A real rum that lives completely up to its name.
It so happened dear Sue Sea and I made a long delayed pilgrimage to camp at a special place in Paradise: Long Key State Park in the Middle Keys (bout halfway between world famous Islamorada and locally famous Marathon). Despite continuing development the Florida Keys remain a unique getaway.
We'd found a hole in the summer pattern weather and couldn't resist. There is nothing like the Long Key individual camping sites, where each camper gets his own little piece of sand literally feet from the Atlantic Ocean to the east, and a 5 minute walk west to watch for a green flash at sunset. The weather was perfect, we'd gone kayaking, stopped for some ice and treats and found a bottle of rum we found simply irresistable:
Priate's Choice Molasses Reef Rum.
Now know there indeed is such a named reef. Nonetheless this is a molasses based rum allegedly blended by Phil Prichard for Cristal Clear Spirits of Key Largo. This dark rum won the Gold Medal at 2006 International Sugar Cane Spirits Tasting Competition Ybor City. The sister rum, Pirates Choice Key Lime Rum took a Silver in the flavored flight.
But what made the sale was the the tease "... developed in the Florida Middle Keys by local fishing captains and dive shop owners seeking rum that represented the free spirit and independent approach to life in the Keys and the Caribbean." If you've ever been in the Keys you know the lifestyle I'm talking about, and buying a bottle of Pirate's Choice MRR was a no brainer.
And drinking too much of it while watching the Milky Way, in front of a crackling fire accompanied by a lapping ocean was simply perfect. The reviews:
Sue Sea:
Me:There is simply no place I'd rather be than in Florida, and it doesn't get any better than camping in Long Key. The Keys - the Conch Republic - has an easygoing lifestyle of its own. Too much tan, too little bikinis, beautiful sunsets with the Atlantic Ocean to the east and the Florida Bay and Gulf of Mexico to the west, in places just a hundred feet apart.
So when we stumbled upon the Pirate's Choice I insisted that Jim buy it and take a chance. He did, then after cooking marinated chicken and corn on the cob over the open flames of our cooking pit, we finally broke out the rum.
Now you know I love a nice bottle, and while the label is only slightly contrived, it successfully romanticizes our Caribbean Pirates. The rum occupies a classic squat round bottle with an oversize cork and features an anchor and a plundered ship burning in the night. Just like our fire. How perfect.
And so was this delicious rum. The aroma was that of black cherry, molasses and oak, all which carried through the taste with a peppery ending, and leading to a long solid peppery finish. This rum is anything but hollow, and just keeps building to a truly long and exquisite peppery finish. A great rum, well worth its Key's price of $25.
Sue Sea and I are in complete accord on this one. Although under the circumstances I felt obligated to buy a rum created in the same Middle Keys we were inhabiting, I wasn't expecting a lot. I was truly surprised to find that Pirate's Choice Molasses Reef is a real rum in every sense of the word - perfectly balanced and growing from start to finish.
The black cherry and molasses/oak aroma was enticing and let you know something special was coming. Pirate is medium bodied, hardy and consistent. A deep fruit is apparent and the taste simply builds on the aroma. The end palate smoothly transitions and grows to a rousing but entirely pleasant long, peppery and chest warming finish. Pirate leaves a mild black cherry aftertaste.
Honestly we were taken by complete surprise. The rum was purchased solely in spirit of souvenier tourism - but turned out to be a truly wonderful sipping rum in the Barbadian style, our favorite. Bilgemonkey, if you are reading this, this is a real rum we have little doubt you'll enjoy...
Score (10 is best): solid 8.
Note:
Pirate's website is moving and effective, states their rums are pot stilled in copper using Grade A food molasses.