Ron Zacapa wins! - Emma Sharp
Rum can be made from the sugar cane byproduct of molasses or directly from sugar cane juice. This liquor is enjoyed by most adult Jamaicans, perhaps some of our teenagers, but hopefully, none of our children! One may drink it neat, on the rocks, or mixed with coconut water and other 'chasers'.
A month ago, while sipping on his beverage, a friend suggested a rum-tasting. Within minutes, the date was set and the event arranged. Being a resourceful fellow, especially when it's so essential, this Englishman procured Carta Vieja, Flor de Cana, Zacapa and Barbancourt rums. My husband, being a loyal Trini, had his stock of Angostura 1919, and I had a bottle of Appleton Estate Reserve. This brought the number to six, but we felt more was needed. We got lucky when we managed to get our hands on Smatt's rum, even though it is not yet on the Jamaican market, and a bottle of 15-year-old El Dorado Special Reserve. Indian cuisine was to be on the menu.
I have a friend whose drink of choice is Appleton Special. She insists that no other rum comes close to being as good. Out of her snobbery was born my idea to present this as the mystery rum on the evening.
Ranking the best rum
During dinner, eight persons each presented one of the rums, giving interesting details, and some rather inappropriate ones, about their rum. After, everyone had to rank them from one to eight, considering what they heard, how the bottles looked, and any preconceived notions of which rum they believed to be the best.
We discovered that the Panamanian Carta Vieja has a built-in pour limiter; the Haitian Rhum Barbancourt is made directly from sugar cane juice, rather than molasses; Ron Zacapa is a very new rum, having only been created in 1976 to celebrate the centenary of the Guatemalan town Zacapa, and is aged at 8000 feet above sea level. The Nicaraguan Flor de Cana has won over 100 international awards since 2000; described as the Liquid Gold of Guyana, El Dorado 15 comes in a green-toned bottle and was highly praised by HRH Prince Charles when Demerara Distillers hosted him in 2000; Appleton Estate Reserve is a blend of 20 select aged rums; Trinidad's Angostura 1919 is a blend of rums that are aged for at least eight years in charred oak bourbon barrels; and the new Jamaican Smatt's has been sourced from a practically forgotten boutique distillery in the highlands.
Assessing colour, clarity
After the meal, the tasting cups were giving to each individual, numbered from one to eight, with a different tipple in each cup. They were given time to assess the colour and clarity of the rums, inhale the aromas, and taste all their complexities. Again, the guests ranked them, but this time they did not know which was which. Then they had to name the rum in cup number one, and so on. At this point, I handed out samples of Appleton Special, and would you believe that no one knew what they were sipping? Not one single person!
Tables were collected and tallied, while the participants waited with baited breaths for the results. Described as the dark horse of the competition, by its presenter, Ron Zacapa was ranked in the top three. It received more first place votes than the others. Far too perfect for mixing, with its rich nutmeg, toasted hazelnut and caramel flavours, Zacapa smoothly showed that the proof of a great rum is in the taste!