tanstaafl2 Posted December 9, 2016 Share Posted December 9, 2016 32 minutes ago, smokinjoe said: The operative word here is "moment". Of course, we all know this "pass" is doubtful to last all of a week... Ah, sadly so true. Yesterday I picked up a store picked "single barrel" rhum agricole from Clement that finally arrived after months of delay. Unlike the pretty much consistently excellent "Single Cask" bottling, which for the moment still seems to be limited to outside the US and is typically a single barrel of around 9yo bleu canne rum aged primarily in used bourbon barrels and bottled in 500ml size bottles which can't be used in the US. Rumor was that it would come here in a 375ml size at some point. No sign of it yet! The store pick is called the "Cask Collection" and looks to be more of the basic "Select Barrel" which is typically 3+ years. Supposedly only two stores in town got a barrel so not much around. Although 416 bottles seems rather like quite a lot! About 80 gallons? Seems just a bit odd. This is a single barrel and the label suggests it was finished in "New American Oak" rather than specifically a bourbon barrel. The owner wasn't quite sure if this was truly new oak or a used bourbon barrel and whether it had been charred, toasted or sent on its merry way without so much as a scortch mark. It is a 3yo but they were only about a month short of being able to say it was a 4yo and it is bottled a 88.8 proof. A little more would have been nice. Time will tell if it is any good. But hey, at least it's "ultra-rare"! Packaging is much like the Single Cask except it lacks the bleu canne and non filtered designation. However it was cold yesterday when I brought it home and it sure looked non chill filtered to me. Practically a snow globe! It is obviously much lighter in color being less than half the age and without knowing exactly what type of barrel that was used. Tres chic! But calling them both tres vieux rhum agricole seems a bit of a stretch. The store pick doesn't seem very tres to me. It is only just barely vieux! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kpiz Posted December 9, 2016 Share Posted December 9, 2016 3 hours ago, tanstaafl2 said: I thought you might grab some or all of those! Interesting about the 24yo Hampden. Will be curious about the comparison to the younger version and to hear about the other two when you get around to them. For the moment I am going to pass having blown the budget for the umpteenth time on rhum agricole down in the islands. Was hoping to do a tasting of a few of those agricoles yesterday in a special Thursday edition of Wednesday tastings but wasn't able to fit it in. Yes, I couldn't help myself. I know you know how that goes. I'll do the SBS between the two Hampdens soon, and will likely open up the Monymusk and the Worthy Park soon as well, and will write up some notes for them. You're of course welcome to try them if you're curious. 54 minutes ago, tanstaafl2 said: Yesterday I picked up a store picked "single barrel" rhum agricole from Clement that finally arrived after months of delay. Unlike the pretty much consistently excellent "Single Cask" bottling, which for the moment still seems to be limited to outside the US and is typically a single barrel of around 9yo bleu canne rum aged primarily in used bourbon barrels and bottled in 500ml size bottles which can't be used in the US. Rumor was that it would come here in a 375ml size at some point. No sign of it yet! The store pick is called the "Cask Collection" and looks to be more of the basic "Select Barrel" which is typically 3+ years. Supposedly only two stores in town got a barrel so not much around. Although 416 bottles seems rather like quite a lot! About 80 gallons? Seems just a bit odd. Very interested in hearing about that Clement store selection when you get around to tasting it. I'm trying to decide whether I want to get a bottle of K&L's Clement selection, which I'm guessing will have similar specs to the one you picked up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tanstaafl2 Posted December 9, 2016 Share Posted December 9, 2016 Yes, I am particularly curious to try that store select Clement so I may move it up to towards the front of the line even though I have a lot of untried and likely better bottles getting backlogged at the moment. Mostly curiosity just to see how it is as my expectations for something noteworthy are low. I suppose the Select Barrel is the best comparison which is to me more of a mixer than anything. But the "New American Oak" designation for the barrel used has me intrigued. I am hoping the store owner can dig up his details on what exactly that one is! I see the K&L version says the same thing, "New American Oak", with no indication whether that means charred or toasted or what. Also looks to be roughly the same age based on the picture. But they got theirs at a barrel proof of 125 which would have been a nice plus. Perhaps DD can shed some light on if this is a new barrel made the same as for bourbon with a full char that ended up going on vacation in the islands instead. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kpiz Posted December 10, 2016 Share Posted December 10, 2016 3 hours ago, tanstaafl2 said: But they got theirs at a barrel proof of 125 which would have been a nice plus. Perhaps DD can shed some light on if this is a new barrel made the same as for bourbon with a full char that ended up going on vacation in the islands instead. Yes it's interesting that one is cask strength and the other is 88.8 proof - is that a proof they commonly use? Let us know if you get any info from DD about the cask. I'm curious about the size, too, because as you mentioned, it seems like an oddly large number of bottles to come from a single barrel (K&L seems to have gotten ~200 bottles which seems to be too many for a bourbon sized barrel as well...) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kpiz Posted December 11, 2016 Share Posted December 11, 2016 Bought some Foursquare Zinfandel Cask Blend. I hadn't seen it locally until today Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlutz Posted December 11, 2016 Share Posted December 11, 2016 Took home my second rum as part of my new tangent of a hobby. Mount Gay XO on sale at $40.99. Interested to compare it to the Appleton 12 which I like quite well though I still don't get much flavor other than molasses and brown sugar, which is enough to keep me coming back. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sailor22 Posted December 12, 2016 Share Posted December 12, 2016 Quote Yes it's interesting that one is cask strength and the other is 88.8 proof - is that a proof they commonly use? All the euro release single cask Clement seem to have gone to that proof even though some still carry the brut de fut designation. Things like that and the excessive number of bottles from a single barrel and I'm begining to lose faith in Clement as a trusted producer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tanstaafl2 Posted December 12, 2016 Share Posted December 12, 2016 (edited) 1 hour ago, sailor22 said: All the euro release single cask Clement seem to have gone to that proof even though some still carry the brut de fut designation. Things like that and the excessive number of bottles from a single barrel and I'm begining to lose faith in Clement as a trusted producer. I occasionally see slightly different proofs advertised for the Clement Single Cask on different websites but I generally don't know how long they have been available and they almost always are somewhere in the high 80's to low 90's in proof. The three Single Cask barrels I have are all low 90's proof and 2 of the three are the same proof (93.6) but they are also a couple of years old. Perhaps newer ones are now all 88.8 as Steve notes. https://www.planetrum.com/collections/aged-rums/products/clement-single-cask-aged-rum?variant=354926869 The rebadged XO, which used to be the 6yo, was lowered from I think 88 proof to 84 proof. And the original XO in the decanter style bottle was also 88 even. Clement is also almost certainly re-racking older rums (much like Glendronach, and no doubt other whisky producers) so they are not what I would think of as a true single barrel. They say as much on the distillery tour. I would not be surprised if other agricole producers did the same. Edited December 12, 2016 by tanstaafl2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garbanzobean Posted December 21, 2016 Share Posted December 21, 2016 Creative Whisky Company Exclusive Rums Caroni 1999/2016 17 yr. Couldn't help myself, too weird an offering not to pick up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kpiz Posted December 21, 2016 Share Posted December 21, 2016 40 minutes ago, garbanzobean said: Creative Whisky Company Exclusive Rums Caroni 1999/2016 17 yr. Couldn't help myself, too weird an offering not to pick up. I support your decision. Please let us know how it is - I think this bottling showed up in a couple places here recently but I haven't bought one...yet... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tanstaafl2 Posted December 22, 2016 Share Posted December 22, 2016 23 hours ago, garbanzobean said: Creative Whisky Company Exclusive Rums Caroni 1999/2016 17 yr. Couldn't help myself, too weird an offering not to pick up. Would be interesting to know the story on how and where they got it given the rum is older than the company and the distillery closed before the company existed! Many seem to have spent a fair amount of time in T&T before getting moved elsewhere for final aging. Barrels Angostura had been sitting on I suppose when they went into financial meltdown. I suppose a lot of them got sold at that time as a result. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garbanzobean Posted December 22, 2016 Share Posted December 22, 2016 2 hours ago, tanstaafl2 said: Would be interesting to know the story on how and where they got it given the rum is older than the company and the distillery closed before the company existed! Many seem to have spent a fair amount of time in T&T before getting moved elsewhere for final aging. Barrels Angostura had been sitting on I suppose when they went into financial meltdown. I suppose a lot of them got sold at that time as a result. I get the impression CWC buys casks wherever they can get them. If they are good or better, they release them as is. If they aren't, they finish them and then release them as part of the finished lineup. I haven't been too interested in many of the newcomers/also rans in the IB game, but I have to admit their sherried Bowmore is one of the better IBs I've had of late. It's got some Bowmore character, but it's way too funky to end up as an OB. And it's delicious. Exactly what I look for in an IB. That, plus the fact that Caroni is rare around these here parts equals BUY. And my dealer/spirits guy/enabler bought a ton of it after trying it. Actually that's a great note to end on: Impex (CWCs importer) is very generous with tastings and samples, so it is a lot easier to try their stuff before buying than some of the more established IBs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tanstaafl2 Posted December 22, 2016 Share Posted December 22, 2016 Just now, garbanzobean said: I get the impression CWC buys casks wherever they can get them. If they are good or better, they release them as is. If they aren't, they finish them and then release them as part of the finished lineup. I haven't been too interested in many of the newcomers/also rans in the IB game, but I have to admit their sherried Bowmore is one of the better IBs I've had of late. It's got some Bowmore character, but it's way too funky to end up as an OB. And it's delicious. Exactly what I look for in an IB. That, plus the fact that Caroni is rare around these here parts equals BUY. And my dealer/spirits guy/enabler bought a ton of it after trying it. Actually that's a great note to end on: Impex (CWCs importer) is very generous with tastings and samples, so it is a lot easier to try their stuff before buying than some of the more established IBs. I don't doubt they get it when and as they can. What little Caroni I have had was always pretty good so I would probably be buying as well, especially if I had a chance to try it first! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garbanzobean Posted December 22, 2016 Share Posted December 22, 2016 Worst case scenario with Caroni: you end up with normal tasting NCF/CS rum. Best case scenario: Ardbeg of rums. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kpiz Posted December 25, 2016 Share Posted December 25, 2016 Picked up a bottle of the Clement single barrel K&L selection, Plantation OFTD, and a bottle of the new batch of K&L Faultline "Caribbean" rum. Unfortunately I won't be able to open any of them until after ChristmasSent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sailor22 Posted December 26, 2016 Share Posted December 26, 2016 Kill Dvil 12 year Diamond Cask Strength arrived just before Christmas. Hope to get to it in a few days and will post tasting notes when I do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jamie76 Posted December 27, 2016 Share Posted December 27, 2016 10 hours ago, sailor22 said: Kill Dvil 12 year Diamond Cask Strength arrived just before Christmas. Hope to get to it in a few days and will post tasting notes when I do. Interested to get your thoughts on this. Wanting to pull the trigger. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sailor22 Posted December 27, 2016 Share Posted December 27, 2016 Do you know where any are available currently? MoM sold out in a few days. Just over 200 bottles available world wide. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caskstrength Posted December 28, 2016 Share Posted December 28, 2016 (edited) Picked up: - J Bally 12y Agricole - Caroni 17y, distilled 1998 and bottled by La Maison Du Whisky in September 2015 in Scotland Excited! Edited December 28, 2016 by Caskstrength Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tanstaafl2 Posted January 3, 2017 Share Posted January 3, 2017 On 12/28/2016 at 5:25 PM, Caskstrength said: Picked up: - J Bally 12y Agricole - Caroni 17y, distilled 1998 and bottled by La Maison Du Whisky in September 2015 in Scotland Excited! Sounds interesting. Bally's is made by another producer on Martinique as I recall. I think is a St. James distillate so it would be interesting to side by side with as older St. James if you could find it. There is a 12yo St. James in the islands but don't think I have seen it in the US. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kpiz Posted January 4, 2017 Share Posted January 4, 2017 A friend of mine was back home from Virginia over the holidays and brought me a few bottles I can't get here, including the George Bowman rum. I haven't seen too much written about it (besides Harry's notes from his Bowman distillery trip a few years ago) so I'm anxious to try it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tanstaafl2 Posted January 5, 2017 Share Posted January 5, 2017 As I recall that is a sourced and supposedly pot still rum from an unknown Caribbean producer(s). Would be interesting to know who that is. I think I tried it once upon a time but don't really remember it to speak of. http://www.asmithbowman.com/george_bowman.aspx The description makes it sound like it is rebottled and heavily doctored Captain Morgan spiced rum... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DROB Posted January 7, 2017 Share Posted January 7, 2017 Got an RL Seale 10yr for $19.99 at Total Wine thanks to this weeks e-coupon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kpiz Posted January 11, 2017 Share Posted January 11, 2017 On 1/5/2017 at 0:09 PM, tanstaafl2 said: As I recall that is a sourced and supposedly pot still rum from an unknown Caribbean producer(s). Would be interesting to know who that is. I think I tried it once upon a time but don't really remember it to speak of. http://www.asmithbowman.com/george_bowman.aspx The description makes it sound like it is rebottled and heavily doctored Captain Morgan spiced rum... Yep, sounds like a cocktail in a bottle. I haven't opened it quite yet but am planning to soon...although I still haven't opened the K&L Clement single barrel, so who knows. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tanstaafl2 Posted January 12, 2017 Share Posted January 12, 2017 On 1/11/2017 at 11:39 AM, Kpiz said: Yep, sounds like a cocktail in a bottle. I haven't opened it quite yet but am planning to soon...although I still haven't opened the K&L Clement single barrel, so who knows. Well, you need to get right on that Clement bottle! Mostly so that I will know if I need to grab one... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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