Tuesday, March 01, 2016

Rum - Fortress Rum



Nova Scotia has a long history of trade with the Caribbean and that included rum. There are some local Maritime rum producers hereabouts so I picked up a bottle of Fortress rum from Authentic Seacoast Company based in Guysborough.



"Fortress™ Rum restores the 300-year history of the New France rum trade and is created by patiently maturing our select Caribbean rum in oak barrels protected behind the massive stonewalls of the Fortress of Louisbourg National Historic Site. "
http://www.fortressrum.com/



If you are not familiar with the Fortress of Louisbourg it was a large French garrison on the east coast of Cape Breton that protected the approaches to the St. Lawrence river and the French colony of Quebec. Now a national historic site it is a step back into time.




http://www.novascotia.com/see-do/attractions/fortress-of-louisbourg-national-historic-site/1583


Give credit where credit is due. The marketing concept of Fortress rum is really well done and the bottle design with the waxed seal and cork style stopper adds to the historical charm of the spirit.





It also comes with a numbered cask label which is also a nice touch.



 It is an appealing visual presentation but what of the rum itself? There are no online reviews that I was able to locate so I really bought the bottle on faith hoping it is a style of rum that I prefer - less whiskey oaky and more of a smooth sweeter spirit. According to the website......

"...the result is a premium, richly-hued overproof amber rum, that delivers aromas of oak, vanilla and tropical fruit..."

 I was not disappointed. In the glass neat the rum has a pleasant nose of baking spice and fruit and, upon ice, I could not help but think of baked apple pie with hints of honey and vanilla. It possesses a nice mouth feel with a decent finish. I`m far from an expert but the flavor of the rum is not overwhelmed by a single note but has a well balanced structure. Its an ideal sipper either neat or over ice.

"Fortress Rum Wins Medal at Prestigious San Francisco World Spirits Competition "


Definitely one of my favorites but, at $40 CDN, it is not cheap compared to some of the mainstream offerings. The unique bottle and the quality sippable rum, however, makes the extra $6 -10 a good investment.


Rum Fact - For three centuries, salt cod and lumber left Atlantic Canada’s shores on a perilous journey for the West Indies, the ships returning with “hogsheads” of rum in their holds.

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