The 3rd Great Belgian Rum Tasting: Lichtervelde
June 17, 2023
Madou’s bar is becoming quite famous, and the rum collection is growing. Not only that, but the spa like atmosphere is outstanding…especially if you are a goat or a cow.
The welcoming committee chair.
Kay the barker and her faithful companion in the shade.
Warmup mai tai.
Part of the lineup.
Some notes from the first and second editions can be found here.
MAISON LQ MAUNY 2015:2019 – martinique (4)
hot. alcohol nose. clear gycerin use. dry on mouth. bitter
There was lots of Clement rum on hand, all from martinique.
We had to check our work with direct test tube comparisons for these.
CLEMENT 10 YEAR RHUM AGRICOLE 2012 (8)
dry. peppery. mature oak. delicious finish.
CLEMENT 5 YEAR MOKA RHUM AGRICOLE 2015 (6)
soft nose. curly esters. a bit sour turns to sweet.
CLEMENT 10 YEAR VANILLA RHUM AGRICOLE 2013 (7)
flower nose. soft. oak
CLEMENT 4 YEAR 5 MONTHS RHUM AGRICOLE 2020 (3)
gym sock nose. weak. bitter
CLEMENT XO (min 6 year blend) (7)
nice balanced nose. mature oak. balanced sugar. masterful blend. a bit corporate with nice components. banana.
CARÚPANO (up to) 21 year reserve (4)
sugar nose. central american style. ester curl works well. gycerin.
DIPLOMATICO AMBASSADOR (6)
sugar nose. some grass. hot. ester curl hell (not good). gets better each taste, but not as good as the 1976 product.
RATU 8 – fij (1)
coconut nose has to be fake. birthday cake disaster. yuck. please just take it.
BUNDABERG – australia (2)
weak nose. watery. blended down to bad.
TOPPITS (unpictured)
that’s a wrap. quite literally.
The final lineup.
Losers bracket.
There is Amer Picon to be had, including Citron which NPS has never seen before. We made liberals of course.
And we introduced the Industry Sour to Belgium
equal parts: Fernet. Green Chartruese. Lime. Simple syrup (1:1). Shake. Serve up.
Walks around the pond are available for a fee.
Sometimes things get hazy
Our hostess with the mostess.
We can’t wait to return.
fin.
Three tacos in Pheonix
December 18, 2022
When United fucks up ops, they do it spectacularly. NPS was headed to phoenix for a meeting. The four hour flight delay (equipment related on a route that has no other backups) caused us to land after the meeting was over. Just ridiculous.
So we did a post meeting rendez-vous and headed to Scottsdale for a taco.
I almost forgot. Dulles was all dressed up for the holidays.
And it was a complete zoo. Security was packed. This is the TSApre line.
Scottsdale fountain with a Belgian photo bomb.
Tourist tacos for the win. And a margerita too, of course.
We admired the lights and did some sock shopping in town.
FAST
SLOW
Finally we swung by the Westin in Tempe for a fantastic Negroni. Who knows why, but that hotel bar is one of the best in town?!
Anyway, United still sucks.