Rating:
www.neworleansrum.com

Back in 2006 I reviewed New Orleans Cane Amber Rum. Since that time, Cane Rum has been discontinued over apparent confusion between itself and 10 Cane Rum. In its place we now have Old New Orleans Rum, which I think is actually a much better label anyways as it not only highlights itself as being one of the few continental US rum distilleries, but in a pirate town ta boot 🙂

Now I would generally expect that in such cases, while the bottling has changed, the rum might not. My bottle of Cane Amber is long gone (I have a second, but refuse to break the seal for this review – sorry!), so I can’t really do a side-by-side comparison. I do recall Cane Amber as being rather more scotch-like than rummy, but this is really all that I have to go on.

In the bottle, Old New Orleans 3 Year Aged Rum is a nice, basic brownish amber. The bottle is clean and classy, and corked in the manner of all self-respecting rums (with a few exceptions.) To the nose, Old New Orleans smells of sweet sugar cane, vanilla, and just a hint of over-ripe fruit. It comes across as being light-bodied, and perhaps a little alcoholly.

This rum indeed tastes of sugarcane and vanilla. It’s syrupy sweet and has a bit of an alcohol finish. My perference is for full-bodies rums – musky oaks and heady molosses. Old New Orleans is more in the fashion of east indian rums such as Old Monk or Khukri – decent, but not quite in the style you’d expect if you’re mostly accustomed to British, Spanish, or French styled rums. As to the scotch-like qualities I remember from Cane Amber? None whatsoever this time around – I’d say that this rum has been reinvented along with its packaging.

Old New Orleans 3 Year Rum is decent, but not of the quality I generally prefer in my sipping rums. Its lightness might work well on the rocks on a hot day, but not so much in a snifter next to the fire. Or if you’re into mixers, it would make a fine upgrade from the more typical grocery store rums, who shall remain nameless.