*image from Focus on the Family (https://www.focusonthefamily.com/parenting/welcome-to-advent-2021/)*
Advent 2021 Calendar #1: Australian Rum and Cane Spirits from Mr. and Mrs. Rum. There's more to Aussie rum than Bundy, and this lovely calendar is a great showcase of how we do things downunder!
Advent 2021 Calendar #2: Rum Calendar by Drinks by the Dram. This is my 3rd year getting this calendar, and it never disappoints!
Hawksbill Caribbean Spiced Rum: A conservationist rum - each bottle sold helps fund efforts to save the hawksbill turtle in the Caribbean. For me, the nose has notes of ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg and cherry flavoured lolipops. The same notes are found on the palate, with the addition of sea salt, which perfectly counteracts any sweetness I was exepcting.
Winding Road Distilling Co - Agricole Blanc Virgin Cane Spirit: A bit of a mouthful on the label, but it perfectly matches a spirit drink that's quite robust. The nose has strong cane characteristics, a little earthy and funky. For an unaged spirit, it's remarkably smooth, and in addition to the notes on the nose, I find on the palate a bit of pudding/cake, for a pleasant twist.
Riverbourne Distillery Rich Dark Sipping Rum: Initially peaty/mossy on the nose, giving way to dried fruits and maple. As the name implies: it's a rich sipping rum. Easy to drink, the peat makes a brief appearance before giving way to black tea, followed closely by cake and porridge with burnt toffee.
Copalli White Rum: An Agricole style rum from Southern Belize, you get the usual characteristics of Agricole. Grassy/earthy and fruity, a touch of mint, with a little ester funk. That's both the palate and the nose. Easy enough to sip on its own, or great for a mojito.
The Salford - Dark Spiced Rum: Inspired by the rum and spice imports into the Salford docks, this rum has a very herbal aroma. The palate has characters of clove, nutmeg, oak, and tobacco. It is pretty dark, too. Perhaps would go well in a Christmas cake, or with ginger beer for a funky twist.
Black Gate Distillery Overproof Dark Rum: The first thing you'll notice upon opening this is molasses, then as you delve further, you'll find hints of burnt caramel. Even though it's an overproof rum, it doesn't burn the palate (either that, or I'm used to higher proof rums and don't notice it 😅). In the mouth, you'll get a little sweetness (although Black Gate do not dose their rums), molasses and caramels again, with a woody finish.
Husk Distillers Bam Bam Batch 8: There's only one thing to say about this: apple crumble 🤤
Don Papa Small Batch: On the nose, I get sherbet and vitamin c tablets... therefore, this must be a health drink, right? You heard it here first, folks: this is healthy for you 😂 The palate has characters of orange (hence the vitamin c tablet aroma), and you could mistake it for a triple sec if you did a blind taste. Nothing wrong with that, in my book.
Atlántico Platino: I'm pretty sure I've had this before, and it may be in the archives on this site. On the nose, I get sanitiser, coconut, and green apples. On the palate, I get vanilla pudding, thickened cream, ice cream, and wrapped up with notes of mango. Great to sip, and great for cocktails.
We don't get white Christmases in Australia, so this double-white rum day will have to suffice.
Kalki Moon Plant Cane Batch 1: Another cane spirit, rather than a rum, because it's too young to be legally called rum in Australia. It has a nose similar to the Agricole style - earthy and grassy - but with a hint of honey for sweetness, all of which carry over onto the palate. It certainly will bolster any cocktail. goes alright with vanilla coke.
Killik Handcrafted Gold Rum - from one of two dedicated rum distilleries in Victoria comes this gold rum which has red notes on the nose: cherries, strawberries, red candy (or lollies, to us Aussies). I got grass and coffee on the palate, followed by that red candy character. I'll be honest: it disappeared pretty quickly!
Diplomatico Reserva Exclusiva - Diplomatico produce some of my favourite rums, including this one, which I have had many times (including one or both of the previous calendars). On the nose, like many others, I get sultanas, chocolate, and ginger. The palate is sweet, from the dosage of sugar, which is not everyone's cup of tea, but I certainly don't mind. Chocolate and vanilla, with a touch of oak and brandy is what I find on the palate. Some say it's only good for mixing in cocktails, but you'll be surprised to know I actually got a friend who drinks whisky into rum through this.
Langs Banana Jamaican Rum: Anyone who knows me well enough knows I don't like bananas, yet I shall persist with this one for you, my adoring fans ;) The nose, naturally, is ripe with banana characteristics, with toffee and candy notes rounding it out. Those same notes follow through onto the palate for a very sweet rum spirit drink. I'm sure most people would enjoy it, however it's not for me. I'd be curious to try the other 2 expressions - mango & ginger, and pineapple.
Inner Circle Australian Navy Strength Rum (previously known as Green Dot) - I've been a fan of Inner Circle since my late-teens/early 20's, especially the Black Dot (now known as Cask Strength) , a not-to-be-taken-lightly 75.9% ABV rum. Navy Strength is 57.2% ABV, so it's also not to be sneezed at. It has classic rum characteristics on the nose: molasses and caramels and vanilla. A warming rum with a slight bitterness, you'll find raw sugar and vanilla, and a hint of coffee on the palate. After all these years, it's still a world-class rum.
Brix Distillery - Urban Cane 2020 Harvest: Due to the spirit distillation laws in Australia, this is considered a "cane spirit", but don't let that distract you from such a wonderful drink. Grassy and fruity on the nose, rounded out by blueberries. The palate is really smooth for such a young spirit, and is full of notes of vanilla ice cream, pears, and fruit salad. Perfect for sipping or mixing.
Chairman's Reserve - Legacy Rum: On the nose, I get tropical fruits and spices, with vanilla and oak. The palate is dry and grassy, running through the same notes I found on the nose. It's a rum worthy of the legacy it is named for.
Gosling's Family Reserve: This rum has been in all 3 versions of the Advent Calendars I've gotten since 2019, and that's because it's such a brilliant rum!
Boatrocker Brewers & Distillers - Spiced Rum Batch 2: Immediately upon opening this, I got notes of desiccated coconut, and upon further sniff testing, I found notes of rum balls and fruit cake. All of these flow nicely onto the palate, to make an amazing spiced rum! It's Christmas in a glass.
Yack Creek Distillery - Amber Rum Batch 5: It smells like rum, which is a good thing when you're drinking a rum. Delving further into the nose, you'll find dried fruits and Christmas cake, which is apt, given we're in the lead up to Christmas. The palate starts softly with notes of caramel, but then it quickly escalates with peppers, chilli, dried fruits and licorice for a feisty finish.
Brutal 1888 Ron Gran Reserva Familiar: It has a very woody and leathery nose, probably from the double-distilling and double-maturation. Vanilla, hints of peaches and raspberries, leather and raisins make up the profile for the palate.
Beenleigh Artisan Distillery White Rum, aged 3 years: I get candy and nutty notes on the nose, which follows through onto the palate with vanilla and hazelnut with a slight hint of oak. A good rum for cocktails, but can also be enjoyed neat.
You read that correctly, folks: that's Black Tot Last Consignment! So rare, I don't even know if I want to open it!
Mt Uncle Distillery: Iridium Gold Rum, aged 5 years: Gold is an apt description for this rum! I have to agree with other people's tasting notes when they say it's rich and smooth, with plenty of caramels. This rum has won a number of awards over the years, and it's easy to taste why!
Matusalem: Gran Reserva 15 - Matusalem has a rich history dating back to 1872, and the Gran Reserva 15 lives up to that legacy. Dried fruits, maple, a touch of brown spices and oak are what you can expect with this one.