1919 – Dos Maderas 5+5 Rum
There are rums out there for purists and then there are ones out there which get an excessive barrel finish. In this case, Dos Maderas through an intricate blending and ageing process add a lot of sherry notes to their rum. Luckily, I recently discovered the 1919 cocktail which specifically calls for such a flavourful spirit.
The base spirits for the Dos Maderas come from Barbados and Guyana where the rum spends its first five years. Afterwards, the barrels are shipped to Jerez where William & Humbert blend both rums. Next, the blend spends three more years in barrels which previously held Palo Cortado sherry for twenty years. In case of the 5+5 rum, the spirit receives another finish in Pedro Ximenez sherry barrels for another two years. In the end, the 10-year-old rum is bottled at an ABV of 40 %.
A lot of sherry fruits
The Dos Maderas rum starts with molasses notes which almost reminded me of banana chips. Soon afterwards, sherry fruits take over the sip. On top of that you can taste a lot of dried fruits which also bring some sweetness to the mix. Combine that with some grassy, spicy and a touch of coconut notes and you have an easy sipping rum. However, it could pack a bit more punch…
A flood of molasses notes
When we were in Boston, the barkeeper at Drink made my wife the 1919 cocktail after she requested something similar to a Bobby Burns. As it turned out, the drink by Ben Sandorf is from 2008 when Drinks opened and references the Great Molasses Flood in the North End on January 15th 1919. Originally, the drink calls for Old Monk Rum, but I thought the sherry and molasses flavoured Dos Maderas would also work. On top of that, I replaced the original Rittenhouse Rye with the Pikesville and adjusted the amount.
3 cl Pikesville Rye
0,75 cl Benedictine
3 cl Punt e Mes
Stir – strain – Double Old-Fashioned glass over ice cube;
Garnish: No Garnish;
Song: Maxence Cyrin – Where Is My Mind (Pixies Cover);
The “1919” really starts off with heavy molasses notes. Obviously, the Dos Maderas took the whole drink in a sherry-laden direction rather than the spicier Old Monk. Apart from that, this variation came pretty close to the original with the rye working beautifully with the rum. Even though the Punt e Mes is more bitter than regular vermouth, it blended really well with the rest. In the aftertaste, you just get a hint of cacao from the bitters.
*The fact that I received a product reviewed in this article for free, did not – in any way – influence the rating of said product. The rum was provided by Sierra Madre GmbH.
