Canado-Cuban rum

[treberty]

Interesting... I really like this small Niagara distillery and its special releases. This one is really cool.

Can't wait to taste it. Just ordered a bottle of the 8yo.

http://dillons.ca/the-here-there-series

[Puros Y Vino]

Thanks for the heads up on this!  Just grabbed an 8YO bottle as well.

[Puros Y Vino]

I just received two bottles of the 8YO.

I cracked one open last night and made the following observations.

Dillion's / Ron Vigia 8YO Cuban rum (1st thoughts)

Aroma:

 

From the first pour, I'm treated to an aroma that is like Cognac.  After letting it breathe a bit, the aroma still reminds me of a wine derivative. I smell a bit of white wine. Similar to a Sauternes. That tells me there is some sweetness before I even take a sip. I take a few more deep sniffs and there's a familiar burn on the nostrils.

 

1st sip.

 

Its' rum alright, but with far less sweetness that I'm used to.

 

Tasting notes:

 

A bit of vanilla. Some oakiness, which makes sense since it was finished in white oak barrels. This only enhances the Cognac aroma I first sensed and the taste and performance reminds me of Cognac.

 

The taste of rum is still there, but it's lacking in outright sweetness. On the finish, I get a bit of caramel and toffee. The finish has a slight burn that builds vs hitting you outright. The burn stays on the tongue. It doesn't carry through on the swallow; like a whiskey. The last Cuban rum I drank was an HC7 about a week ago. The major differences from what I can tell is that the HC7 feels "jelly like" when you swish it. There's a sweetness to it. This behaves like a different spirit altogether.That rum taste is there. But not the mouth feel. There's hints of ripe fruit, like a peach almost. I sense a bit of cinnamon too.

 

This reminds me of Ron Zacapa XO. Zacapa 23 is very sweet. XO is more like a Cognac or Whiskey. The sweetness is in the background. This is very much the same. FYI. I love Zacapa XO over 23. It was the first "unique" rum. I sense that the oak has cut down the sweetness one would expect from a rum. I think I'd like a bit more sweetness to give me a HC7 like experience but part of me likes where this is going. Definitely a rum you don't want to mix. Enjoy it as is. Would love to pair this with a cigar soon. I'm tempted to buy the 18YO bottle now too.  Got a hint of what I'll call "boozy pineapple".  

 

Overall, very enjoyable and very unique.  I wrote to the Canadian distillers to get some more background on it. I want to know if they're just importing this rum from Cuba or had a hand in its' creation.   At $50 CAD, it's a bit more expensive than HC7 over here, but it's very different and unique. 

 

 

 

 

[Lotusguy]

I just received two bottles of the 8YO.
I cracked one open last night and made the following observations.
Dillion's / Ron Vigia 8YO Cuban rum (1st thoughts) Aroma:   From the first pour, I'm treated to an aroma that is like Cognac.  After letting it breathe a bit, the aroma still reminds me of a wine derivative. I smell a bit of white wine. Similar to a Sauternes. That tells me there is some sweetness before I even take a sip. I take a few more deep sniffs and there's a familiar burn on the nostrils.   1st sip.   Its' rum alright, but with far less sweetness that I'm used to.   Tasting notes:   A bit of vanilla. Some oakiness, which makes sense since it was finished in white oak barrels. This only enhances the Cognac aroma I first sensed and the taste and performance reminds me of Cognac.   The taste of rum is still there, but it's lacking in outright sweetness. On the finish, I get a bit of caramel and toffee. The finish has a slight burn that builds vs hitting you outright. The burn stays on the tongue. It doesn't carry through on the swallow; like a whiskey. The last Cuban rum I drank was an HC7 about a week ago. The major differences from what I can tell is that the HC7 feels "jelly like" when you swish it. There's a sweetness to it. This behaves like a different spirit altogether.That rum taste is there. But not the mouth feel. There's hints of ripe fruit, like a peach almost. I sense a bit of cinnamon too.   This reminds me of Ron Zacapa XO. Zacapa 23 is very sweet. XO is more like a Cognac or Whiskey. The sweetness is in the background. This is very much the same. FYI. I love Zacapa XO over 23. It was the first "unique" rum. I sense that the oak has cut down the sweetness one would expect from a rum. I think I'd like a bit more sweetness to give me a HC7 like experience but part of me likes where this is going. Definitely a rum you don't want to mix. Enjoy it as is. Would love to pair this with a cigar soon. I'm tempted to buy the 18YO bottle now too.  Got a hint of what I'll call "boozy pineapple".     Overall, very enjoyable and very unique.  I wrote to the Canadian distillers to get some more background on it. I want to know if they're just importing this rum from Cuba or had a hand in its' creation.   At $50 CAD, it's a bit more expensive than HC7 over here, but it's very different and unique.         

Intriguing. Sounds like there is little or no sugar added (unlike Zacapa, for example). I much prefer that style of Rum. I will need to have one of my Canadian friends ship me a bottle of the 18 YO - paging@Canadianbeaver

[Puros Y Vino]

3 minutes ago, Lotusguy said:

Intriguing. Sounds like there is little or no sugar added (unlike Zacapa, for example). I much prefer that style of Rum. I will need to have one of my Canadian friends ship me a bottle of the 18 YO - paging@Canadianbeaver

 

Yes. Their website does make reference to cane sugar, which is sweet of course but not as "heavy" as other sugars I guess?  I prefer this style too. I like drinking rum straight without feeling I'm developing diabetes while I do so.   

[ebhead]

There's also Ironworks Distillery, out of Nova Scotia. I picked up a bottle when I was there, haven't cracked it open yet to fully get an understanding of it. But, I did have taste before I bought it and it is also not very sweet. There is a Rum essence but it was super dry (almost Moet Brut Champagne dry). 

The distillery is located in Lunenburg, Nova Scotia.

https://ironworksdistillery.com/shop/bluenose-rum/

[treberty]

Thanks for the review! Can't wait to get my bottle. In fact, I will likely order another one, based on your review.