Last week CTC were lucky enough to be invited to Wax Jambu in Islington to take part in a rum tasting event to celebrate the release of Marley on Blu-Ray, DVD and Digital Download from 20 August DVD.
In case you have been living under a rock, Marley follows the life of one of the 20th Century’s most iconic and respected artists (Bob Marley in case you are still wondering)
The film also includes key contributions from those closest to him including his children Cedella and Damian Marley, his wife Rita Marley, band member Bunny Wailer and his mentor and founder of Island Records, Chris Blackwell.
The first documentary to be made with support of the Marley family, the film features rare unseen footage, incredible performances and intimate interviews with the people that knew him best.
The timing for the event couldn’t be more perfect with Jamaica’s 50 years of Independence and their recent performance in the Olympics, so the celebrations were already flowing, and it was time to ‘get up, stand up’ and get down there.
To kick things off, Andreas from Blackwell Jamaican Rum was there to introduce the evening and give a brief history on rum from the process, to the different tastes from around the world.
Andreas gave us the history of the sugar cane (rum’s main ingredient) and how distilleries go from sugar cane, all the way to mojito.
INTERESTING FACT ALERT: when sugar cane was first produced and used, it was worth the wait in Gold! (Makes a pack of Haribo very expensive.)
Andreas then proceeded to introduce everyone to the different types of rum and explained that there will be 6 rums being sampled along with a explanation of each rum
There was no ‘waiting in vein’ as the rums were quick to come out.
First up were the white rums and samples from Appleton Estate White Classic (from Jamaica) and Elements 8 Platinum (from St Lucia).
Both rums were ok to drink but as Andreas pointed out, they were made more for mixers or for cocktails. Not much flavor to the rum, but both still pretty good. The Appleton Estate white classic had citrus notes to it and although the initial sip was quite harsh, the rum was still decent rum to have in the collection.
Next up were the Gold rums and Andreas treated us to Appleton Estate XV and Elements 8 Gold. Both rums packed flavour and taste.
The Appleton VX is a blend of 15 different rums, aged between five and ten years in used Jack Daniel’s oak casks. After aging and blending, the blended rum is placed into new casks for several months to allow the different flavors and aromas to marry before bottling.
Initially the rum gave off orange and fruity taste on the palate, followed by a Vanilla and Oaky after taste.
Finally Andreas brought out the big guns, the dark rums. For the dark rums we were treated to Goslings Black Seal (from Bermuda) and a new Jamaican rum called Blackwell which is owned by Chris Blackwell (Bob Marley’s mentor)
Blackwell Rum has been on the market for a few months and offers a smooth taste throughout.
Initial flavours were caramel and vanilla offering a sweet initial taste, then settling to a nice sweet after taste, making you want to shoot the sheriff….but not the deputy!
All in all, the rum was a smooth tasting long lasting rum which would be served perfectly over ice with a nice cigar, of course.
To top the tasting off, Wax Jambu treated guests to a specialty cocktail poetically called ‘Jammin for Jamaica’ which we didn’t need to ‘stir it up’
The night drew to a close and with the rum coursing through our veins, there was only 1 place for us and that was home. (Probably sensible for a Tuesday evening)
We left with Bob Marley’s spirit in us all that evening and lets just say we’ve been Jamming ever since.
Marley is out on Blu-Ray, DVD and Digital Download from 20 August DVD and great to pair with a glass of Blackwell rum, and a cigar if you have them!
Check out the trailer here: