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A neat drink from Ray's nephew
© Michael Vaughan 2000
National Post Weekly Wine & Spirits Columnist
National Post • Saturday, July 22, 2000

There is something about the summer that puts me in the mood for rum. Perhaps it was my first sojourn to Europe many decades ago. I fondly remember being able to buy a bottle of “Spanish” rum at a bar in the heart of Sitges for less than what a bottle of Coke would cost – a dollar!

Well how times have changed. I doubt that I would relish the quality of my bargain-priced spirit today. Today I am into “sipping rums” – you know, the kind that do not need any embellishments, not even ice. I remember my conversion, albeit vaguely. It was on April 22, 1978. I was in Kingston Jamaica for the Marley-Tosh “One Love” Peace Concert. We were in a bar just prior to its kick-off. The air was hung-over with smoke; just breathing gave me a new enlightened perspective of the meaning of life.

I order my rum and Coke only to be admonished by the braided barkeep who suggests that I venture forth and try a Wray & Nephew neat. Well, who was I to argue with a man on a mission? As far as I could understand, I was getting a neat drink from Ray’s nephew. I haven’t looked back since.

After regaining consciousness, I discovered that Wray & Nephew was one of Jamaica’s oldest producers of premium rum. These traditional, flavourful, pot stilled, well-aged rums made me an immediate convert. Today, more than two decades later, I can conveniently pick up this rum of distinction from my local LCBO’s store. My favourite of the brands available is Appleton Estate Extra at $29.95 which is well worth the premium. To check out its comparative quality, I organized a comparative blind tasting of 11 rums and it was the hand’s-down winner. With 43% alcohol, Extra is fairly dry and beautifully balanced with slightly honeyed, caramel and macadamia nut flavours with a fine lingering finish. Anyone who thinks that rum is for peons doesn’t have a clue. This one is perfect for the most discerning connoisseur (who might well seek out Appleton’s 12 and 21 year old reserve rums).

At the opposite end of the spectrum, also on the General List, is the fiery Wray & Nephew White Overproof Rum ($29.95) a clear column-stilled white rum with a whopping “guaranteed full strength” of 62.9%. It’s the LCBO’s best-kept secret because, due to its potency, it cannot be advertised! Although just listed in Ontario last year, it has worldwide sales of almost a million cases and now flies off LCBO shelves.

Of course, overproof is the kind of rum that separates the men from the boys - it bristles with its pungent, peppery, cane sugar, grappa-like flavours. While I like it neat, most mortals prefer it cut with fresh tropical fruit juice and lots of ice.  

You might try the traditional “one-two-three-four – sour-sweet-strong-weak” Jamaican rum punch. “One a sour” (one part lime juice). “Two a sweet” (two parts sweet syrup like grenadine). “Three a strong” (three parts overproof). “And four a weak” (four parts water). This will certainly be the hottest thirst quencher during Toronto’s upcoming Caribana festivities.

For the uninitiated, rum is distilled from the fermented juice of sugar cane, molasses and/or other sugar cane by-products. The quality of the sugar cane and its origin influence what the final product tastes like. The yeast type and speed of fermentation are also important. A slower fermentation, traditionally used in Jamaica, produces more pungent, distinctive flavours, while rapid fermentation produces a much lighter, more delicate style. The type of still also affects the rum's style: traditional pot stills leave considerably more flavour than the newer continuous column stills. Even the distillation temperature has an influence - higher temperatures producing lighter more neutral rums. The addition of sweetening or colouring agents, such as caramel, has a major impact on the final taste. Of course the aging process is critical to smoothness and flavour.

Fortunately, many fine rums trickle into Ontario via Vintages. In fact, for the past few months many stellar items have appeared with virtually no fanfare. This month’s release, for instance, saw the appearance of the creamy, sweetish Ron Matusalem Classico Black ($27.95) a fine sipper with delicious crème brûlée flavours and 40% alcohol. Historically, Matusalem was a renowned Cuban producer of fine rums and continues this tradition today in Miami, Florida.

Last month Vintages released the lovely, elegant, dry, Cruzan Proprietor’s Reserve Single Barrel Estate Rum ($39.95) which hails from the Virgin Islands. Less than 30,000 hand-blown bottles are produced annually, each individually numbered. This obviously isn’t the kind of rum you sacrifice to the punch bowl, but rather savour slowly in a large snifter.

Finally, from Martinique there’s the fairly dry, citrusy St. James Extra Old Rhum Agricole ($29.65) with its candied orange peel and peppery vanilla flavours. Made from pure sugar cane, it is a blend of rums all aged in 200-litre oak barrels. Once you start delving into rum, you will soon discover that there’s one for every taste and every mood.