Lagniappe Review – Diplomatico Reserva Exclusiva Rum

Diplomatico Reserva Exclusiva

A rum review?  Isn’t this a whiskey website?  Yes, and yes!  Think of it as a little lagniappe.  Every now and then I’ll sprinkle a non-whiskey related post on the website to keep things interesting.  This one is special too because my buddy Mike Jorgenson came over to the house and we did a tasting together.  Mike runs andabottleofrum.me, a rum blog.  Head over to his website for his take on this rum, or click here for the direct link.

Some info on this rum.  It’s distilled in Venezuela in copper pot stills from sugar cane honeys, then aged up to 12 years.  There could be some young rum in this blend.  The company offers expressions that are aged for a minimum of 12 years – their Single Vintage and Ambassador.  Both of those expressions are then finished in Oloroso and Pedro Ximenez sherry casts, respectively.  I’d love to see the sherry cask influence on rum.

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Blood Oath Bourbon Review (Pact No. 1)

Blood Oath Pact 1 A

Blood Oath bourbon (Pact No. 1) comes to us from Luxco, the St. Louis-based spirits company.  They are best known for Rebel Yell and Ezra Brooks.  Blood Oath is their first entry into the super premium bourbon category.  The ‘oath’ mentioned in the name is a promise that each release will be unique.  This particular release, Pact No. 1, is a blend of three sourced bourbons: a 6-year-old wheated bourbon, a 7-year-old rye-based bourbon and a 12-year-old rye-based bourbon.  It’s bottled at 98.6 proof – the temperature of the human body.  A nice little way to tie it back to the brand and marketing.  My review sample came to me in a nice wooden box containing the bottle of bourbon, a glen cairn glass, and an information booklet.  Beautiful presentation, but more importantly, how is the liquid inside the bottle?

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Oban 14 Year Old Single Malt Scotch Review

Oban 14

Oban is a member of Diageo’s “Classic Malts” collection, representing the Highland region along with Dalwhinnie.  Bottled at 43% abv, Oban single malt is aged 14 years although other expressions exist, namely an 18 year version and the new non-age statement (NAS) Oban “Little Bay.”  This whisky hails from the town of Oban, located in the western Highland region of Scotland.  The Oban distillery isn’t named after the town.  Quite the opposite – the town was built around the Oban distillery.  That’s a neat story, but there’s good news and bad news here.  The good news is that this small distillery produces great whisky.  The bummer is there is no room for growth.  Because since the town was built around the distillery, there is physically no way the distillery can expand.  Oban was founded in 1794, making it one of the oldest whisky distillery around.  As mentioned earlier, Oban is on the west coast of Scotland, in the Highland region.  It’s placement next to the sea not only earned its nickname “Gateway to the Isles,” it also helps impart some of that maritime essence into its whisky.

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