Dumbed down Dept: Can it get any dumber?

Post by **Capn Jimbo** » Thu Aug 21, 2014 2:36 pm

I know I promised, but he just won't stop...

Check out this announcement of an event featuring our dear Canadian,frozen furball friend:

"I will be taking everyone through a vertical tasting Demerara Distillers Limited (DDL) Luxury Cask Rum El Dorado Rums. Here is the list of Rums I will be presenting:

El Dorado 12 Year Old Special Reserve
El Dorado 15 Year Old Special Reserve
El Dorado 21 Year Old Special Reserve

During the event I will be sharing my experiences from a recent trip to Guyana (Home of El Dorado Rum) where I was given the opportunity to tour Demerara Distillers Limited's facilities witnessing the rum production first hand. "

To the point and for monkeys (our posters already know this): a vertical tasting is of (a) the same spirit tasted at (b) different ages, while a horizontal tasting is quite the reverse: of different spirits or producers but of the same age (usually). This tasting is clearly neither as the rums are different blends from different stills, made differently - and - of different ages.

Now if anyone should know this it oughta be a guy who was actually was given a free trip to go there, tour the facility, take and promote his annointed tourist pics, and further be annointed by DDL as an approved "Connoisseur". Not to mention that DDL's multiple stills and blends have long been common, actually boring knowledge.

Want to call it a Demeraran tasting? Sure. A selection of differently produced DDL rums? Great. An example of different blends and the effects of aging? Have at it. But as a vertical tasting?

Fortunately the moose, mice and monkeys won't notice, eh?

Hassouni · Post by **Hassouni** » Thu Aug 21, 2014 4:09 pm

Pass the sugar.

Kevin · Post by **Kevin** » Fri Aug 22, 2014 6:43 pm

Is this the Arctic Wolf? I thought it funny when he went from armchair rum drinker to full blown "expert" a few years ago. Says something about the so called Rum Expert Panel (XP) doesn't it?

Hassouni · Post by **Hassouni** » Fri Aug 22, 2014 7:18 pm

Kevin wrote:Is this the Arctic Wolf? I thought it funny when he went from armchair rum drinker to full blown "expert" a few years ago. Says something about the so called Rum Expert Panel (XP) doesn't it?

Yes to all three sentences

Post by **Capn Jimbo** » Fri Aug 22, 2014 7:21 pm

Panel is as panel does...

Of course all these "fests" and "competitions" are actually commercial events, and believe me they are extremely lucrative for all. Tables are sold, the vendors are charged to compete, and there are tons of made up "categories" to allow the absolute maximum number of "awards".

There are some competent tasters invited, but there are also a great number of political invites to key webmasters, reps, and the like. It's just a big circle yank. I once estimated on event at around a million, gross.

I literally begged for a table for Save Caribbean Rum and was refused. I even asked if they'd support our friends by handing out flyers to each attendee and they refused. Although one of the principals signed the early petition and another promoted it on social media they quicky reneged, and disavowed their support in 2013, and ignored the issue in 2014.

Now that all the predictions of 2012 made here are coming true, I wonder just what they'll do next time?