Tag: – Silver Rum

Roulaison – Clear Rum

From a small craft distiller out of New Orleans, today I’m tasting Roulaison’s flagship clear rum.

Our flagship rum is robust with notes of pineapple and bruised banana as well as a backbone of cinnamon and mint.  It creates a luscious mouth-feel, slightly cooling and subtly sweet with notes of crisp lemongrass and lime. The finish lends subtle hints of spice, smoke, forest and pine.

  • Nation:  Louisiana, USA
  • Color: Crystal Clear
  • Aroma: Overly ripe fruit syrup. Layered and distracting. Was hard to pinpoint anything else and this somewhat annoyed me.
  • Flavor: Thinner mouth feel than the aroma would suggest but still satisfying.
  • Finish: Slight herbal/medicinal finish. Has a slow build to a smoldering heat and enjoyable tingle.
  • Notes: Reminds me somewhat of Rank Wildcat’s Sweet Crude, maybe since they are both small batch, pot-distilled rums. I’d love to put them side by side in a flight. Overall, it’s interesting and leaves you with a captivating and addicting mouth tingle that’s not quite smooth or simple.
  • Rating: B-

Find it Locally:

By the Bottle:

  • Q Liquor
  • Calandro’s Supermarket
  • Martin’s Wine Cellar

By the Glass:

  • Olive or Twist
  • City Pork

I do tastings with a wide mouth rocks glass with a slight taper because I like the way it feels in my hands. I start with 2oz, neat, then add an ice cube to bring out subtler flavors and aromas.

Rank Wildcat – Sweet Crude

The guys at Rank Wildcat Spirits make their Sweet Crude Rum with three basic principles.

  1. No blackstrap molasses. They seek out sources of sugar closer to the beginning of the refinement process. While they don’t use sugar cane juice like true Rhum Agricole, they get pretty close and it’s evident in the final product.
  2. All natural flavor. No added sweeteners, flavors, or colors.
  3. Artisan-crafted. Claiming to be Louisiana’s smallest rum distillery, (a title that may be contested, since a few micro-distillers in New Orleans popped up in the last few years) Rank Wildcat made their own distillation still by hand (named Lulu), which get’s them serious props in my book.
  • Nation: Louisiana, USA
  • Color: Clear
  • Aroma: What I can only assume is sugar cane. It’s grassy without being herby, sweet without being sharp. It’s ripe, thick, rich, and vegetal.
  • Flavor: Smooth and balanced.
  • Finish: Finishes with a quick burst of sugar cane before smoldering away.
  • Notes: Easy to sip on with just an ice cube. Nothing is overwhelming or harsh. It’s balanced, if not a bit mild. I almost don’t want to finish this sentence… because it is really good… but it’s almost boring.
  • Grade: B-

Find it Locally:

By the Bottle:

  • Q Liquor
  • Trader Joe’s
  • Martin’s Wine Cellar
  • Calandro’s Supermarket

By the Glass:

  • Chimes East
  • The Rum House

I do tastings with a wide mouth rocks glass with a slight taper because I like the way it feels in my hands. I start with 2oz, neat, then add an ice cube to bring out subtler flavors and aromas.

Parade – Rum Argenté

Modeled after a Cuban light rum, Parade Argenté is our youngest expression of Alma Plantation & Sugar Mill, filtered five times to create a distinct flavor and honoring the sugar cane from which it was made.

Hailing from Baton Rouge’s own distillery, Cane Land Distilling, comes Parade Rum Argenté. A crystal clear rum, self described as a light mixer with Cuban flair, that I can’t wait to compare to Havana Club 3 Year.

I myself have never been a fan of crystal/silver/white rums, assuming they were basically vodka, so why even bother. It wasn’t until I started down this journey that I realized what a stupid assumption that was. This rum is a simple pleasure, ripe for the sipping. If all clear rums are as good as this, I’ve been stupid to avoid them all these years.

  • Nation:  Louisiana, USA
  • Color:  Crystal Clear
  • Aroma: Starts off heavy with a floral sweetness. Followed by a rich stone fruit and a sharp grassy finish. Something keeps reminding me of Gardenia.
  • Flavor: Subtle and smooth. Balanced. Deep & fruity.
  • Finish: Sultry & enjoyable burn.
  • Notes: Adding ice makes the most intriguing striations in the rum. Utterly beautiful when the light grabs it. Honestly, it’s a joy to drink.
  • Rating: 8/10 B

Find it Locally:

By the Bottle:

  • Reeves Market
  • Bin Q Liquor
  • Calandro’s Supermarket

By the Glass:

  • Pastime
  • Radio Bar
  • City Pork
  • Olive or Twist
  • The Rum House
  • The Bulldog

I do tastings with a wide mouth rocks glass with a slight taper because I like the way it feels in my hands. I start with 2oz, neat, then add an ice cube to bring out subtler flavors and aromas.