Category: Rum

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El Dorado High Ester PM/DHE Rum

This new Demerara rum expression from El Dorado follows a previous “high ester” release a couple years ago that paired Diamond Distillery’s intense Diamond High Ester (DHE) marque with a rare LBI marque. This time they’re pairing DHE with what is probably Diamond’s most famous still, the legendary Port Mourant wooden pot still initially put into service in 1732 (yes, almost 300 years). PM is one of my favorite stills as it produces oily, heavy, and pungent rum that in the best of ways tastes like old leather shoes filled with tobacco. The new expression is aged for 10 years in second fill Bourbon barrels and retails for around $140 for a 750 ml bottle.

Combining PM with the flavorful DHE marque would appear to be a good match so I did some comparisons between the two “high ester” bottles as well as a cask strength single still Port Mourant expression. All of these feature more than ten years of tropical aging, pot still distillation, and a higher ABV, though notably the new PM/DHE is only 51.7% and thus about 5% less potent than the other two.

Tasting these neat, they’re all great and any rum lover would likely enjoy any of them as is. But in comparison I definitely preferred the single still Port Mourant and I also liked the combination of the original LBI/DHE a bit more than the new one.

As we’re want to do, we also tried the PM/DHE in a Mai Tai and this is where a rum like this really shines. It is such a complex set of flavors to savor in the cocktail format, and it really holds up to the dilution to provide a wonderful “rummy” taste that suits the use.

We think that El Dorado is a doing a great job with these expressions geared for rum lovers and collectors, and I feel that the pricing is fair given the rarity of the DHE marque and the high quality of the product. Though I still prefer my PM straight, it’s also lovely when combined with other marques from Diamond’s vast collection of stills.

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Probitas Green Label Rum

Probitas is a blended rum collaboration between Barbados’ Foursquare distillery and Hampden Estate from Jamaica, known as Veritas outside the United States. The expression launched a few years ago as a 47% “white” rum with bolder flavors than your typical light rum. The blend of Coffey still rum from Barbados and a bit of Hampden’s heavy pot still rum means it has a ton of flavor in a daiquiri or other cocktails where you want the rum to be clear or nearly so.

The collaboration now has a second “green label” expression that is going after the dark rum category for use in Painkillers and Planters Punches. The new expression contains caramel coloring which provides color of course but also imparts flavor you’d recognize from many Demerara rums. The green bottle also ups the ABV to a hearty 57%! There’s no “Navy Strength” moniker here but it clearly is playing in the same area. It’s around $35-40 at retail.

This tastes pretty nice neat in a glass, though that caramel does come at you right up front. It works much better in cocktails including a Mai Tai where the higher ABV means you get a ton of flavor even as the drink dilutes. This seems like it would work best in cocktails without a ton of heavy ingredients, as it isn’t quite as funky as something like Smith & Cross Jamaica rum or rich as dark rums like Worthy Park 109 or Pusser’s Gunpowder Proof.

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Happy 20th Anniversary to Forbidden Island

If we’re making a list of the most important tiki bars of the 21st century, Alameda’s Forbidden Island is a sure bet for the top 5. Opening in 2006, the bar set a new standard for the genre by combining the friendly confines of a neighborhood bar along with deep and traditional decor and a focus on craft cocktails. It made an immediate splash and set the template for the next decade of tiki bars.

Owner Michael Thanos at Tiki Central event in 2020

Forbidden Island has had a week of special events this week, and while we didn’t participate in any of the evening events or Sunday’s luau style event, we wanted to make sure to visit sometime this weekend. So Mrs. Mai Tai and I dropped in Saturday afternoon for a drink in between other things. We sat at the bar and enjoyed one of Miami Dave’s original creations called the Disco Ball, juicy, complex, and made with several rums. I tried the Infinite Coastline, a Blue Hawaii riff that now uses Mexican rum and is still fantastic. It was even better with a little pour of The Funk Jamaican rum that I checked off on my latest Kill Devil Club rum list.

Thank you to Michael and all crew members past and present for leading the tiki revival and keeping the flame burning though the rough waters of COVID, changing tastes, and local bureaucracy. Things have changed over the years (I loved the old jukebox), but Forbidden Island is still doing things right. From special events to Tuesday Ohana nights, plus friendly staff and great hospitality, Forbidden Island is one of the greats. Cheers!

Disco Ball and Infinite Coastline
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Denizen 8 Year Jamaican Rum Wanderer Series

Issued as part of Denizen’s new Wanderer Series, this is a Single Origin Jamaican Rum aged for eight years and finished in Port Casks for three months. Issued at 54% ABV, this new premium rum is a limited edition of four different pot/column still rums and does come with a higher cost than Denizen’s standard rum lineup.

The Port Cask is doing some really funky things to this rum, and I didn’t really find it to be particularly representative of a Jamaican rum. The bottle says “single origin” but said origin isn’t really provided. Comparing this to something like Dr. Bird, another Jamaican rum with wine cask aging, I feel like more of the Jamaican notes are lost and are replaced with some industrial solvent notes that reminded me of a Haitian Clairin. I don’t get any of the banana or caramel notes supposedly attributed to this rum in the marketing materials.

I made this in a Mai Tai and while it wasn’t undrinkable, I did find it lacking compared to Denizen’s other rums.

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Hawaiian ʻŌkolehao

Hawaiian ʻŌkolehao is a modern version of Hawai’i’s first distilled spirit, originally distilled from a mash made from Ti roots but these days the product also includes spirits distilled from Hawaiian cane. There are historical references to ʻŌkolehao being referred to as “Hawaiian Moonshine” so Island Distillers of Honolulu are embracing that heritage by offering the product unaged at a robust 100 proof, packaged in a bottle reminiscent of moonshine bottles.

I tasted this product years ago as part of the late Kon-Tiki Oakland’s rum expedition, finding it curious but pleasant and sweet. Since then, I’ve tried a lot more rums made from sugar cane juice and syrup, so I’m more familiar with some of the flavors present here. There are some earthy flavors in Hawaiian ʻŌkolehao, which I assume are attributable to the Ti root components but nonetheless this is a very pleasant sipper that has mild flavors.

Hawaiian ʻŌkolehao works quite nicely in a 1944 Mai Tai, though isn’t quite the flavor bomb you’d get from rums of Jamaica or Martinique. As with the neat pour, it offers some mild flavors that pair well with the rest of the traditional Mai Tai ingredients.

I was able to purchase my bottle directly from Island Distiller’s website, though you can sometimes find it at retail as well, and this is widely available in Hawai’i.

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Fresh Cocktails at Cavaña Near Oracle Park

Our trip to see the Giants play at Oracle Park started early with a visit to nearby Cavaña, a rooftop bar and restaurant that’s across McCovey Cove and part of the LUMA Hotel. The day was cold and breezy so we spent most of our time inside at the bar, but the rooftop views of the ballpark and Mission Bay are spectacular.

Cavaña leans into Central and South American flavors for both the cocktails and their food offerings, so the drinks have Agave spirits, Cane spirits, or Pisco. Many cocktails include floral and herbal elements, such as my Papaya which combined Pisco and Elderflower liqueur. Mrs. Mai Tai was immediately drawn to the coffee-forward Banano that included Santa Teresa rum as well as banana milk. Perhaps the best of the standard menu items was the Guayaba that included tequila, guava, and rose petals. All of these were outstanding and offered unique flavors you don’t experience at most places, and there a number of interesting non-alcoholic options as well.

Guayaba

There’s a very nice spirits list at Cavaña, and I spotted a bottle Rivers Royale rum from Grenda, a potent flavor bomb that’s wild and pungent. Seeing a Caipirinha on the menu, I asked for a spirit sub with the Rivers. The bartender cogently informed me that this was really high proof, which I said was okay, and then when he presented the drink, the bartender chuckled and said “that’ll get the job done.” This was a really good format for this powerful spirit, just enough lime and sugar to support the amazing flavors.

This was our second stellar visit to Cavaña, which is a great option for drinks and food before or after events at Oracle Park or nearby Chase Center. The authentic flavors drive a stellar lineup of offerings that offer something for everyone.

Papaya, Banano, Guayaba, and Caipirinha