Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/1787
80 / the tasting panel / august 2009 and oak. Not surprisingly, both were Gold Medal winners this year at THE TASTING PANEL's San Francisco World Spirits Competi- tion. Also deserving a snifter is the delicately toasted oak of Pusser's 15 Year Old, the only rum distilled in wooden pot stills, which date from the Battle of Trafalgar. Speaking of which, English Harbour 5 Year Old (another Gold Medal winner) has the delicate characteristics of a much older rum (amplified even more in their scarce 10 and 25 Year Old bottlings), as does the vintage-dated Plantation 1997 Panama Rum. Cruzan Single Barrel Estate is one of the few single-barrel rums on the market, with spirits as old as 12 years, which have then been aged an additional year in new oak casks. The result is a silky fabric of flavor, interwoven with threads of banana, citrus and vanilla. You'll find equal complexity in Appleton Estate Reserve, a unique blend of 20 differ- ent rums. Spicier than the X/V, the Reserve carries more orange peel and nutmeg intensity, and easily transitions from shaker to snifter, as does Flor de Caña 18 Year Old, which I discovered many years ago in Nicaragua. It is now available in the U.S., where its ultra-rich flavor has made it one of the fastest-grow- ing brands. So now you know what to tell customers when they ask, "Got any new rums?" Have you poured the newest fruit-in-a-bottle from Barbados? Some of the craziest cocktails have been conjured up with Malibu, the world's top selling coco- nut-flavored rum. The original Malibu Coconut, with its all-natural yet subtle sugar cane and soft-butter flavors, was joined by Malibu Pineapple and Malibu Mango in 2004, Malibu Passion Fruit in 2005 and Malibu Tropical Banana in 2007, the year customers were in vited to "Get Your Island On." That invitation is still open with the recently- launched Malibu Island Melon, a soothing pal- ate-massage of exotic fruits that invite colorful garnish. In the Malibu Island tradition, this is not a rip-tide of flavors that drown out other ingredients. Instead, it lends a caress as gentle as a Caribbean breeze. Laced throughout the triple-distilled white coconut rum are hints of watermelon, guava and papaya. Serve it with soda, on the rocks or in a variety of cocktails. It's a great way to take your customers to the islands without ever leaving our shores. —R.C.H. The limestone-filtered soft water that bubbles up to form this lake is pumped directly into the distillery and used to make Appleton Estate rum. The lake flows on to become the Black River, the second longest in Jamaica. Malibu Island Melon Is Sellin'! Malibu Melon Tea Twister 1 part Malibu Island Melon 3 parts iced tea Splash lemon-lime soda Malibu Coco-Melon Colada 1 part Malibu Island Melon 1 part Malibu Coconut 3 parts pineapple juice Malibu Melon Baller 2 parts Malibu Island Melon 1 part Absolut vodka 2 parts pineapple or orange juice A warm poolside afternoon is en- hanced with these five sipping rums (left to right): Mount Gay 1703, Pusser's 15 Year Old, Plantation 1997 Panama, Pampero Aniversario and Abuelo 12 Year Old. Rum