The Lash Spiced Rum

Upcoming Tastings

Robert & Mark — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 18:04:06 +0000

Upcoming Tastings for The Lash:

1. Hudson Valley Food & Wine Festival
Rhineback, NY at Dutchess County Fairgrounds – Sept 11 (12- 6) & Sept 12 (12-5)

2. NY Ministry of Rum Festival at Papillon Bistro – Sept. 20 (5-9pm)

3. Upcoming Tastings at Viscount in Wappingers Falls, NY

October 30th from 12-4
November 20th from 12-4
November 24th from 3-7
December 18 & 19 from 12-5 both days
December 22 from 4-8

4. Turn The Corner event at the Edison Ballroom in NYC on Nov 3rd from 6-10pm

5. Taste of the Hudson Valley event on November 7th. – time & location to be announced

Free Tasting

Robert & Mark — Fri, 13 Aug 2010 12:40:25 +0000

The wait is over.

Come experience a free tasting of The Lash Premium Aged Infused Spiced Rum

Saturday August 14, 3-5pm

Location:
Astor Wine & Spirits
399 Lafayette St. NY, NY 10013

Dogwatch Punch & The Dogwatch Doubloon

Robert & Mark — Thu, 05 Aug 2010 18:34:25 +0000

Dogwatch Punch & The Dogwatch Doubloon

What’s in a name? Well, in naval/maritime lingo, the work shift from 4:00 PM to 8:00 PM is called the Dog Watch. This also happens to be the perfect time to enjoy a nice summer beverage.

Or two. Here now, in our first DUAL posting, are Dogwatch Punchand The Dogwatch Doubloon.

Dogwatch Punch

The Recipe:

Into a cocktail glass add:

- a quarter of a large orange, squeezed,
- a 2 count of falernum
- Muddle, (and muddle like you mean it!)

- fill glass with ice and add a 4 count of The Lash Spiced Rum

- Stir

-garnish with a slice of fresh orange.

Absolutely Delish!

Dogwatch Doubloon

The Recipe:

Into a 16-ounce pint glass add:

- a quarter of a large orange, squeezed,
- a 2 count of falernum
- Muddle, (and put your back into it this time!)

- fill glass with ice and add a 4 count of The Lash Spiced Rum

- Top with Dr Pepper , (about 4 ounces)

- Stir

-garnish with a slice of fresh orange.

Yumminess!

Chris’s Notes: We at Greatest Drink In The World… This Weeklove a good challenge, but this was an AWESOME one. It was also quite difficult, though.

Way back on June 17th, (Hey! Icelandic Independence Day!),Greatest Drink in the World…This Week presented the award-winning recipe for the Chai-tini , made with Voyant Chai Liqueur, to much applause. As a result of this, Mr. Robert Back, the creator of Voyant, asked us for some cocktail recipes for a new product, The Lash: an aged, spiced rum.

Of course, we jumped at the opportunity.

However, we ran into the strangest of hurdles. The rum tasted so good on its own, that we had a hard time developing a taste that came remotely close! Trial and error, and trial and error, (Work, work, work!) and eventually some flavors started to come together. More of a variety than an improvement, we came up with the above two recipes.

True, the similarities between the two drinks is obvious, but it should be noted, that they were developed simultaneously, and neither was was a spin-off of the other.

To clarify what I mean, let’s say that The Lash Spiced Rum is the television show, “Happy Days.” Dogwatch Punch and The Dogwatch Doubloon, although created from this original source, share similar elements but have completely different characteristics, like Laverne & Shirley and Mork & Mindy, and will appeal to different people.

To continue with this metaphor, there was much trial and error in developing these two shows, er, cocktails, but we believe they each have the potential to be hits!

I guess that since Happy Days was itself a spin-off, that would make, in this metaphor, anyways, “Rum” represented by Love; American Style!

But I digress…

In any case, (and by no means do I wish to compare the quality of these television programs with that of The Lash or either of the submitted cocktail recipes,) but like those sitcoms, each drink appealed to different tastes. Of the eight members of our tasting panel the evening these cocktails were created, three preferred theDogwatch Doubloon, calling it “more refreshing,” and “so different.” The other five, (myself included,) found the Dogwatch Punch to be less sweet, and an better all-around cocktail. Both, are some type of delicious, though.

Joe’s Notes: One evening not long back, Chris arrived at the bar armed with a bottle of The Lash Spiced Rum. I filled a number ofshot glasses along the bar for our panel of experts to sample. Every one was very enthusiastic. Billy, our guest “expert” for the evening, holding out his shot glass like Oliver Twist said it was probably one of the best rums he had ever drank!

I also was very impressed with the Lash. The Lash hails from theWest Indies, where it spends four years in oak and is then aged with spices, some actually settle in the bottle, bourbon vanilla extract, and other flavors. The result is a rum with a strong cinnamon, nutmeg, and vanilla character. ( Ref: Drinkhacker.com)

As I have said, I was very impressed with the Lash. In fact, I even questioned Chris on why he wanted me to make a cocktail out of this.

My point being that the people who produce The Lash have obviously worked very hard in getting the flavor and quality just right and now I was going to come along and change it.

This reminded me of a time many, many years ago when I worked in 5-Star hotel in London. One evening the cocktail waitresscame to the bar and ordered a 25-year-old, single malt scotch in a tall glass filled with ice and topped with ginger ale. Horrified that anybody would murder a good scotch that way, (yes, I’m a drink snob,) I picked up a bottle of bar blended whiskey and made the order. The waitress returned three more times that evening with the same order, each time I substituted the 25-year-old single malt with the bar scotch. When this butcher of scotch was leaving for the evening I stopped him and asked how his evening had been. He said that he had had a good night and that every thing was good, and promised to return soon. At this point I told him what I had done, and he was not happy. He said that as long as he was paying, he could order whatever he wanted.

What do you think? Just because you can do something does that give you the right to do it?

Let me know what you think,

Joe the Bartender.

BilgeMunkey.com

Robert & Mark — Wed, 04 Aug 2010 20:04:04 +0000

Made from four year aged rum, steeped with genuine spices, and named for the famous quote regarding “Rum, sodomy, and The Lash.” If you’re a typical Bilgemunky.com reader, then you’re already intrigued. Now how about I tell you that The Lash literally discourages mixing their spiced rum with anything save ice or nada – got your attention yet?

The Lash is a class act from the bottle onward. Short and squat with a synthec cork, this rum takes a far more old-world asthetic to its packaging. The cat-o-nine tails logo is present enough to lend the sense of high seas drama, but not so blatant as to make you feel like you should be wearing bondage gear to purchase the stuff. And the rich, deep amber color of the rum inside is not only warmly inviting, but gently swirls with a small amount of sediment left over from the spices.

To the nose, The Lash is spicy indeed. Nutmeg quickly rises to the top, followed shortly by allspice and cinnamon. As the rum sits in the glass and plays with the air, this initial spicy barrage is subdued a bit, and largely replaced with oranges and old pipe tobacco (the warm, friendly sensation walking into an old sea-captain’s study, not the less pleasant sensation of licking an ashtray.)

On tasting, the aforementioned spices quickly regroup, and they’re not exactly gentle. Much akin to drinking mulling spices, they definitely wake up your mouth before leaving a warm, spicy, slightly dry finish. I found that adding a splash of water nicely softened the blow on future sips, and resulted in a much more enjoyable experience.

In all this review, you might note that I’ve yet to mention much about the inherit flavors and smells of the rum itself, and this is no accident. Apart from the spices added, I really couldn’t get a fix on it. It’s clearly present, but in the case of The Lash, the rum is almost more of a spice delivery system than a flavor factor in its own right. This makes for a very unique drinking experience, and not one I’ve previously encountered. When splashed with water, it can be a very enjoyable beverage – especially for those who’ve yet to develop a full appreciation for aged sipping rum. However, I would disagree with The Lash’s creators on one point – this rum absolutely should be mixed. Not with coke, and not as a way of making the rum more palatable, as is the usual for “mixer” rums. But rather, The Lash carries so much flavor in its own right that it would make an incredible ingredient in an artfully crafted cocktail (one local mixologist suggested shaking it up with an egg to create a first rate “Flip”.) In the hands of a truly heroic bartender, The Lash could surely be the key to some legendary concoctions.

But meantime, a splash of water and you’ll do just fine

Tiki Tender

Robert & Mark — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 18:44:15 +0000

Tiki Tender

Getting ready to sample this brand new spiced rum, along with a cigar.

WhyIsTheRumGone.com

Robert & Mark — Tue, 15 Jun 2010 18:47:06 +0000

Rum Review: The Lash

Back on the 26th I mentioned that there was a new spiced rum called The Lash being reviewed and that I wanted to try it. Well, shortly thereafter I was the grateful recipient of a bottle. I’ve been slowly working my way through it and sitting on this review for a while, though I’ve put out some of my opinions of it elsewhere… and since I’ll be in Los Angeles tomorrow (so maybe no update) I figured today should be the day to review it here.

First I’d like to point out that the creator of The Lash has been especially vocal in regards to the product. It’s been a pleasure reading his words over at the Ministry of Rum forum and the comments left on the Drinkhacker post.

Moving on…

The Lash is made in the Netherlands with the rum coming from Trinidad & Tobago. It’s a 4-year aged rum with no additives or added caramel color. It’s named after that wonderful Churchill quotation:

Don’t talk to me about naval tradition. It’s nothing but rum, sodomy and the lash.

The name amuses me… though others, with more uptight sensibilities, might not appreciate it. Fuck ‘em. And, while the lash is only 35% abv, it shouldn’t be dismissed.

It has a pretty good bottle, The Lash. The weight is nice. It feels solid in the hand. The label is easy on the eyes. A simple design that’s straightforward and clean, while looking slightly aged and ragged. The cork is synthetic, which doesn’t turn me off, but may well dissuade those same folks who don’t like the name. My only real complaint about the bottle is that it’s prone to too much spillage during pouring.

Inside the bottle the rum is a dark, reddish, caramel color with small bits of sediment floating around (or settled on the bottom, depending on how carefully you jostle it). The creator addressed the sediment in the discussion of the Lash over at the Ministry of Rum:

You will see two types of sediments on the bottom of the bottle. (a) real spices and (b) some fatty acids (flocculation) from the aging of the Rum as we do not chill filter the product.

Most of the sediment I’ve noticed is smallish flakes… for some reason, when I think “sediment” I always think along the lines of fine silt. Anyway… I’m almost at the end of my bottle and haven’t noticed any reach my glass yet. Not that I’m worried about it… just an observation. I’ve tried to include a photo of the sediment in my bottle as proof of it. You probably need to view the larger version to appreciate it. There are some specks that are probably tiny bubbles from excessive jostling (ok I shook it up, kill me), but you should get the picture. Sediment = present.

Opening the bottle I was struck with a feeling of Holiday Season nostalgia. My first thoughts are of mulled cider. Lots of spice and no punch in the face from the alcohol. It’s got a lot of cinnamon in the nose although this, like the flavor, changes as my tasting continues.

In the glass the rum is a bit more golden in color and slowly forms drops on the sides of the glass that fall into some nice legs. I’m not enough of a rum snob to know if the legs affect the flavor in one way or another, but it’s interesting to look at.

The flavor reinforces my association with mulled cider. It reminds me of ciders that I make with rum in the winter. Cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, maybe some cloves. And, to me anyway, it actually tastes faintly of apple along with a citrusy-orange hint. It’s not overly sweet, but at the same time there’s no real burn to it, though there’s definitely a bite. As my drinking progressed over the days the flavors I picked up would shift. One day it would seem like much more cinnamon, the next more cloves. The other day it actually reminded me of cherries.

I’ve tried drinking this a number of different ways other than neat. With chilled water I noticed a subtle vanilla flavor which is otherwise almost non-present in this rum. With ice I lost the flavor. I drank The Lash with cola, and it took a great deal of cola to overpower the spice. I took the bottle down to my local bar where the bartender made up some drinks. The Lash made a tasty Ron Collins, Cable Car (no Gin vs. Rum debate, please), Suffering Bastard, and a very girly drink I can’t remember the name of.

The bartender said:

Wow, this is the first spiced rum I didn’t want a back for… comparing this to the Captain is like comparing Pellegrino to toilet water.

Overall it went over well.

With the exception of the spillage issue, the only gripes I have are that occasionally the rum flavor got lost in the spice and sometimes the cinnamon-y aspect was a bit overwhelming. Sometimes it felt like I stepped away from vanilla-flavored spiced rums only to walk towards a cinnamon flavored spiced rum. but the intention was to make a SPICED rum and that’s exactly what this is. A rum that actually tastes like spices.

So, well done.

The Rating – based on the New Rating System

Package: 9
Appearance: 9
Nose: 9
Taste: 9

Overall: 4.6 out of 5

R & D Rum Reviews

Robert & Mark — Thu, 10 Jun 2010 18:56:12 +0000

R & D Rum Reviews

Objective Notes

Extremely Smooth (on the RnD scale of Harsh-Smooth-Very Smooth-Extremely Smooth).

The Lash shows a dark walnut color from exposure to real spices and aging in oak. Aromas are complex, with pronounced cinnamon, clove up front, followed by more delicate exotic Bourbon Vanilla and several other fruity spices. Happily, there are no offensive alcohol odors. Upon initial tasting, The Lash melts in your mouth like buttercream caramel candy with cinnamon and other well tuned spice fillings to add interest without heat – flavors are polished smooth and delicate like no other spiced rum. Deeper tasting shows a rich full body (though not heavy), and again the vanilla, whose essence is extracted using hot water instead of the more common grain alcohol. The Lash finishes sweet and full, mildly spicy with cinnamon and clove to the end.

Anecdotal Notes

Robert Back, creator of The Lash – “When you taste The Lash, please remember that I made a Spiced Rum, not a Rum drink. As for the 10-Fold Bourbon Vanilla Extract, this is the highest quality Vanilla Extract/Bean you can use – limited supply and very expensive. To give you an idea, I can purchase regular Vanilla Extract at around $25 – $35.00/Gallon and the 10-Fold Bourbon Vanilla Extract I use in The Lash costs me around $250.00 – $300.00/Gallon. It is quite good and makes a big difference. Most spiced rums are heavily based on Vanilla as Vanilla goes well with coke (i.e. Rum & Coke) – I wanted to make a Spiced Rum that although it contained Vanilla, was really loaded with Spices.”

Dave – Contemplating my first sip of the nicely darkened rum, I noticed small particulate matter settling to the bottom of my bottle, causing me to think The Lash is the real deal. Those aromatic tasty bits are explained by the producer: “Because we use genuine spices to flavor The Lash, you may occasionally see some spices in the bottle.” Fair enough.

Packaging is first-rate too. A copper colored cap sits atop synthetic cork, tightly sealing the rum inside a hefty, cannonshell-shaped bottle very similar to those used by a only few premium aged rums.

Tasters’ Opinion

Dave – in my opinion, The Lash reinvents commercial spiced rum. It may even be the bridge that introduces the spiced rum-and-coke crowd into a better world of aged sipping rum. And just in time – somebody has to give those pirate posers a run for the money.

The Lash’s marketing message declares in no uncertain terms that their spirit is a sipping rum, offering for your pleasure two drinks: either neat or on the rocks. Of course, if you must mix, ice cold cola is acceptable. I like the bravado. In creating the RnD website, we decided that we would judge any and all rum based on how well it succeeds at what it is trying to be. As a spiced rum, The Lash perfectly masters its contents. My hat is off to

Robert Back – he has succeeded in creating just the rum he likes and thinks (probably correctly) the intended market wants.

Roger – As the rum’s creator, Robert Back, states it’s “Not Your Dad’s Spiced Rum”. The Lash is true spiced rum unlike many in the US market. A proprietary combination of whole spices is introduced to fine 4 year old, oak barrel aged, rum from the West Indies. Some of the spices used are obvious like cinnamon, vanilla, and clove. Sleuthing out new flavors and aromas is enjoyable and it’s a real treat for your senses. What Robert produced is truly something special and unique. I’m a huge fan of spiced rum and I make gallons of spiced rum every year to give to friends and family (using the recipe from our Rum Spicing article). I can appreciate the trouble and cost it took for him to make top quality spiced rum.

The Lash Spiced Rum isn’t meant to be a simple rum and coke mixer but a rum drink that you enjoy neat or on the rocks. But at 70 proof it’s easy to enjoy anyway you desire. The Lash is one of the top spiced rums I’ve ever enjoyed to date. Go enjoy some.

Taster’s Rating (10 is best):

Dave – 9 Flasks
Roger – 9 Flasks

Most recently tasted by: Dave and Roger in June, 2010 in RnD’s South and North Tasting Rooms, USA.

Country of Origin: Produced and spiced in The Netherlands (Holland) from rum distilled and aged in Trinidad & Tobago. Aged 4 years Price per Bottle: $30 Alcohol: 35%

DrinkHacker.com

Robert & Mark — Wed, 26 May 2010 20:41:14 +0000

Drink Hacker

Review: The Lash Spiced Rum
For some reason, Drinkhacker readers LOVE spiced rum. They drink it, they comment, they debate it. They love this stuff.
And yet there aren’t that many spiced rums on the market, so when a new one arrives, they pounce on the stuff like phony handbag salesmen on tourists.
The Lash is a rum with a loaded history for its name (I’ll leave that reading as an exercise for the reader). It hails from the West Indies, where it spends four years in oak and is then aged with spices (some may actually settle in the bottle), bourbon vanilla extract, and other flavors.
The result is an intensely brown and very spicy rum. I put it side by side vs. all the spiced rums I had on hand — Captain Morgan, Sailor Jerry, and current fave The Kraken — and it handily out-spiced them all, with intense cinnamon, nutmeg, and big vanilla character. What’s comparably lacking, though, is the rum component. At just 70 proof, The Lash is considerably weaker than most spiced rums, many of which creep toward 100 proof. The Lash instead plays it safe, falling in line with the flavored rum world, a curious choice for a spirit with a picture of a whip on the bottle.
Overall, however, it’s got an excellent character to it, with an intense flavor that many spiced rums have lacking. Kraken is sweeter and more instantly engaging, but if the lack of alcohol in The Lash doesn’t turn you off, this is a solid endeavor.

Tastings.com

Robert & Mark — Mon, 10 May 2010 20:40:36 +0000

Tastings Review

Deep reddish copper color. Very bold honey, clove, ginger, cocoa, cinnamon, and vanilla aromas are reminiscent of spiced tea and follow through on a round entry to a dry-yet-fruity medium body with cherry, fig, date, and orange pekoe tea notes. Finishes with a long, peppery cardamom and allspice accented fade. Forcefully spicy, but a bit clumsy and unwieldy as well. Use this Lash with caution.

International Review of Spirits Award: Silver Medal

RATING: 88 points (Highly Recommended)
ALCOHOL BY VOLUME: 35.0%
CATEGORY: Rum Flavored, Rum
TASTING LOCATION: In Our Chicago Tasting Room
TASTING DATE: Jun-23-2010
SPIRITS ID: 191724
We have noted the following US importer for this spirit:

Bacmar International LLC
254-B Mill St. Suite A-3
Greenwich CT 06830
Ph. (203) 532-9177
Fax (203) 286-2162

http://www.thelashspicedrum.com

info@bacmarllc.com