April, 2008

Maui Rum

Hawaii’s sugar cane finds a great final destination in bottles of Maui Rums. Haleakala Distillers (www.haleakaladistillers.com or www.mauirum.biz ) hand craft a super lineup of rums. I have tried them all as a judge in competitions, and presented them in tastings as well.

The MAUI PLATINUM RUM is clear with a buttery nose fronting the expected gentle, grassy, sweet notes of the sugar cane. The flavor is closer to a good cachaca than a typical bland rum found here in the USA; sugar and dairy notes combine with herbal and grassy tones. A very good mixer.

The MAUI DARK RUM has a gentle, soft nose of brown sugar and dairy with a lighter cane back note. The taste is of molasses and herbs with a light, dry finish. Very good mixer for Rum & Cola, a Mai Tai or a Painkiller. For you mixologists out there: it makes a great floater on top of that special boat drink.

The MAUI GOLD RUM has an outstanding butter/dairy nose – creamy, rich, smooth, with a slight burnt sugar finish. The color is burnished bronze. The taste is surprisingly subtle yet well-produced. Whiskey notes shine throughout. The aging of this rum is nicely done. It is enjoyable with a bit of ice, or also with soda/tonic water (your choice). It is an excellent mixer, but don’t hide this rum under a frozen drink – it’s too good!!!!!

The MAUI GOLD RESERVE elevates the Gold Rum to higher sophistication with a more mature, complex nose and palate. The whiskey notes shine through but do not overwhelm. I prefer it with a touch of water or a chip of ice – the complexity really comes out that way. On a hot day, two ice cubes and a splash of soda water makes a superb ending to the day.

BRADDAH KIMO’S DA BOMB 155 PROOF EXTREME RUM I cannot say enough good things about this rum, starting with the name and ending with the quality. Normally, I am not a huge fan of overproof rums. This rum shows that you can invest effort into quality products regardless of category, with real success. This rum is truly ‘Da Bomb’, at 155 proof. The nose? Superb for an overproof: amazingly gentle, with spun sugar, caramel and buttery notes. The taste? WOW!!!! You get a flavor glimpse of the nose notes before a warm vaporous explosion fills your mouth and finishes still warm with a bit of toasted sugar. It’s a ride, folks. Not medicinal or industrial like so many overproofs, this rum is what Caribbean expats miss about their home island when they drink rum somewhere else. This is a mixer that obviously must be respected due to its proof, yet adds quality and desirable flavor to the boat drink of your choice and not just a ‘kick’. No wonder that the 2007 American Distillers Institute awarded a Gold Medal in its Rum Competition for this spirit. Congrats, Braddah Kimo!