5 Quickies From Saturday Night « Scottes’ Rum Pages

5 Quickies From Saturday Night

January 28, 2008 — Scott Steeves

I went out Saturday night with a group of friends, and we broke out some rums….

Thomas Tew, from Newport, Rhode Island
Not a winner. 4 of us all agreed that it was a little off. It did have quite a bit of bourbon tastes, presumably from the barrel, but also something else that was somewhat unpleasant. After many sips and some thoughts, it was decided that this unpleasantness was best described as “apricots gone bad.”

Flor De Cana 18-year-old
Damn fine rum, quite dry, that comes out a bit after resting. Alas, nobody was enamored with this rum. It was good, but not immediately remarkable. I’m not about to write this rum off though, since I feel it needs some resting and some proper exploration.

Havana Club 7-year-old
Very nice, with a great complexity once it rested for a few minutes. There was a slight tinge of something a little weird - not enough to destroy this rum, but it was a taste that was simply out of place. All in all, it was very very good, and would certainly get a spot on my shelf if I could manage to get a bottle.

New Orleans - gold, amber, premium, whatever they call it
This rum was amazing. In it’s burn and harshness. Wow. I seriously think they added stuff to make this taste worse. I am *so* glad that I didn’t buy this one myself.

Santa Teresa Gran Reserva
The winner of the night. Although nobody really approached this as a contest, this rum easily got the most accolades and positive comments. A mix of 2- and 5-year-old rums, this was surprisingly smooth for such a young rum. It had some nice complexity for a young rum, too. It does benefit from a little bit of a rest before drinking, as the initial smells are quite medicinal. But 2 or 3 minutes later and one can find different smells and tastes, a touch of sweetness, and a citrus that I though hinted at apricot. Considering that I paid $18 for this I am quite happy with it.

Posted in All Rum Reviews, Flor De Caña 18-year-old, Havana Club 7-year-old, New Orleans Amber, Santa Teresa Gran Reserva, Thomas Tew.

Adam Says:
January 31, 2008 at 10:04 pm

Very interesting… Thomas Tew and New Orleans are two rums I was anxious to try. Perhaps there is a better New Orleans rum? Does Thomas Tew have more than one brand?

Rumdog007 Says:
February 1, 2008 at 2:52 am

Scott, great article. Please give the New Orleans another try, believe me, it grows on you. When set up with some sweeter, more refined rums, it has the tendency which you described, to be harsh. But, if it’s “first out of the gate”, there is something “old world” and dusty about it. It’s a great complement to certain cockatils. I spent an afternoon at the reopenining of the distillery following it’s closure after Katrina, the process of making this rum is textbook- old school. The people which craft this rum are great, BTW. Another formulation of this rum is on it’s way to shelves. It replaces the current amber.

leisure master Says:
February 5, 2008 at 12:50 pm

Scott - glad to see you back!

I agree with your review of the Thomas Tew. Very disapointing, especially for the price. The New Orleans sounds interesting - I have not tried it. Have you tried Tanduay yet (Phillippines)? Pretty good for the price and good for mixing. Also, have a look at the Neissons - they pretty good but a little pricey.