Half the fun of being a rum geek is comparing tasting notes with other rum geeks and finding unique flavours and similarities. With that said, I’ve decided to do a taste comparison against the notes of The Rum Slinger with their box of Latin Grammys, AKA a pack of three distinct sample rums from South America.
What is The Rum Slinger?
The Rum Slinger is a monthly subscription rum brand from Govanhill in Glasgow and there’s actually more than one rum slinger. The business is the brainchild of the people behind Glasgow’s first Caribbean bar The Rum Shack and musician Kenneth Noah Blair.
Each month, The Rum Slinger sends out a selection of three premium rums from different parts of the world and in this collection I’ve tried all the rums come from South America.
The three rums on offer are Santa Teresa 1796, Ron Abeulo 5-years and Flor de Cana 4-years.
Santa Teresa 1796
Origin: Venezuela
ABV: 40%
Style: Dark
Rum Slinger and distiller’s notes: Lingering, buttery, burnt caramel. Fruity aroma with notes of wood. Unique taste of nuts, leather, vanilla, cinnamon, dark chocolate, prunes, hints of honey and pepper.
The Rum Ration notes: Smell of rubber, tar and tobacco. Flavours of rice pudding, toffee, chocolate and woodsmoke.
Ron Abuelo 5-Years
Origin: Panama
ABV: 40%
Style: Gold, aged 5 years.
Rum Slinger and distiller’s notes: Satisfying, warming, and with a familiar bit of burn to finish. Has toasted and fruity notes with mild hints of banana, fresh herbs and apricot aroma. The flavour profile includes wooden and caramelised notes with a crisp and light smoky finish.
The Rum Ration notes: Aroma of charcoal and stewed fruits. First hit of stone fruit in the mouth, followed by a light, sandpapery burn that sticks and evolves into cinnamon and more charcoal.
Flor de Cana 4-years
Origin: Nicaragua
ABV: 40%
Style: White
Rum Slinger and distiller’s notes: Coconut water, butter, vanilla, sweet almonds, white chocolate and orange essence with a dry finish.
The Rum Ration notes: Neutral smell. Hard to define. Cloves, nutmeg and chili pepper in the mouth and a smooth and spicy finish.
Of all three rums, the closest comparison I got with The Rum Slinger’s notes were on the Ron Abuelo and my favourite of the bunch was Santa Teresa 1796. All three have their strengths and are wonderfully distinctive from each other.
Be sure to check out The Rum Slinger shop and pick up a box for yourself. There’s some really interesting stuff being put together and I’m looking forward to seeing what’s coming in the future.
The Rum Ration 