By
George Brozowski
Okay
so it's time I gave Ford, Kosmos, Zaric, Barnekow
and Roth their just due and NO they are not a law firm although
they sure sound like it. Individually they are high end players
in the spirits biz and collectively they have formed 86.co
and hidden it in Ukiah California. And if you have been following
this column for the past three weeks then you are already
familiar with some of their new product lines; Aylesbury
Duck Vodka, Tequila
Cabeza and Ford's
Gin and this week's Cana Brava Rum.
This
illustrious group has decided that rather than import and
represent someone else's spirits, they would go out and resource
or create brands up to their standards and tastes, and so
far so good. The previous three spirits of theirs we've taste
tested have scored quite well so let's round out their portfolio
with a go at Cana Brava Rum.
I
have to give them credit for their labeling because on all
these products they have utilized every square inch of space
to tell the entire story of each product and I do mean the
entire story. You will not learn any more about any of these
spirits than you can from just reading the label, not even
by visiting their websites. For example let me read you part
of this label; Cana Brava Rum is made from
sugar cane molasses from Herrera, Panama. It is continuously
distilled in a copper and brass still built in 1922 by the
American and Brass Works of Cincinnati and distilled at Las
Cabras by master distiller "Don Pancho", J. Fernandez
who made rum in his native Cuba for more than 35 years before
moving to Panama. It is aged 3 years in a combination of un-charred
American white oak and used Bourbon barrels and blended with
older rums for consistency. It is carbon filtered and recommended
for daiquiris. Honest to God, all that information is on the
label!!! Oh yeah, and it's 86 proof or 43% alcohol by volume.
Believe it or not, there's even more information on the label
so if you want the whole story go out and buy a bottle and
settle in for a nice long read.
Okay,
enough background information, let's get down to brass tacks,
which I am surprised do not come with the bottle. The color
of the rum is a warm off-white undoubtedly caused by the barrel
ageing. The nose is warm with a hint of minerals and butter
and grass with no alcohol vapors and not as sweet as I had
anticipated it might be. The palate is full bodied, smooth
with notes of citrus and vanilla and oak and finally a touch
of that elusive sweetness followed by a pinch of pepper. The
oak is surprisingly subdued and well balanced and not over-oaked.
It is complex without being complicated. The finish is medium
in length leaving behind the taste of sweet oaky citrus. On
the rocks it takes on a more earthy flavor as the sweetness
and citrus notes become very subdued with the oak becoming
more discernible.
I
do believe I have to agree with the copy on the bottle that
states that this rum is recommended for daiquiris as its flavors
do tend to shine through all the other ingredients. I am not
tempted to drink this rum straight up or on the rocks but
in a rum and coke or a daiquiri it is definitely the rum of
choice. You can find Cana Brava Rum for around
$30.00 per 750ml bottle.
For
more Rants & Raves click
here.
www.canabravarum.com/
