Today is the start of a new segment on the fussy one!  I am fortunate enough to go to so many industry events these days, in particular product tastings, that I thought it was time I talked about some of them in more detail.

In true SJ fashion, I will focus mainly on the products I enjoy, (seeing as I prefer the ‘if you dont have anything nice to say, don’t say it at all’ stand point in my reviewing process) but I will also talk about products I personally wouldn’t drink but I think are worth mentioning.

CALICHE RUM 

This first shout out is for Caliche Rum who had a private tasting last week for bloggers and industry professionals at Cana Rum Bar. After hours of traffic getting to downtown for 7pm, I arrived late armed only with my iphone (with just enough battery for these handful of pictures) so I apologize fo the lack of footage from the night.

Cana Rum bar is a great space, which I will go in to detail at another date, but for those who don’t know it operates on a guest list/membership system ($20 annual fee, so not crazy exclusive!) but once inside it has a cosy but dark cuban rum bar feel to it which I really like. It was a certainly fitting venue for the rum tasting.

The Product

First off, I love Rum. I typically reach for an obviously aged rum like Zacapa or Appleton Reserve but Caliche Rum is a white rum.  I don’t usually like white rums because I find them too harsh, white rums are not usually aged. Caliche is different in this respect, as it has FOUR different aged rums in it, it is then distilled 5 times to remove its color, but maintains a lot of the aged flavor as well. Solera rum (aged up to 30yrs) is later added which brings a tint of gold back to the color of the rum, but it is still technically a white rum.

Whats in a logo? Or a Name?

They gave out hats at the event with the brands logo surrounding the band. I was curious about the origins when I saw it, because it looked to me, almost gaelic in appearance. I had one of the brand reps send me a little information as to where it comes from and this is what they said:

“The logo symbolizes the spirit of discovery that led to the creation of this Brand and the two forces that joined in the process. The logo is divided into 4 parts, showing the four cardinal directions: North, South, East and West; elements that are critical in the process of navigation and discovery.  The body is a mythological creature half dragon, half snake. The snake represents rebirth and creativity. The dragon is associated with wisdom and magical powers similar to those employed in the making of fine aged rum. The mythological creature wraps itself around the compass of discovery creating unity between these two elements.  The two sides of one coin.”

It always astounds me how much thought goes in to a logo/symbol and this was quite an interesting creation.  The joining forces they talk of, I believe is referring to the collaboration between, sixth-generation rum maker, Roberto Serrallés, and Rande Gerber who are the creators of Caliche Rum. The product is made by Destilería Serrallés, who are the manufacturers of the all too famous DonQ Rum.

Another interesting fact: The name Caliche comes from a type of limestone that cements other materials together including gravel, sand, clay and silt. Caliche is found worldwide, particularly around Destilería Serrallés in Ponce, Puerto Rico (where the rum is made). This particular name was chosen because caliche is considered a foundation for bringing elements together, in the same way that the Caliche Rum brand brought together the two men (Gerber and Serralles) who shared a passion for crafting a super-premium white rum.

Tasting

Michel Dozois creator of Névé Luxury Ice, was pouring up speciality drinks for us to try and playing with the Caliche in a variety of options.

The first drink I tried was Michel’s take on a New Orleans Sour, which he finished with a spritz of 151 and Angostura bitters.

I always enjoy a good sour and this rum worked perfectly in it.

The second drink I tried was more of a refreshing citric mint style drink, it was a little sweeter and the citrus worked really nicely with this rum.

When tasting the rum on its own I found it to be very light in taste which meant it mixed well in pretty much everything from a Rum Sour to a simple Rum and coke.  I felt it had a youngness in its flavor profile (despite its aging) and a slight burn at the finish when drunk neat, but adding it to the drinks or even adding a little ice and lime seemed to ease the slight burn and made it really enjoyable.

There is definitely some age to it somewhere in there though which you can taste in the subtle vanilla notes and just a hint of oak.

All in all it’s a pretty decent product and definitely one of the better white rums i’ve tasted recently.  If you want to try something new in the rum department, why not give this one a try.