Here we go again with one of my classic lines. I snagged this bottle of rum nearly two years ago now and I’m just now getting a chance to open it up. Grander has long been of interest to me because I don’t get much Panamanian rum and this, being a bottling of a Las Cabras Distillery rum but unadulterated, is even more interesting.
Grander doesn’t have a footprint in Japan so I picked this up last time I was in Kentucky. I thought about picking up some of their more limited bottles with interesting aging but really wanted to get a handle on their standard offerings first before I went down that road.
Grander 8 Year
- Distillery: Las Cabras Distillery (Panama)
- Bottler: Grander
- 45% abv / 90 Proof
- Age: Minimum of 8 years in ex-bourbon casks
- Martin Cate Classification: Column Still Aged (4)
- Column Still
- Dosed: No
Neat
Very light straw golden with medium lacing on the glass. Aroma is sharply booze forward with light vanilla cream, oak, and some light banana notes. Medium to thin body. Flavor has a bit more of the banana (but it’s not like eating a banana), vanilla, oak, and warm brown sugar. Finish is lightly warming with some lasting ability. Somewhat light throughout but not lacking- just light. It’s a simple but tasty rum. I can easily. See myself sipping this neat or with an ice cube or two in the warmer month.
Daiquiri
I’ve made my love affair with white rums in daiquiris quite evident over the years and I never thought I would sway even an inch in any other direction … until I made my first Grander 8 daiquiri. This daiquiri is mind alteringly good. It’s tart and refreshing exactly how a daiquiri should be with just a little more. The light notes from the 8 years spent aging gives just a little depth and intrigue to the drink without rounding it out any. I love this drink. I’d easily keep a bottle of the Grander 8 on my bar specifically for daiquiris.
I’m gonna go make another.
Bywater
Source: Chris Hannah, French 75 Bar, New Orleans
- 1.75 oz Brown Rum (Grander 8)
- 0.75 oz Amer Picon
- 0.5 oz Green Chartreuse
- 1 barspoon Falernum
- 2 dashes Peychaud’s Bitters
Stir all with ice. Strain into a glass.
I’ve been cold all day long. Cold when I woke up. Cold at work. Cold on the way home. To combat the chills tonight, I needed a strong drink and an interesting one. I think this fits that bill and I just got a bottle of Amer Picon so the timing was perfect.
The drink itself is dark and luxurious in the glass. The play between the liqueurs creates a deep herbal and dark fruit profile. The drink is sweet throughout and the rum gets a bit lost, but in a good way. If the rum was a more intense flavor this cocktail would not work as well as it does. Definitely a slow sipper but perfect for when I start out this cold.
Cause now I’m warm.
The Last Sip
I find the Grander 8 to be a somewhat delicate rum with dainty notches throughout- but those dainty notes are very enjoyable. It works well as a light sipping rum, makes a killer daiquiri, and can hold its own in a spirit forward cocktail.
Tuesday Pints 