Cedar Ridge Dark Rum

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Cedar Ridge Dark Rum 

Cedar Ridge Winery and Distillery is located in Swisher, Iowa and is owned operated by Jeff and Laurie Quint. This family owned business is Iowa’s first operating micro-distillery since the age of Prohibition.

They began distilling vodka in 2005, and slowly rolled out a line of Whiskey, Brandy, Gin, and Rum. They make their spirits using an 80-gallon pot still. The rum is created by “fermenting first-run, unsulphured molasses”, the wine is distilled twice and then aged in oak whiskey barrels for three years. Blended to 40 abv the spirit is charcoal filtered then bottled.

Appearance

Each 750 mL bottle of Cedar Ridge details the barrel and bottle number right on the label. This along with the basic information about the rum leaves plenty of room to view the liquid. In the bottle the rum holds a dark amber, with honey highlight, color in the bottle. It lightens slightly in the glass and viscosity tests created a medium line around the glass that released equally thick legs that meandered down the side of the glass.

Nose

The aroma of the rum is butterscotch forward then immediately followed up with caramelized apple, vanilla and smoky oak.

Palate

The first sip of the rum introduces a swirl of the caramelized apple from the aroma along with creamy Madagascar vanilla and honey notes. These flavors transition and fade as notes of charred oak, leather, minerals and orange peel manifest before the rum transitions in a pleasant oak finish.

Review

As I become more familiar with American Craft rums a few have positively stood out. Cedar Ridge Dark rum is one of those spirits. For a three-year-old rum, I enjoyed the flavor profile and found myself savoring the complexity during the evaluation process and found this to be a consistent product that is fine for sipping or using in rum forward cocktails like a Rum Old Fashion, Rum Sidecar, or Mary Pickford.

-Rum Review by Mr. Paul Senft- 

My name is Paul Senft - Rum Reviewer, Tasting host, Judge and Writer. My exploration of Rums began by learning to craft Tiki cocktails for friends. I quickly learned that not all rums are created equally and that the uniqueness of the spirit can be as varied as the locales they are from. This inspired me to travel with my wife around the Caribbean, Central America, and United States visiting distilleries and learning about how each one creates their rums. I have also had the pleasure of learning from bar tenders, brand ambassadors, and other enthusiasts from around the world; each one providing their own unique point of view, adding another chapter to the modern story of rum. The desire to share this information led me to create www.RumJourney.com where I share my experiences and reviews in the hopes that I would inspire others in their own explorations. It is my wish in the pages of “Got Rum?” to be your host and provide you with my impressions of rums available in the world market. Hopefully my tasting notes will inspire you to tr y the rums and make your own opinions. The world is full of good rums and the journey is always best experienced with others.