Sibling Rivalry Part 4: Barbancourt

Last of the Sibling Rivalry series.  Originally I intended to simply have the Barbancourt Estate Reserve (15 Years Old) represent the line, but at a recent rum tasting I held for some non-rum drinking friends, the Barbancourt 5 Star (8 Years Old) received very favorable reviews. I figured that earned it the opportunity to battle its way into the World Cup. So here we are… Barbancourt Estate Reserve vs. Barbancourt 5 Star in a pseudo-blind tasting.

I was a bit taken aback by the first smell I noticed from the first glass. It was something I never noticed before the couple of times I had tried Barbancourt.  It wasn’t the grassy kind of smell I expected from a cane juice rum (or rhum), instead it reminded me of tequila, there was an herbal quality to it.  And there was vanilla there too, but that part seemed right.  The taste had more of the earth/grassy quality I was expecting, with vanilla in there as well, which developed some spicy bite toward the end.  It was a very pleasant experience, if a little on the light side.

The second glass had more of that stereotypical caramel smell to it with a good dose of vanilla as well.  The flavor was also deeper and more oaky, with a hint of cooked orange maybe (crepe suzette anyone?) this also gave way to a hotter finish that lingered long after the rum was gone.  In fact, at the risk of being overly crude, even the burp that followed was a deliciously spicy blend oak, orange, and caramel

I had to give the edge to the second glass.  Again, not by much as these are both rums I will definitely keep stocked in my bar, but the fuller body and variety of flavor in the second glass gave it the extra push to win this round.  Based on these observations I guessed that the second glass was the Estate Reserve… and I was right.  As usual, I re-tasted each rum openly to confirm the results, and they held.  Barbancourt Estate Reserve was the winner.

Next up:  Group A Match-Up – Bacardi 8 Años vs. Mocambo 20 Year Art Edition.

Sibling Rivalry Part 3: Flor de Caña

Part 3 of the Sibling Rivalry series leading up to the World Cup brings me to my beloved Flor de Caña.  As a Nicaraguan, this is a line of rum I am very familiar with, and very fond of.  Both the Centenario (12 Years Old) and the Centenario Gold (18 Years Old) qualify for the World Cup, but only one can make it.  So here they are, about to face off for a chance to compete.

The setup should be familiar by now.  Each rum is poured into a glass labeled “A” or “B” on the bottom (where I can’t see it) and I make a note of which is which, then I mix up the glasses (or have someone do it), and I end up with a (sort of) blind tasting. After that, it’s just a matter of tasting and choosing the one I like best.

The first glass opened with a sugary oak smell that then gave way to a fruity sweetness (bananas perhaps) that was a joy take in, and because there was very little alcohol in the aroma, you could actually sit there and sniff for a while. The taste was no less pleasant, building from a caramel start to an almost fiery finish. Of all the handful of rums I have tasted so far in these pre-World Cup match-ups, this is the one I spent the most time on. And will probably have another glass of it in the near future.

Upon tasting the second glass, two things became quite evident: 1) this was the 12 year-old, I recognized it right away; and 2) it was not going to win.  Don’t get me wrong, it was really good. I still love it, and it will remain my drink of choice on those nights when I just want to relax and have a good drink… but its smooth and mellow caramel and butter flavor does not have the strong presence of its older sibling, which I think is necessary to make it stand out against potential competitors in the World Cup.

I turned the glasses over as a mere formality since I had no doubt I was right.  I didn’t even need to do my usual post-revelation tasting to confirm my findings: The winner was Flor de Caña Centenario Gold (18 Years Old).

Next up: Sibling Rivalry Part 4: Barbancourt (last one, I promise)

Sibling Rivalry Part 2: Matusalem

Pretty much the same situation as before with El Dorado: both the Matusalem 15 and the Matusalem 18 fit my criteria for the World Cup, but only one can participate, so this is going to be settled in the tasting ring.  Same setup too: glasses labeled “A” and “B”, different rums poured in each, mix them up, and voila: blind tasting.

The first one had a great opening with strong hints of vanilla and caramel,  a bit dry, but still able to coat the mouth nicely.  There was some hotness in the middle as the alcohol evaporated inside my mouth, but it was all pretty mellow and smooth, with just a bit of spice. The end had what I guess I would describe as a little leather in it, but still with some sweetness, and maybe a bit of butter? Very pleasant.

The second one, was… well… almost the same.  I did detect a bit of a wood flavor (I always think”oak”, but I don’t really know what different woods taste like…) and a stronger leathery feel to it.  It was also a little dryer.  The end had that same buttery taste to it (butterscotch maybe?). The differences were quite subtle, though, it was definitely rum from the same line… and I was at a real loss to figure out which was which.

Again, I gave the advantage to the first one.  I think the second one was just a slight bit dryer and it had more of that wood and leather taste… which I don’t think really added to the experience.  I do have to emphasize that these differences were only found because I was really looking for them… they were hardly there.  If I had to guess, I would say Matusalem 18 was the first one.

I flipped the glasses and Matusalem 15 turned out to be first one.  Wrong again.  Ha, I guess I am really bad at this. Nothing a little practice won’t fix.

I poured about another ounce of each and tasted them again.  To be honest, it was even harder to notice those differences this time around, but a call had been made, and without undisputable evidence to reverse it, the call on the field must stand.  The winner is Matusalem 15.

Next up: Sibling Rivalry Part 3: Flor de Caña

Sibling Rivalry Part 1: El Dorado

There are a handful of rums on the list of competitors for which I did not specify which particular rum in their line I was going to be using in the World Cup.  El Dorado is one of them, and I left that specificity out because I wasn’t sure.  Both El Dorado 12 and El Dorado 15 meet my World Cup requirements (as do some others in their line, but I just stuck to these two) and both get rave reviews.  I have only tried the 15 before and liked it a lot, so I was just going to use that one, but then I saw that one of the local stores carried the 12 for just over $20 so I figured, whet the heck… let them duke it out.  Winner goes to the World Cup.

In an attempt to be somewhat objective in my decision I decided to conduct a semi-blind test.  I labeled two glasses “A” and “B” on the bottom (so I couldn’t see it as I tasted) and poured the 12 in glass “A” and the 15 in glass “B”, then I did a little 3-card Monte action on myself while I watched some of the Heat-Knicks game… and then I went to town on those glasses.

The first one greeted me with a bit of spicy sweetness at first, kinda like ginger ale… real ginger ale though, not that Canada Dry stuff, it was sharp.  Then it went a bit oaky on me, but always with that hint of underlying sweetness, and then it was gone much too soon, leaving smokey sweet spice behind… like barbecue jerky maybe. No? Okay.

The second one started much more subdued.  There was some spice in there and the sweetness was there too, but it was much smoother.  Other flavors popped up here and there, but I had to really pay attention to capture them, they seemed more blended together.  This one ended in a much sweeter note.

I had to give it to the first one, though not by much.  The flavors were there and told you so pretty clearly, but still worked well together.  I felt the second one maybe tried to make too smooth a combo and ended up losing its character. Maybe it was aged too long?  I guessed the second one was the 15.

When I flipped the glasses over I found out I was wrong.  The first one was, in fact, the 15.  Shows how much I know.  I poured another tasting of each and tried them again, this time fully aware of which was which.  My initial impressions were confirmed.  The winner was the El Dorado 15.

Next up: Sibling Rivalry Part 2: Matusalem (I might do it later tonight… if I’m sober still)

I know, I know… when is the World Cup going to actually begin? Next week, I promise.