Denizen Rum sent me this bottle as a gift.
A couple of weeks ago, I received an email. It was an invitation to taste a “new” rum. But not a Ron de Venezuela, to which I’m so familiar. This was a blend of Trinidad and Jamaica rums, bottled in… The Netherlands!
I didn’t know they “make” rum in Amsterdam and then learned that rum blending has been taking place there since early XVIII century, when the Netherlands colonized some of the Caribbean… Interesting… Two days later I received a bottle of Denizen. Nice surprise.
Because I worked in the public relations industry for many years, I was impressed by the delivery: with the bottle, wrapped in orange tissue (the official color of the House of Orange-Nassau, ruling The Netherlands), it came with the “legend” of Denizen, a description of the product, tasting notes, pictures, awards, where to buy it and some recipes.
Because I’m absolutely visual, I must confess I was so impressed by the elegance of the bottle label: chic and classy, it comes with the image of a coat of arms resembling the Greater Coat of Arms of the Realm —the personal coat of arms of the monarch of The Netherlands, currently Queen Beatrix— and no doubt a premium touch for a standard rum created to mix and shake.
Yesterday, I finally had the time to “free the spirit” and taste Denizen. Another nice surprise. Nothing standard about this aged rum. It tastes like rum, a characteristic not so common in the white rum category. Column-distilled Trinidadian rum from the Angostura distillery are aged up to five years in bourbon oak barrels. Then a blend of 15 Jamaican pot-distilled rums are added and finally blended in Amsterdam where new player Denizen is bottled.
I haven’t tried it yet in a cocktail, but I certainly will and of course I’ll let you know. I guess because the long rum final, this rum will nicely pop in a cocktail.
Too bad it’s only available in New York City (a good start since NYC is the rum capital of the US). The good news: you can buy it online from DrinkUpNY and they do deliver nationwide. Welcome Denizen!
Following are my Tasting Notes:
To the sight: bright, crystal clear, dense, rich in tears.
To the nose: alcohol, sugar cane, fruity, citrus.
To the palate: silky, smooth, velvety, tasty and complex, soft oak, long last and sweet finish.
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