So many rums, so little time!
If you attend today's wrap-up of 2012 Rum Renaissance at the Deauville Beach Resort, (starting at noon for VIP, 1 p.m. for regular admission). Short Order has you covered. Yesterday we squirmed our way through the many vendors and tasted the finest of the bunch. Here is what you can't miss:
5. Vizcaya
Described as one of the world's "finest sipping rums," Vizcaya leaves nothing to the imagination with its crisp, smooth taste and lip-smacking texture. From the time the sugar cane is harvested to the time it droops into your glass with so much class it's almost arrogant - Vizcaya is a measure of effort and diligence in the craft of rum distilling. Though it is most often enjoyed with just ice, a splash of ginger beer does the rum justice.
4. Diplomatico Ambassador
When it comes to making rums, Diplomatico just has it figured out.
"So much care and love goes into the rum-making process, you can taste it in every sip," said Diplomatico representative Nino Curbelo.
You can especially taste it in the new Ambassador rum, aged in Venezuela for 12 years, culminating with two years in a Pedro Ximenez cask. This cask gives the rum a rich, yet brisk, flavor that is unmistakable. The parent country provides the perfect climate and purest water, ideal for rum crafting.
3. Flip Flop Rum
There is just no better value than the $11.99, 750 ml bottle of Flip Flop Rum. It's known for delivering a $50 taste in a $6.99 package, They aren't going to bore you with details on the distillation process in order to impress you -- they stand behind the taste and nothing else matters.
2. Siesta Key Spiced Rum
Coming off a first-place finish with its silver rum last year, you'd think the folks at Siesta Key Rum would rely on their reputation. No chance, instead they have introduced what may be the tastiest rum in the world from the quaint little barrier island off the coast of Sarasota.
"Our mission is to provide (consumers) with the best quality rum available in America," said founder Troy Roberts. "It's all about taste, and this new spiced rum is the greatest."
This new spiced rum has been the talk of this year's festival. The taste mirrors that of Guyanese rum with its subtle texture, yet shadows Puerto Rican rum with its familiarity.
1. Ron Dos Maderas
Ron Dos Maderas has been helping white guys dance for longer than any rum on this list. Williams & Hamburg has crafted this blend of Guyanese and Barbados rum in Jerez, Spain since 1877.
"There's rum, then there is Dos Maderas," said representative Freddy Diaz. "It's set apart by the taste and pure passion that goes into its production."
The special blend is aged five years in American charred oak barrels, then three years in "palo cortado" barrels to provide its unique, delectable taste. Using sherry made from palomillo grapes and a copper pot still, you'd have to go far and wide to find a finer tasting rum.
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