagnac appellation.  

 It is interesting, that this was one of the very few varieties that survived the deadly wave of Phylloxera in the 70s of the 19th century. It is now very rare and only grown on a small area in France. 

 Armagnac has a strong fruity character, complemented by light vanilla, dried fruits and tobacco undertones. I personally can taste hazelnuts.  Clos Martin XO Folle Blanche distillate matured for 15 years in oak casks before bottling. 

Clos Martin XO Folle Blanche
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Wednesday, 26 November 2014

The joys of Cognac: Bache Gabrielsen VSOP Fine Cognac

They say Brno is a boring place. Hard to say. This time, Brno pleasantly surprised me. My latest catch for a “quiet evening on the porch” is called Bache Gabrielsen VSOP Fine Cognac.

 Eau-de-vie, distillate used in blending, comes from the regions of Fins Bois and Petite Champagne. It is made solely from the grapes of the Ugni Blanc variety. The blend matured in casks for 7 to 10 years. I was able to get a litre of this in Brno for just 900 CZK (45 USD)!
Bache Gabrielsen VSOP Fine Cognac
Tasting

 Cognac has amber colour. It gives off an aroma of vanilla and wood. Taste is slightly on the sweet side, with fruity undertones.

 Interesting points about Bache Gabrielsen

 Thomas Bache Gabrielsen came to France from Norway at the beginning of the 20th century, to try his luck. He ended up settling down (cherchez la femme) and he joined the company of Peter Anton Rustad.

 The company always had a strong position within the market of the northern countries. During the time of the Spanish flu however, alcohol was banned and could not be sold in shops in Norway. One doctor in the city of Homestrand prescribed three things for the flu – some pills, camphor and a bottle of cognac. This is where the name of the Bach Gabrielsen cognac  “tr kors”, meaning three crosses, comes from, and it used to have three red crosses printed on the label. This trick also helped the export of the cognac from France to Norway. We will never know, whether the remedy really helped the patients though… 
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Sunday, 23 November 2014

Rum from Guatemala: Botran Anějo Reserva

A friend of mine is a good old honest man. He returned my bag with my Botran Anějo Reserva rum, with the fragrant tasty liquid almost at the same level as before. And you can trust me it must have been hard to resist! The rum is exquisite, with caramel, candied fruit, black coffee, cloves and vanilla undertones. 
Botran Anějo Reserva rum
Guatemalan rum produced by the Casa Botran Company are distilled from fermented virgin sugar cane syrup. They use the solera system for maturing the rum in the altitude of 2333 m in white oak casks that used to contain bourbon and sherry.  

 However, the fact that in Miami airport the rum costs 19 dollars, while at home it is sold for 700 CZK (40 USD) leaves a bitter aftertaste. Other than that, I truly recommend it.
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Wednesday, 19 November 2014

New pieces for my collection: cognac Godet 1981 and AE Dor XO Carafe Nolly

After a long time I decided to get a little something for myself, and I bought some new bottles for my collection. The first one is Godet, year 1981. I must say I like these old brands in plain bottles and wooden boxes, without unnecessary decorations and trinkets.  

That’s right; the content of the bottle is as old as I am. One could say we will mature nicely together. But the opposite is true. Cognac does not mature in a glass bottle, it does not develop with time and so the only one changing with time will be me. Truth is I had to reach deep into my wallet this time, but I believe the money is well invested. 



Godet cognac is one of the most defined brands. Grapes come from a single region, a single vineyard and for the whole period of maturing the cognac was barrelled in a single cask. Every cognac is thus specific not only according to the region and vine variety, but according to the year of harvest too. 

The second bottle I bought was AE Dor XO Carafe Nolly Cognac. I took it at a spur of a moment for a good price. I think Flaviar sometimes tries to get rid of unopened bottles that they make up their sets of, and they had this extra bottle left. The only disadvantage is that it has no box. But I can still drink it with friends, right? 

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