Objective Notes

Very Smooth (on the RnD scale of Harsh-Smooth-Very Smooth-Extremely Smooth).

 

Ragged Mountain Rum is golden dark straw in color acquired during it’s time aging in oak barrels. This highly aromatic pot distilled rum introduces notes of oak, tropical fruit, allspice, leather, nuts, caramel, and alcohol. First taste reveals a spicy entry and medium to full body with nice mouth feel. Flavors discerned are burnt caramel, leather, allspice, pepper, and a hint of wood. It finishes semi-sweet and warm ending drier with a lingering spicy fade.

Anecdotal Notes

Roger – Berkshire Mountain Distillers are small artisan craft distillery located in Great Barrington, Massachusetts. The farm and distillery are home to historic spring waters that flow from deep within a protected granite mountain bordering the  Appalachian Trail and are used in the production of their spirits. In fact the spring water was bottled and sold in the late 19th centuries and is still available today. 

Berkshire Mountain Distillers were established in 2007 but you wouldn’t know they haven’t been distilling for generations with their Ragged Mountain Rum which was named after a peak in the Berkshires. The goal for their rum was to produce a sipping rum that fit somewhere between a traditional pot distilled Jamaican rum and a lighter Spanish style rum like Rhum Barbancourt. They started off with a semi-fancy grade blackstrap molasses with an increased sugar content. After fermentation it’s triple pot distilled in their 825 gallon steam fired stainless steel G.H Hicks still dated to 1967. A former test still for Brown Forman. After triple distilling the young rum goes into used oak barrels that formerly held Woodford Bourbon. They blend and marry barrels with rums aged from 2-3 years for their final product.

Ragged Mountain Rum uses a substantial, round bottle with wide shoulders, a long tall neck and BMD embossed in the glass above the front label. It’s quality package topped off by a synthetic cork and black cap.

Taster’s Opinion

Roger – The guys at Berkshire Mountain Distillers were shooting for a great sipping rum and Ragged Mountain Rum delvers. Aged sipping rums from the US are rare so its nice to see the market expand. Ragged Mountain Rum has a lot of character and complexity that comes from it pot still beginning and aging in those small Woodford Bourbon barrels. Best enjoyed neat or on the rocks where you can discover it’s intricacies. Available in New England and several states including new York, California, among a few others. A worthy addition to your rum collection.

Dave –  Ragged Mountain Rum shows pronounced aromas characteristic of a young rum, definitely showing it’s pot still birth and relatively brief 2-3 years of maturing in used Woodford Reserve bourbon oak barrels.  Scents of tobacco, wet leather, and substantial hints of tails and congeners add a measure of depth and complexity, with a very mild vanilla and butterscotch sweetness.  The initial taste is far more pleasant and smooth than the aromas lead you to expect, with a nice, slightly oily sweetness.  A medium-weight, thin body is almost oily and spreads quickly before the off-dry finish concentrates in the mouth.  The slight sweetness lingers on the tip of your tongue while the flavors reside in your mouth, whereas little of the pleasant finish ends in your throat.  A few drops of water really opened the rum up, adding complexity and a welcome smokey essence, suggesting Ragged Mountain Rum is best sipped on the rocks.

Ragged Mountain is an honest, unique American spirit – a real bourbon drinker’s rum.  Fans of Kentucky whiskey would be attracted by Ragged Mountain Rum’s heavy nose and familiar flavors that transition quickly to a sugar cane spirit.  So many American distillers are new to rum and haven’t had enough years in their barrels to release a mature aged rum.  They have no choice but to produce unaged white rums or spiced/flavored rums.  However, Berkshire Mountain Distillery has been producing nice rum for a few years and aging it in Woodford Reserve bourbon barrels to achieve rum with uniquely American aromas and flavor.  Perhaps Ragged Mountain is pioneering a new style of rum that we should call “American.”

Taster's Rating (10 is best):  Roger - 8 Flasks; Dave – 7.5 Flasks.

 

Most recently tasted by:  Roger and Dave, May 2011 at RnD’s North and South Tasting Rooms, USA.

*750ml unless otherwise specified.