September 2015 "Got Rum?" Magazine
Kicking Mule Handcrafted Rum
Paul Senft reviews Kicking Mule Handcrafted Rum in the "Angel's Share" section of the September 2015 issue of "Got Rum?" magazine.
Kicking Mule Handcrafted Rum
Kicking Mule Rum is produced in Paulina, Louisiana, at the River Road Distillery. They currently have four expressions with a spiced rum pending approval. All of their rums are handcrafted in small batches using local Louisiana sugarcane molasses in their small custom stills. Their silver product is blended and bottled at 80 proof. The bottle for this review is from batch number two.
Appearance/Presentation
The squat 750 ml bottle is sealed with a black neck wrap. I pulled the tab and discovered a plastic cap securing a cork in the bottle. The white, blue and black labels provide a few details about the spirit. The liquid is clear in the bottle and glass. Swirling the liquid creates a medium size ring that spins off fast moving legs.
Nose
When I poured the rum a strong note of vanilla wafted up from the glass. I let the liquid settle and detected honey, almonds, with a slight hint of pepper as the alcohol vapors rounded it out.
Palate
The first sip of the rum surprised me with its well rounded vanilla laden crispness. There is a nice bite of alcohol at its core with notes of honey and apple taking the high notes and the almond and pepper notes popping and lingering into the finish.
Adding a little bit of water opened the rum up and introduced floral and citrus notes to profile while mellowing the pepper note and infusing some bitterness in the finish.
Review
Created in small stills, this rum has a lot going on and was a pleasure to explore. This has the potential to be a quality ingredient rum and the flavor profile would fit well in classic old world rum punch recipes and prohibition style cocktails.
Louisiana is currently home to at least four rum distilleries, making the state one of the leaders in craft rum distilleries. Kicking Mule is currently available in Louisiana and you can find out more about the company at their website.
-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 try the rums and make your own opinions. The world is full of good rums and the journey is always best experienced with others. Cheers!