Tuthilltown Spirits River Rum

[Edward Hamilton]

I just got this from LeNell's in Brooklyn:

REPEAL DAY SALE
Wednesday, December 5, 2007
Noon to Midnight
NEW ITEMS:
Tuthilltown Spirits River Rum $40: This is our New York distiller's latest addition. Great holiday gift.

If you're in the NY area you probably know LeNell and this looks like a good reason to go there one more time, or to find her place for the first time.

Does anyone know of Tuthilltown Spirits River Rum? I haven't come across them but look forward to learning more about this new spirit.

[RumBarPhilly]

Ed,

They had a table at Rum Fest in New York. One of their two distillers was there and introduced it to us. Its nice and smoky, takes on a lot of the bourbon barrels they're aged in. Tuthilltown also has a bourbon called "Baby Bourbon" and three or four other spirits. I bought two bottles of Hudson River rum for my bar...

the catch... while the bottles are $40 each, they are only 375ml bottles. He plans to expand to 750s soon. Good rum, but not worth the money IMO.

Perhaps Scott got a taste of it and can lead more insight as to the tasting notes of it?

[Scottes]

I did taste it, but I loathe too much smokiness so I can't say much beyond "I didn't like it."

I also don't like any Scotch or whiskey I've ever had, and I am just beginning to tolerate Woodford Reserve (but still don't care for Maker's Mark). So take my statement with an understanding of this hatred of smoke tastes.

[angelsword]

It has a very big woody taste. ;) The new oak casks give it a strong bourbon type of character.

[Edward Hamilton]

There is a huge difference between spirits which have been aged in new wood and those aged in used barrels. The wood is most aggressive in the beginning and like rum it mellows with age.

[RumBarPhilly]

It has a very big woody taste. ;) The new oak casks give it a strong bourbon type of character.

Its not aged in bourbon barrels? My mistake, although i do get strong hints of bourbon from it.

[Edward Hamilton]

I've not had contact with the distiller, but the wood flavors many people associate with bourbon have more to do with the wood than the spirit. Prichard's Fine Rum is a very good example of a rum, aged in small new barrels, which has a very bourbon-like flavor. Used barrels rarely exhibit this to the same extent as new barrels, especially if the barrels are the standard 168 - 250 liter bourbon or whiskey barrels.

[Scottes]

Funny, I didn't get anywhere near the same amount of woodiness out of Prichard's Fine Rum. Checking my tasting notes I find no mention of barrel or smoke or wood. (Which just means that I didn't find these in sufficient quantities to generate mention. Any might have been there in the background.)

[RumBarPhilly]

I've not had contact with the distiller, but the wood flavors many people associate with bourbon have more to do with the wood than the spirit. Prichard's Fine Rum is a very good example of a rum, aged in small new barrels, which has a very bourbon-like flavor. Used barrels rarely exhibit this to the same extent as new barrels, especially if the barrels are the standard 168 - 250 liter bourbon or whiskey barrels.

I didnt know this. I always felt that Prichards had its strong bourbon flavor from the barrels, as I am sure used barrels are cheap in TN. Im embarrased to admit it, but I felt that Prichards fine rum was poorly blended, as the bourbon is the only taste I got out of it. While I still dislike it, its good to know where the flavor is really coming from. Do you know what kind of barrels he uses?

[Scottes]

From the web site:
Prichards' Fine Rum is sealed in new, 15-gallon charred oak casks made from the heartwood of the white oak tree. Then, with the passing of time, as if by magic, the barrel imparts its sweet toffee and other wonderful flavors into its contents.

It certainly would be more cost effective for us to age Prichards' Fine Rum in the standard larger barrels. Using smaller casks similar to those used to produce fine cognac confers brandy-like flavors to Prichards' Fine Rum.

[angelsword]

I spoke with the Hudson River distiller about this when I tasted his rum at the NY rumfest. He is using new oak.

I believe the new oak and barrel variations to be the largest factor in what we identify as bourbon flavors.

I have also ended up with several rums that taste very bourbon-like. I've had several people mistake my hickory matured rum for a whiskey.

[RumBarPhilly]

This all being said about new Oak giving flavors similar to bourbon, what does a bourbon or whiskey taste like before its aged? Has anybody tried?

[Edward Hamilton]

It's called white dog in the industry and varies from a hot spicy spirit to a more viscous drink without too many sharp edges in the finish. Unlike rum it rarely has a sharp bite in the finish, but it always lets you know that this is an unaged alcohol.

[angelsword]

It's called white dog in the industry and varies from a hot spicy spirit to a more viscous drink without too many sharp edges in the finish. Unlike rum it rarely has a sharp bite in the finish, but it always lets you know that this is an unaged alcohol.

My thoughts on that sharp bite found in many raw rums is that it may be due to the sulfur content. My experience is that extra heavy packing of copper screen in the column cuts all or most of the bite.

[Edward Hamilton]

In the process of extracting the crystalline sugar from sugar cane juice sulfur and other minerals are concentrated in the molasses. Copper in the still works as an anode that gives up copper to form copper and sulfur compounds. These compounds manifest themselves in the form of a sharp bite in the finish of the spirit. Copper, it is generally agreed among distillers, is the preferred material used to make stills. Copper stills don't last as long as those made from stainless steel but as angelsword pointed out adding copper packing to a still is effective in reducing the sulfur compounds produced during fermentation of a high sulfur content wash.

Sulfur is the reason most molasses-based rums are distilled to a very high proof. Rum made from sugar cane juice, which has a much lower sulfur content, lacks the sulfur bite and since it is generally distilled to a much lower proof it retains more of the flavor of the sugar cane.