Cruzan Single Barrel Estate Rum

[Gillman]

I found this in a corner of my bar and thought I'd return to it after an absence of some months just to try something opposite to what I've been discussing which is the blending typically done by rum producers.

This rum is from the U.S. Virgin Islands, and is from a reputed producer. It is from one barrel according to the label, and NAS.

It is very good with light notes of sugar or molasses, a good wood component and a lightly spicy finish.

I would call it relatively neutral in palate and going more for the "golden" style (not rich and rummy in a dark caramel way).

Nice drink but I think blending in the end really does produce the best results whether for Cruzan or any other producer. Also, or what may be saying the same thing, blending permits consistency of taste.

Gary

[Sweetmeats]

I'd still consider it a blend since it only becomes a single barrel for a short amount of time after it has has been blended from many barrels. It is tasty though. The two bottles I had were very consistent.

[Gillman]

I didn't know that, thanks. The actual description is "Single Barrel Estate Rum". Maybe the word estate is intended to refer to a rebarreling process (all the rums are from the same source or "estate").

One other possibility too is that heavy and light rums might be "barreled at birth", which is a kind of pre-blending.

Anyway it's a nice, medium-rich rum with a natural taste. The website mentioned on the label does not appear to be in operation at the moment. Wikipedia states the distillery is now owned by Pernod-Ricard. Also, it states the rum in this brand is 12 years old. Other information given by Wikipedia suggests this distillery follows practices used by some other distillers in the Caribbean I've read about, e.g., minimum 2 years aging, production of a 5 year old dark rum, premium 12, etc.

Gary

[Martian]

I will have to try the single barrel. I like the Cruzan Light over ice with a splash of lime juice.