Kristian

Since I usually catch up with this forum at my workplace, I cannot enjoy rum while writing this...

Rather late, but I hope you accept my congrats as well! Happy birthday, Ed!

Dan, I have yet to open that bottle. I was going to, last weekend, but I got the flu and did not want to waste the good stuff to my numb taste buds... BTW: We actually took a limousine to get to the Martin's from the centre. It was quite cool, I have to say... (and made for a good story when we got back to Finland... )

Topic discussed in this thread. I found Martin's Winecellar to be of great quality.

Finally, someone not from Finland (I assume?) who knows about licorice ice cream!

Wilfrid, did you manage to re-liquidify your cooked blood? My reason tells me that once the blood's structure has been destroyed by cooking it, it should not be possible to restore it in any fashion... But what do I know?

In view of the above replies I think I'll have to keep from voicing a definite answer until I've opened my bottle of Cruzan Single Barrel (it's been waiting for that right occasion for nearly six months now). Given my understandably limited experience (should I mention that I'm from Finland, again?) of quality rums, my present favourites are Ron Matusalem Gran Reserva, followed by Kaniche Guadeloupe...

As far as Finnish blood pancakes, pudding and sausages are concerned, I fear that pre-cooked blood will not work unless you can actually liquidize it. It is essential that all the flour etc. is mixed in the blood and I cannot really see them mixing into blood jello that easily.. As far as getting fresh blood goes, aren't there any butcher shops near NY that one could order it from? Should not be that hard... I don't know how blood clotting is prevented in blood that is meant to be eaten... I'll try to find out...

Again, wonderful words, Ed! I'm beginning to regret that I haven't ordered your books yet! (I've only read and enjoyed your online material thus far) I'll get slightly off-tangent below, bringing in some other perspective (people who do not yet know rum) to what you stated above and elsewhere... On the other hand, it takes time for a reviewer to gain wide enough respect to be able to be 'completely' honest. Others have to rely on hiding their real opinions 'between the lines' and that makes it difficult for someone new to get into the world of quality spirits since they cannot readily find out what's good and what's bad. Accordingly, you said: Personal taste is the ultimate judge - there's no doubt about that. However, certain quality criteria (not in taste, but in production methods) that every distiller/marketer followed would make it easier for new people to understand what they are tasting and what the possible variations are. Presently, people often mistakenly believe Bacardi or Captain Morgan is what rum actually is and never learn that there is better stuff out there. You state that you feel that people drink what they are used to or what's available to them. I think that with the open market economy, fashion and the internet that's quickly changing. Whiskey and Cognac are far more widespread than they used to be (outside their production areas) and Rum is spreading all over the world as well. They are becoming universal spirits in a way that cancels out the old effects of local production (in my opinion). BTW: the quote you give describes many Finns who enjoy Koskenkorva and other harsh spirits. And I assume it also goes for those who drink tequila. Tastes really differ... To continue with a quote from Ed from the locked topic: I agree that this works well with those people who already know and enjoy rums, since they will take part in this kind of discussion boards, read lots of material and generally be interested in what they drink. But the current situation in which Bacardi or Captain Morgan are the first rums that many taste, and even then only in drinks, they are not likely to develop sufficient interest in most consumers. People who are eager to learn everything they can about what they drink or eat are still quite rare. It is still the general media and the reviewers alongside with the producers and marketers who hold the best hand when it comes to inviting new people to enjoy rums. The 'mistakes' and decisions that they make (false advertising or please-read-me-between-the-lines reviews) are likely to skew the public opinion and the image of rum in general. In my opinion we need more honest reviewers who actually say it when some rum is not up to par. That is the only way to make the producers see that the public wants to be treated fairly. As it currently lies, I've seen some producers happily quoting reviews that, if read between the lines as they were probably supposed to by the reviewer, aren't that complimentary at all. This means that they have failed to notice that they own product is not that good and are probably less inclined to further develop it. You also happen to be the only rum reviewer whose opinions I have learned to trust. Not that we have any in Finland to begin with, but I have read many reviews on the internet over the past years that repeat the marketing speeches of the producers or otherwise keep their personal preferences hidden behind wordy descriptions. Many sources even fail to differentiate good rums from the bad ones (look at the score Negrita received at tastings.com). Your reviews are, on the other hand, very honest in their approach and you have clearly told your readers where your preferences lie, so that it is easier for readers to interpret your words and trust your reviews. Uh, I hope I made some sense up there, amongst all the babbling...

To those who haven't yet found the other thread in which this topic was conceived: See the Westerhall topic on this same forum, here.

Just to clarify my own position in this: I feel that this kind of control or certificate system should originate mainly from the producers themselves, not the government of some other country. If the rum producers had a shared general criteria for their rums, stating, for example, the meaning of the terms I mentioned above, they could then further develop it to their own needs - provided that they still followed the general criteria... Perhaps the producers will come up with such a criteria spontaneously, once they realise that they have to do something to enhance the reputation and believability of their own quality products amongst their customers...

Thanks for the great post, Ed! Very informative! Just one thing I'd like to add to: I also wonder if one should be careful with such reviews which never say anything bad about any rums. I've read reviews that describe even the mediocre rums with words that should be reserved for the best. The reason for this may be that the seemingly independent reviewers write their reviews for papers/publications that have to maintain good relations with those who pay for the advertisements in those papers. This is actually one of the first things you learn to pay attention to if you do critical media analysis. There are numerous cases in which reporters have had to change their articles because the paper has been afraid of losing their advertisers, and even more cases in which the article has been buried altogether.

I agree with you, Ed. You have to be a critical reader when you read about rums and their production and, especially, you have to know how to read between the lines. The regulations are made to be broken and most bottlers/distillers do everything they can to make their product sound better than it is. It's all about the image. BTW: I'd also be interested in a source for true information on rums. If one of your books has that, you've got yourself a new reader here!

The ATF probably do not have the resources to go around and check these things to such a detail. They'll be satisfied that the alcohol percent is down to what it has to be and the bottle contains what it is supposed to, to a certain extent... To correct the situation, there should be a kind of control system in the field of all rum production (not just French), a kind of certificate that the distilleries receive after they have passed an examination. At the same time terms, such as 'premium' and 'super premium', should be standardised... Who wants the job?

That I do. In fact, I'll watch it again as soon as I get a chance!

I don't think the retailer (to whom my hunting trip is directed at) carries the Anejo, so I'll settle on buying as many bottles of HC7 as I can legally get over the border... (unless they carry some other nice brand, as well...) BTW: My reference above to HC5 should have been HC3, of course...

I'm going to try to hunt down HC7 in the near future. Any opinions if I should spend some money on HC5 also? Are they both good or should I just rely on the older version?

Are there any editing decision that you would have done differently if you had been in charge of the project? As I said above, I'd like to have seen a bit more emphasis put on the aged rums and their enjoyment as compared to drinks and their mixing...

This happens in Finland also. Our tap water is great compared to some countries', but for some reason there are people who buy it bottled, perhaps under the impression that it is healthier (you often see health fanatics with bottled water, which I take as a sign that they, as a group, are easily tricked into any new trend, as long as it's called healthy... ). And, as Macrosan points out above, it's a question of prestige and/or snobbishness for some...

Kit and Saffy: Is there some reason why you do not enjoy rums in any other form than in cakes?

I usually enjoy my rum neat and sip it up lazily during weekend nights. However, since I sometimes like to experiment with poorer quality rums either out of my own choice or that of others, I also end up trying either various drinks or using the rum in the kitchen (well, it's my fiance, who does the kitchen stuff). But mostly, I want to experience the stuff neat.

In Finland, Gran Reserva is about 35 euros and it hurts my wallet every time I buy it, but what can I do?

I think I actually saw this document in the Finnish TV only two weeks ago! It was in a Swedish documentary series (three-parter), called "Three noble spirits" (translation mine). I was elated to notice that rum had been included and had received a place amongst the three top spirits... It was a good documentary, even though I was a bit taken back by the fact that they had a chart in there about the different distillation procedures etc. only in Swedish.... The Finnish TV network had not bothered to translate it... One thing that could have benefited from some further work was the ending of the document. The last few minutes were dedicated to various drinks (mojitos etc.). I would have preferred to have them handled in short order somewhere in the middle of the document and have the ending deal with real rum connoisseurs. But that's only my preference... I kept my eyes sharp when the end titles rolled and noticed Ed's name in there! Good work, Ed!

I'm sorry to say that I'm not familiar with your fiction yet, but I'd like to know whether your enthusiasm for food is carried over to your fiction? Are your 'characters' in the food industry, or do you pay special attention to the meals that the 'characters' in your books eat/prepare? Or, do you rather keep these two genres completely separate?

Do you have any plans to write similar 'insider' books in the future, or will you return to the more conventional food&wine books? Have your goals as an author changed as the result of this achievement?