Sweet tooth reviewers: the Lone Caner?

[Capn Jimbo]

Hi hi-oh Silver, away...


If nothing else the Lone Caner is entertaining, but it now seems clear he still tends to favor premiums, which sadly are often heavily sugared. Lately he's been reviewing hard-to-find rums, but apparently with the same issue. At hand is his review of Bristol Spirits 8 year old "Peru" (bright chartruese label).

Fine and dandy but only until he compares the Peru as "lightly sweet" just like - are you sitting - Millonario 15 year! Based on this he further speculates that unnamed distiller must be the very same one who produces the Millonario 15 and XO. Here's the problem...

Both these Millonario's have over 40g of sugar added, which puts them near the top of Sugar Mountain, right up there with the Zee rums, et al. To call any of these "lightly sweet" means that either the Caner has one of the world's greatest sweet tooths, or he simply doesn't recognize sugar when he's swimming in it.


More negative effects of sugar

Another issue is that he complains that you "have to work" to tease out the flavors, yet another indicator of heavy sugar, thanks to Che's brilliant analysis of added sugars. Che's tests added sugar - 1-5-10-15-30-40g - to both a pure young rum (Havana Club Blanco) and a known pure aged rum (Seales 10). He found that a very small amount, say 5 mg, made the young white rum more palatable, but from 10g and up, the aged rum was made ever more undistinguished and indistinguishable from other heavily sugared rums (like Z23).

Sugar - even in very modest amounts - does not at all "improve" well aged rums; to the contrary it masks and obliterates their personality, profiles and complexity.


Flat Ass Bottom Line

I took the time to try to attempt to post a comment (which he no longer publishes), intended more to simply inform him of the issue of his "lightly sweet" observation. I suggested he check the Complete List of Sugar Tests before reviewing, and to consider joining Moi, Russell and the Pirate in posting sugar tests with each review, as a service to rum drinkers and in the interest of honesty and transparency. There's nothing wrong with sugar per se, as long the rum is properly labeled as "sweetened". In the meanwhile all reviewers should post sugar content.

We'll see what he does...




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http://thelonecaner.com/bristol-spirits ... ld-review/

[Dai]

I think it's a good idea to get rum reviewers to post the sugar test where they can. At least the general public will then be able to make an informed decision on what they buy.