Stubborn is as stubborn does Dept: Caner's Sweet Nothings

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Capn Jimbo
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Stubborn is as stubborn does Dept: Caner's Sweet Nothings

Post by Capn Jimbo »

Won't they ever learn?


I hate - seriously - having to still be writing about the illegal and secret adulteration of rum with copious amounts of sugar. Even though half of all rums tested are relatively pure and sugar free, it still falls to but a few smaller distillers to proudly label the fact that their artisan rums are free of additives and/or coloring.

Sugaring is wrong, period and this is no longer subject to debate. The regulations are clear. Richard Seales is quite blunt about it: fraud and cheating he says. And this practice surely is exactly those.


But not according to the Caner

What price pride? Apparently this Lone Ranger seems to have been hurt by being outed for avoiding the subject? Or for priding himself on not adding water to hot overproofs? Or was it for criticisms of his wordy and relatively inaccessible, look-at-me blathering writing style? No matter.

Compare to the Pirate. When this gentleman became aware of the sugar issue, he did a complete turnaround and aggressively joined the worldwide effort to expose the sugar fraud. He deserves our plaudits.

But not the Caner.

Although we've seen a few vague references to sugar, he still refuses to see the problem - as made clear by this exerpt from a recent review.


Caner defends Rum Nation
" Rum Nation...They’re not innovative – or “limited edition” – in the same sense that CDI or Velier or even EKTE is, but they are very consistent in their own way and according to their own philosophy, and I’ve liked them enormously... bought just about the entire 2010 release line at once.

Almost always good, always adding a little bit here and a little bit there to tweak things a bit... They catch a lot of heat for their practise of adding sugar (sometimes it’s actually caramel but never mind) to their lower- and mid-level rums (the Millonario XO in particular comes in for serious hate mail)."
Let's get real m'boy. Sugar is wrong period, no question about it. It smothers and smooths, takes the edges off to the point that profiles are destroyed. A truly great and honestly produced, well-aged rum doesn't need sugar. It's been added for years to cheap thin industrial rums to make them drinkable, so much so that the consumer expect that quality and sweetness go hand in hand - thus the so-called premiums are the worst offenders.

That's horrible, but the distillers have been outed and properly rejected as the tests made it impossible for them to hide. Still, the Caner buys into the Big Three propaganda that "it's not really sugar, it's caramel".

Lissen up. If by "caramel" he means caramel coloring, he is dead wrong. True coloring is highly concentrated sugar burnt black - so potent and so bitter that thankfully a few drops are plenty enough to color a bottle of rum. Bitter!! And if he is speaking to food caramel - a completely different product - that indeed is a VERY sweet form of what? Of sugar and hint: just a illegal as adding the white or brown stuff. Illegal. Fraud. Cheating.

Look. I really hate to burst this self-inflated bubble, but sugaring is wrong and the main reason rum remains rogue rum (patent pending).

Get it right. Please. I'm tired...



http://thelonecaner.com/313/
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The Black Tot
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Post by The Black Tot »

I have avoided Rum Nation's products religiously.

I've read the sugar tests on their stuff.

If you're going to be an independent bottler, then we ask that you behave like one:

-Release at cask strength (RN downproofs pretty badly)
-Don't chill filter (RN probably doesn't, but I'm mentioning this as a requisite)
-Don't add flavor or color of any kind unless the distillery did it themselves in the first place (exception added d/t DDLs occasional practice of coloring using their own caramel process). RN adds sugar.
-Charge a fair price

RN is one of the new breed of heavily branded dilution and dosage experts who are heavy on the promotion, long on price, and short on what ends up in the bottle.

They remind me of Plantation in terms of sugaring and dilution, and of Compagne Des Indies in terms of dilution and overpricing. Mezan and Kill Devil (Hunter and Laing) deserve mention in this list because of how they douse what woud have been beautiful and rare casks in water and then hype the brand to wring every last farthing from their customers. At least Mezan charged less and had a less annoying marketing package, but way too much dilution.

There's a place for 40% rum, but that place isn't rare vintage casks of provenance and historical significance.

All the while Berry Bros and Rudd and Cadenhead's and some other small independent bottlers continue to offer great barrels at fair prices that fulfill all of the above characteristics. Duncan Taylor does all right but they're certainly pricey. Bristol rums are great and fairly priced, although I'm not alone in wishing they'd put less water in them.

As such, there's just no REASON to buy a diluted and sugared product in this day and age. Much less to pay premium prices for them!

Even Smooth Ambler puts out a 25yr old Jamaican at more than 50% for 55 bucks, with nothing added.

Still, I suppose it does keep the hordes busy while we at the Project fill our closets with the good stuff...
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The black tot

Post by rus »

Thanx for a very informative post!
Happy trails to all on your journeys.am a rum, rhum, ron guy with a bit of calvados and whisk (e)y thrown in...empathically dislike cloyish, sweet, astringent renderings...cheers. rus
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