Caribbean Calling With Chairman’s Reserve Rum At Montpellier’s

I happen to think I am a bit of an expert when it comes to the world of rum. It is my tipple of choice and I love the huge differences between the different ages and colours of the spirit. When Dave told me of his evening celebrating Chairman’s Reserve with Montpellier’s I knew there was nowhere else I would be that evening.

 

We were greeted with a taste of the white label rum which, despite its clear colour, is still aged for 3 to 4 years. The colour it picks up from the ageing process is gently filtered out to leave a perfectly clear rum perfect to be mixed. There is a heavy vanilla scent on the nose with white chocolate on the palate.

 

Following this we were given a tour of the different rums available from Chairman’s Reserve, and there’s a lot! Finest is unique as it uses old Jack Daniels and Buffalo Trace barrels whilst ageing. These give it fudge and honey on the nose with a burnt wood taste on the palate. My favourite is the Finest Spiced variety which is infused with bois bande (a wood used in rum shacks and known locally to the Caribbean as an aphrodisiac), cinnamon, clove and nutmeg among other spices. The result is a sweeter and smoother spirit with raisin notes on the nose and a caramel taste on the palate.

 

Montpellier’s had been set a challenge to create some dishes and cocktails using the rum that would pair together well. First up was a goats cheese salad with an El Presidente made using walnut liqueur, red vermouth and Chairman’s Finest. The slight bitterness of the walnut worked really well to cut through the creaminess of the goat’s cheese. A wonderful start!

 

Our main course was a chicken mughlai – a spiced chicken stew originating from Mauritius with a spicy cocktail! Ginger infused rum with balsamic, Chairman’s Finest white, lime, sugar, chilli and pickled ginger. For me the mughlai needed a touch more seasoning and some of my rice was still uncooked. The cocktail had clearly been sat on the bar a while as it tasted like pickled onions before a good stir! Afterwards it brought out the creamy flavours of the stew although not a favourite of the evening for me.

 

Dessert was much more promising with poached pears, rum and vanilla ice cream. These were flambéed before our eyes and served with a spiced rum daiquiri. The orange and raisin in the drink gave the vanilla ice cream a lovely kick, a lovely end to the meal.

 

Before we left we got to try the Forgotten Casks rum. The rumour is that in 2007 a huge fire hit St Lucia where Chairman’s Reserve is made. The cellar team buried a number of casks to stop them being destroyed and forgot where they were until 2011, when they were found. The result is a new limited edition rum aged for 10 years with toffee notes on the nose and a whiskey flavour on the palate.

 

A lovely end to the evening and a tour of the Chairman’s Reserve range. Huge thanks to Dave and Montpellier’s for the detailed introduction to this award winning rum range, it is clear why it is the 5^th year in a row they have won the coveted prize of Best Rum in the World at the ISC!

I attended this event as a guest and wasn’t asked to pay. This is an honest and unbiased review of the event.