A damn sight better than most spiced rums ( which I usually loathe). As a spiced rum I can recommend it.
Notes: If nothing else this rum certainly qualifies for the most unusual packages I have ever gotten. It arrived in a large box and upon initial unpacking I had no idea what the hell it was. All I could see was a large pink birdcage with something in it- I wasn’t sure what was actually in the cage, what it was or really what it was about at all. After penetrating the multiple layers of packing a bottle of Pink Pigeon Rum apeared and we set work figuring out what that was.
Pink Pigeon Rum is from Mauritius a small country/island near Reunion Island, 50040 mile east of Madagascar, and not to be confused with Mauritania.
Mauritius was home to the Dodo bird and is still home to a number of endangered species such as the Pink Pigeon after which this rum is named. Made as a single estate rum from a molasses base from sugar cane grown in volcanic soil by the Medine Distillery (founded 1926 and oldest operating distillery in the country) and spiced with Madagascar and Reunion Islands BourbonVanilla (which grows as orchids on both islands – and in the case of Reunion grows in heavily volcanic soil), orange zest from Reunion Island, orchid petals (giving it a gentian and white flowers taste) each ingredient is individually macerated in their rum then blended giving them a much more finer grained control over flavor than throwing them all together and hoping.
Appearance: Light straw/gold On swirling coats the glass with a nice appropriately oily coating which then forms legs and some droplets
First Impression: Delicate, not overdone spicing ( by most spiced rum standards), decent grade of rum used blends nicely with the vanilla, orange and orchid petals give it a nice spice bouquet.
Taste: Shows a delicate balance in minerality and sweetness that give the sugars and spice a structure to hang from and not be overly syrupy
Drinks:Works well in their signature drinks and also works in some citrus rum sour type drinks . Also works well with mulled apple cider,calvados and apple jack drinks either in addition to or to swap out the aforementioned ingredient in a cocktail.
Bottle: Interesting slightly textured opaque black coating to the tall cylindrical bottle with a large sort of coat of arms silkscreened in what on the label.
There is a pink plastic neckring at the shoulder with their motto “Peace,Harmony & Harmony” along with a wax coated ribbon with a small pink pigeon on each end topping a plastic topped natural cork to complete the package.
Overall nicely done and distinct package, easy to spot on a bar or store shelf at a distance.
Other : Higher proof (at 80 or 40%) than a number of spiced rums so you are getting more bang for the buck as it were and you will also use less in a cocktail than some watered down rums out there.
Final Thoughts: Decently made with a distinctive but not overdone spicing which we appreciate given the preponderance of overspiced bitched up rum that is trying to compensate for or hide a poor quality rum.Good quality rum and ingredients were used in the synthesis of a well made product that could serve as a base for a lot of new cocktails. In this case Pink Pigeon rum shows that less can equal more. A delicate expression of a spiced rum,Pink Pigeon whispers rather than shouts.
