A lovely dry expression of a flavorful molasses rum.
Notes: Trust the crew from House Spirits (in the land of the serious foodies ) to come up with something completely different. Not content to rest on their laurels with their lovely and iconoclastic Aviation Gin, Medeyoff Vodka, or Krogstad Aquavit, they decided to try their hand at the rum category. This is part of their limited edition series of spirits – spirits that they distill from time to time in even smaller than usual quantities more experimental projects than regular production items.
Appearance: Clear as a bell, light gold in the bottle, nicely thin oily edge line on swirling with mostly droplets and some legs forming.
First Impression: Dry molasses notes with hints of Vietnamese cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg and dried citrus fruit.
Taste: Finally a nicely dry rum !, Far too many use sugar cane honey ( at the high end) molasses (lower end) or even corn syrup ( lowest end) to sweeten a product that should (IMHO) be at least a bit dry to start with…
Hints of leather cinnamon, allspice and dried fruits with a bit of a bite from the alcohol make a a mixer rather than a sipper for most people.
Drinks: A great mixing rum for making a drier cocktail with or one that you do not wish to sweeten more by using a sweet rum. This rum has a great. clear presence that blends nicely with other ingredients. Works well in a fizz or rickey for a bone dry version of each , also nice in a sour.
Bottle: Small (375 ML) clear glass apothecary style bottle with heavy glass bottom with a lab style label that is rather quaint as it is designed to look very much like it the information was typed on a typewriter..Attractive paper neck seal covers a plastic topped plastic cork ( which while it is not so traditional makes up for this by a better seal and no potential for natural cork floaters) , which still gives you that nice cork opening sound when you open it ( O.K. the dogs had the bell, I’ve got the cork sound)
Other: So far we have always liked what House Spirits has done. While they have a wide ( if not overly deep, meaning multiples of the same type) portfolio, they have carried off all of them admirably – a rare feat !
Cigars: A nice Ashton Connecticut shade wrapper Classisc Panatela or Davidoff Anniversario would do nicely sir.
Final Thoughts: A nicely done if somewhat expensive rum. This is somewhat balanced off by the fact that it is a micro distilled, small batch product.
Website: http://housespirits.com/
A fairly straightforward website that is easy to navigate.