Tuesday, September 27, 2016

Rum - Ironworks Distillery Amber

Picked up a bottle of Ironwork`s Amber rum at the Halifax Seaport Farmers Market. Ironworks Distillery is a local spirits producer based out of Lunenburg who pride themselves by using local ingredients for the distilling of rum, vodka, gin and assorted brandies.






"Ironworks is a micro-distillery located in the old port of Lunenburg on Nova Scotia’s historic South Shore. We take our name from the 1893 heritage building we call home: a marine blacksmith’s shop that once produced ironworks for the shipbuilding trade. We craft our spirits with the same love of traditional methods and attention to detail...."


https://ironworksdistillery.com/


Their Bluenose dark rum is currently available at the local NSLC stores but both the amber and light rums currently need to be purchased at the distillery, online or at special venues like the farmers market. Having had the Bluenose rum previously(sidebar - very nice dark rum that is not super sweet with hints of caramel and vanilla) I was keen on sampling the amber.


The market was very busy on a Saturday morning but I had the opportunity to sample and eventually purchase a 750 ml of the amber rum for about $38 CDN. Not cheap by mass produced rum standards but decent considering it is a local small batch distillery.


The packaging is very well done. Minimal labeling in an uniquely designed bottle. Complete with a stopper and not a metal screw on cap. Very nice presentation focusing upon the golden hue of the rum.






Neat in the glass the amber rum has a nice silky mouth feel possessing an initial burn followed by a slightly harsher finish. The website says the rum is aged in oak barrels for a "year or more" but (I thought) the server at the market mentioned it could be aged up to two and a half years? Regardless it is a typical young amber rum and I think that shows in the tasting. The aging in bourbon oak is noticeable in color and taste and, in my opinion, gives the rum a whiskey like characteristic.


In the glass over ice is where this rum really shines for my tastes. The slow melt of the ice cubes does not affect the silky mouth feel but does smooth out the finish. The addition of cubes makes this a decent sipper, especially if you prefer a moderately oaky rum.






Sidebar - I did sample the five year old amber at the market. It was really nice but substantially more expensive.


Pretty nice rum. It`s local too......always a good thing.

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