RumXP Judging Results 2016

The RumXP Judges The RumXP International Rum Expert Tasting Panel convenes once a year to evaluate a wide range of cane spirits from all over the globe. RumXP judges are experienced evaluators of rum spirits from many countries, offering expert guidance in their selections of outstanding rum products.

2016 RumXP Competition Results The RumXP International Rum Expert Tasting Panel is pleased to announce results of the 2016 RumXP International Tasting Competition held at the Miami Rum Renaissance Festival from April 12 to 14, 2016. The event brought together a vast selection of rums from Sweden and Denmark, India, Reunion Island, Madagascar, Puerto Rico, Peru, Barbados, Mexico, Florida, Colorado, Louisiana, Texas, Hawaii, Trinidad, Guyana, Jamaica, Belize, Panama, St. Lucia, Guatemala, Venezuela, Colombia, Antigua, St. Kitts, Haiti, Dominican Republic, The Bahamas and many more rum making countries, as well as Rhums Agricoles from Martinique and Cachaças from Brazil. The distinguished panel of RumXP judges were sequestered for three days of blind tasting sessions carefully organized by the experienced competition staff before being analyzed and compiled by a veteran team of statisticians. In addition to the professional RumXP judges, the Consumer Rum Jury, consisting of serious rum enthusiasts from across America and around the world convened to sample and evaluate many fine rums for their own awards. The results of these two competitions based on the categories and styles of rum are as follows. • White Rum Best In Class: Bayou Silver Gold: Blue Chair Bay, Pito Rico Elite, Don Q Cristal, Ron Cartavio Silver • Premium White Rum Best In Class: Puerto Angel Gold: Caliche, Fwaygo, Plantation 3 Star, Skotlander Rum VI, Koloa White • Gold Rum Best In Class: Siesta Key Gold Gold: Wicked Dolphin, Puerto Angel Amber, Don Q Gold, Koloa Gold • Spiced Rum Best In Class: Siesta Key Spiced Gold: Siesta Key Distillers Solara, Bayou Spiced, Siesta Key Limited Edition Spiced, Koloa Spiced • Flavoured Rum Best In Class: Koloa Coffee Gold: Plantation Stiggin’s Fancy Pineapple Rum, Don Q Pasion, Blue Chair Bay Banana, Koloa Coconut • Overproof Rum Best In Class: Pusser’s Gunpowder Proof Gold: Pito Rico 106, Don Q 151, Gunroom 130 Proof, Skotlander V • Black Rum Best In Class: Wicked Dolphin Black Gold: Koloa Black • Aged Rum Best In Class: Bayou Select Gold: Don Q Anejo, Marauda Steel Pan, Plantation Original Dark, Tiburon • Aged Rum 5-8 Years Best In Class: Ron Duran 7 Gold: Plantation 5, Cartavio 5 • Aged Rum 9-12 Years Best In Class: Yolo Gold Gold: Cartavio Solera 12, Ron Duran 12, Panama Pacific 9 • Aged Rum 15+ Best In Class: Pusser’s 15yr Gold: Panama Pacific 23 • Premium Aged Rum Best In Class: Plantation 20th Anniversary Gold: Plantation Gran Anejo, Santeria Rum, Don Q Gran Anejo, Fwaygo Single Barrel • Vintage Aged Rum Best In Class: Mezan Jamaica 2000 Gold: Plantation Jamaica 2001, Plantation St. Lucia 2004, Mezan Panama 2006, Don Q 2005, Mezan Guyana 2005 • Agricole Unaged Rhum Best In Class: Maison La Mauny Ter Rouj Gold: Trois Rivières Cuvee du Moulin, Isautier Blanc, Maison La Mauny Blanc • Agricole Aged Rhum Best In Class: Trois Rivières VSOP Gold: Isautier Vieux Louis & Charles, Isautier Vieux 7yr, Maison La Mauny XO • Cachaça Unaged Best In Class: Weber Haus Gold: Germana Ultra Premium, Germana Palha, Novo Fogo Silver, Lundu Silver • Cachaça Aged Best In Class: Sebastiana Single barrel Gold: Novo Fogo 2yr Oak, Sebastiana 3yr Double Barrel, Middas Carvalho, Germana Caetano’s

 

RumBro @ Miami Rum Renaissance

Tasting 19 Rums as a Guest Judge for RumXP at the Miami Rum Renaissance Festival

RumXP Judges—- Roll on our chance in SA to Host this kind of event with this kind of experience —–It’s coming to a venue near you !!!!

Hey – I’m a-going to Barbados –   or would love to – Cuba and Caribbean next time.

More than a hundred rums  to get thru in the next 3 days and work at the same time – it’s going to be tough.

 

CHEERS   RumBro

Super Excited

It’s  3am in the morning in Miami and I can’t sleep. Not sure if I can blame jet lag for this one or just that I am super excited about the day ahead. Met with Robert Burr last evening and chatted about our opportunities in the Rum business in South Africa.

His words, “we get so many solicitations every day about Rum and most never develop into anything, but now having met you (that’s me) I know that we are going to have lots of fun playing in South Africa. I am going to introduce you to many great people and icons in our industry. You will be amazed ”

I know that it cost plenty of South African Rands to get me here but just that interaction proves to me that it will be money well spent. I am this morning meeting with the owner of one of the best know Rum Distilleries in the world and a 4th generation Rum producer.

That and an open invitation to the Rum Experts in a suite up stairs in the hotel for a “formal” tasting of Mhoba Rum. Wow !!!

Watch this space.

Now to try and get back to sleep.

CHEERS

RUMBRO

We tasted Mhoba

On Wednesday evening, Frank, Janine, Wendy and I had thepriveledge of tasting the 3 Mhoba Rums.

I think that we were all blown away by the product !  Having tasted other Rums made in South Africa we were all a little apprehensive about the product but were pleasantly surprised.  The Stave Aged, The Chip Aged and then the White Rum were each significantly different. Although the 2 aged products use the same White Rum, their differing aging methods produce some really great results.

I look forward to tasting and comparing the craft Rums in Miami next week to our local offering and will publish a comparison at that time.

Here are 2 pics of Leslie Groves (The Rum dude from Mhoba) and I earlier in the day, trying to do justice to the Rum at Randpark Golf Club.

 

Well thats it for now !! The next posts will be from Miami

CHEERS

RUMDREW

TASTINGS with RUMBRO

Tasting of any drinks or food is a personal thing. What appeals to you may not necessarily appeal to me. I always like to do my tastings with at least one other person, but usually another three or four as I believe that we will then get the real taste and feel for the spirit/wine/beer or pops that we are tasting and not miss out on something that I may not like or that doesn’t appeal to me.
My tasting, as with most South African men started with beer and finding one suitable to my palate. As I grew up it developed into wine and yes I did follow the usual pathway that many if not most of us have done, namely sweetish white wines gradually moving into drier white wines before being able to really enjoy a good red wine.
Gout moved me out of the wine environment and into the whisky one which became a passion for many years culminating in spending time at Bruichladdich Distillery on the island of Islay and learning to make whisky – very particularly Single Malt whiskies. It was a revelation being able to spend quality and very particularly face to face time with an icon of the whisky industry, Jim McEwan at Bruichladdich. His incredible knowledge, enthusiasm and love of whisky is inspiring and I must thank him for teaching us how to properly TASTE whisky as opposed to DRINKING whisky.
I have developed the following “ritual” and scoring system based on many other and far more experienced tasters throughout the world and would like to thank them all for the influence. I try to be as fair as possible to the manufacturer or distributor but with the only proviso that I will always be honest! I am not there to influence the customers or bolster a marketing campaign.  I only hope that when you read my review and do your own tasting that we will have enjoyed a “drink” together.

I always split my tastings into the following categories as this has worked for me and hope it works for you.
PRESENTATION (5 PTS)
I think we all enjoy opening something new and this forms part of the ritual as it is the first impression that we get of the product. I like, where possible, to open the product with the tasters that I am with as they too need to get the first impression. This can also lead to some creative feedback to the marketers of the product. I do not normally keep tabs on what is said of the packaging experience but will always be fair in returning compliments where due but also any negative feedback if necessary. Very often the story on the box, or on the hanging booklet or even the label can guide you into the taste sensation that you are about to experience.
I will also admit here that the price of the particular spirit, if known or if indicated on the packaging, does influence most of us and the more expensive the product, the harder it has to work to achieve the good scores that it is looking for !!!!

LOOK AND FEEL OF THE SPIRIT (5 pts)
It all begins when we open the bottle and pour the drink into the glass. What is the colour like, does it look good to you, how does it feel on the fingertips, when you run it around the glass does it have any legs running down the side, are they thin or quite viscous, is there any sediment in the glass – etc etc
I do usually only pour around a half tot – 10ml – 15ml per tasting. This is after all a tasting not a drunken brawl that we are attending !

NOSE (15pts)
Next up is the nosing. When tasting spirits we need to always remember that it usually upwards of 40% abv. Do not shove your nose into the top of the glass on your first smell as you will get some “alcohol burn” on the sensitive parts of the nose and this could influence your ability to get the full value of the nose. Pass it slowly under the nose a few times gradually bringing the glass closer to your nose. Make notes of what you smell, discuss this with your fellow tasters as they may have smelt something completely different and by you mentioning “spiciness” or “cloves” etc you may well assist in them recognising other smells.

Remember to keep your mouth open a little to allow the aroma to permeate through to the palate. This assists in getting a more “in depth” nosing experience. This is a very important part of the taste experience as we do, believe it or not, taste with our noses more than our mouths ! If necessary go back to the nosing after you have tasted as many times as you like, you may be very surprised at what you smell and taste a second or even third time around. (More on this later)

IN THE MOUTH (50 pts)
This is obviously the biggest category and also therefore the most important. “If you don’t like the taste – you ain’t gonna buy it !!!!”
Therefore this should take up the most of your effort and time. I usually like to nose it again and then pour a little onto the tongue formed into a “spoon”. Breathe in, swill it around your mouth so that it spreads over the front, sides and back of the tongue to ensure that we get all the taste senses involved. Swallow and breathe out. Did you get confirmation of some or all of the smells that you nosed earlier? Did you find any more tastes/smells coming through – discuss with your fellow tasters to see if you missed anything and repeat the process if necessary.
Please don’t finish the whole tasting just yet !
Now add a very small part – even if only a few drops – of clean still water – not municipal water –to the glass. Nose again and taste again !!!!! Amazing hey !
Do all the flavours and the smells complement each other ?

AFTERTASTE OR SWALLOW (15 pts)
This is the warm feeling you get as the spirit flows down your throat. How does it feel as the spirit flows down your throat ? Aftertaste is really important – did you get that little spirit burn as it went down ? If there is any bitterness in the aftertaste, it would always lose a few points from me. A lovely smooth finish with a little alcohol burn is preferable to a harsh biting finish.

FINISH (10 pts)
This is a where it all ends ! Sometimes a spirit is more than the sum of its parts. This is the area where the remembrance of the taste and smell or more rounded – the flavour – is important. This is where the discussion between the tasters all comes together. Do I want another glass? Would I buy this Rum ? Would I be happy to pay the price that they are asking for ? Would I recommend this to a friend ?
The Final Score shall be out of 100 (with my interpretation- not necessarily yours)
0-49 A diabolical spirit ! I don’t know anyone who should be drinking this stuff – use it for tractor fuel !

50 -59 You may drink this stuff but I will not.

60-69 I probably still wouldn’t drink it but if you have to then mix it with your favourite fizzy soft drink

70-79 This is a fair mixing rum. If you serve this to your friends they will probably come back. Good stuff to use in cocktails BRONZE AWARD if we have to !

80-84 You begin to enjoy this spirit neat or on the rocks. Good stuff to use in cocktails SILVER AWARD

85-89 Excellent for sipping and possibly for mixing! GOLD AWARD

90-94 An excellent sipping spirit, share with likeminded friends. DOUBLE GOLD AWARD

95-98 The best you are going to find PLATINUM AWARD

98.5+          Really hope to find this one day in Rum and or Whisky !

We have done 4 of the 5 senses, we have looked at the Rum, we have felt the Rum, we have smelt the Rum and we have tasted the Rum now we only have to hear the Rum

CHEERS

RUMBRO

Information on Rum imports

Some of you reading this blog may consider this information useless but it is very important to us who import Rum into South Africa.
When liaising with Rum providers you are generically talking about importing products that have a proven market in Europe or the USA and because their markets are so huge, our smaller market in South Africa has some challenges.
The first one is that products are sold and paid for either in US Dollars or in Euros. We in South Africa are a disadvantage because of our volatile and depreciating currency. A product sold in the US for as little as $19 would have to retail in SA at about R350 – R400 at current exchange rates and customs and excise duties.
Many Rums around the world are bottled at 40%abv (Alcohol by Volume) and our Liquor Laws require that it be bottled at a minimum of 43%abv.
Hereunder an extract of the Regulations as published in the Government Gazette;19.

Requirements for rum [7 (1) (b); 27 (1) (a)]
(1) Rum shall –

(a) be produced by the distillation of –
(i) fermented sugar cane juice;
(ii) fermented, undiluted sugar cane molasses, or fermented sugar cane molasses, which has been diluted with water; or
(iii) fermented, undiluted sugar cane syrup, which has been produced in the manufacturing of cane sugar, or fermented, with water diluted, sugar cane syrup, which has been produced in the manufacturing of cane sugar, at less than 96 per cent alcohol per volume, irrespective of whether sugar cane leaves or fruit have been added thereto;

(b) have the distinctive taste and aroma which is characteristic of rum and which is clearly distinguishable from that of cane spirit or another class of spirit; and

(c) have an alcohol content of at least 43 percent.

(2) The volatile constituents in rum shall be at least 30 gram per hectolitre absolute alcohol.
(3) The volatile constituents other than water, of rum shall be derived solely from sugar cane.

The other challenge that we face is the requirements as to bottle sizes. Many, if not most, bottles of Rum sold in Europe is sold in 700ml (75cl) bottles. We in South Africa may only sell rum in bottle sizes as specified in the attached document;

I hope that in our Rum Exploring we manage to find sufficient product to give our South African consumer a really fantastic experience of Premium Rum.

CHEERS
Andy