Siesta Key Silver

My wife and I met with Troy Roberts  One of the owners and Distillers of Siesta Key at the Rum Renaissance Festival.  It was the second day of the show and we had already sampled several rums that afternoon.  From the first sip we knew what we were sipping was truly special.  All of Siesta Key Rums are small batch rum produced by Drum Circle Distilling in Sarasota, Florida.  Information about their distillation process can be found at http://www.drumcircledistilling.com. They currently have the white and gold rum and will be releasing a spiced rum sometime in 2010.

Appearance

The rum is in a tall bottle with a tapering base.  It is sealed with a cork with a sand dollar at the top.  The front label is crowned by a sand dollar and the smooth lines of the two tone nautical map frame the beach art work.  At a glance, /two things distinguish the bottle for me.  First it tells you the rum is made from Florida Sugar cane.  The second that the label lists the batch number the rum is from.  The bottle I have is from batch number 5.

Nose

As soon as the crystal clear rum hits the glass the air is filled with a pleasant floral aroma.  After I let it sit for a few minutes I pick up some very subtle notes of fruit and cane with a hint of pepper.

Palate

The first sip surprises me with notes of warm honeyed caramel, hints of spices with a slight pepper bite around the edges.  The smoothness of this rum is something I have not encountered in a white/clear rum before.  There is a lovely complexity to it.  It finishes with a lingering sweet note and tiny burn.

Review

I really liked everything about this rum.  From start to finish I can honestly say it does not remind me of any other rum I have ever tried, especially in the white rum category.  It is the first white rum I would recommend drinking neat or with a single ice cube.  Distribution is currently in Florida but a rum this good will not stay in a single state for long.

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