Heavy Hangover | Motörhead – Finest Caribbean Rum

Born to Lose + Live to Win

They were icons lead by an iconic rocker: Motörhead!

Heavy metal rock ‘n roll with punk energy bursts and roaring thunder. Lemmy distinct growl with snarling roar and his trademark singing stance, microphone high above him, makes his legacy continue forevermore. As iconic as his image is his status as chain-smoking heavy drinker. It is said Lemmy emptied at least one bottle of Jack Daniels every day, smoking 1 – 2 packs of cigarettes. He cut back in the last decades though he never lost his appetite. Not for liquor nor smokes, especially not for sex, drugs and rock ‘n roll. 

Go ahead put the blame on me, another reason to disagree
Deaf to all the truth for sure, hear the hammer knocking at your door
But you know it’s all fairy tales, a heavy heart like a bag of nails

Stand up! Show your face, another victim of the cold embrace
Before too long, no more singers, no more songs

Oh no, last call, you had a chance, you lost it all
Got some, bad news, never learned to dance, born to lose

His snarling growls towering over the energy combusted drums and heavy driving guitars. Playing a lot of notes and chords, rather than following the typical bass lines of genre comrades, Kilmister saw himself as ‘deep guitar player’ with a bass strapped onto him rather than a bassist. His playing style combined with the specific aggressive tone and treble resonance of his beloved Rickenbacker anteed up for the grittiest rock ‘n roar rock and metal have ever known. Grit and dirt injected into rock ‘n roll structures, trailblazing the precursor of NWOBHM re-energizing heavy metal through the following decades. 

MOTÖRHEAD – SPEED FREAK ROCK ‘N ROLL

His raucous attitude and sound were in line with his colleagues and found accolades in their persistence of power. Energy scattering from the powerhouse trio, every album capturing their speed freak rock ‘n roll as performed onstage during their long live stints. On the road their sound distilled, the dynamics grinding. Blasting! Lyrical Lemmy addressed his gut feelings towards topics like war, good vs evil, abuse of power, substance abuse and promiscuous sex. Right… and gambling…

No other hero or rock institute is as iconic and true-at-heart as Lemmy Kilmister and his band. No other rock band will be celebrated while raising glasses of their very own branded drinks as much as Motörhead. Check any campground at a heavy metal festival to find out….

Telling lies just makes it worse, another loved one, blind and cursed
Don’t speak the truth, only lies, all we need is a reason why
But then you always miss the point, your perfect time is out of joint

Stand Up! Bite your tongue, hell coming and it won’t be long
Your wasted life, cut to ribbons with a thousand knives

Right now, right here, lose your mind, but show no fear
Burn slow, no excuse, so unkind, born to lose

MOTÖRHEAD RUM

Finest Caribbean Rum
40 % ABV

“Born to lose” means you’ve been through a lot and had your share of bad luck. “Live to win” means live your life to the fullest, regardless of the consequences.

It was Lemmy’s approach to life summed up in a short motto, wrapped around an ace of spades. The same motto that is embellished on this new edition of their acclaimed and worldwide awarded Motörhead Caribbean Rum. This Rum is very accessible, yet delicate due to its well-balanced harmony of taste. Spices and bite are fused to the rich Rum body made for a joyous tasting experience.

Key factor of this is the usage of the production process called solera, which ensures consistency in taste. The Rum is aging in 3 layers of barrels, with the bottom layer (Solera) being the oldest in age, and layer two (Criaderas) being the medium aged Rum. By transferring the young matured Rum from its Criadera aging into the 2^nd level, with half of the 2^nd level being transferred into the elder low level, the aging improves blending two different ages of Rum and sustaining taste. 

For this 8 Year Dark Rum it adds maturity and nicely balanced tones drawn from the Bourbon barrels used. The basics remained, subtle changes introduced. Compared to the award winning original, this is the new edition. What has changed?

THE MAIN CHANGES

Main changes in its presentation are subtle. The iconic charging sabers, once featured on Lemmy’s top hat, moved up from the bottom of the label to the bottleneck, replacing Motörhead’s MCMLXX Roman foundation date. Replacing the crossed sabers on the bottom is a golden ace of spades separating Lemmy’s ‘Born to lose Live to win’ credo. A better match adding to his credo. Gone is the subtitle ‘Premium Dark Rum’, in comes ‘Finest Caribbean Rum’, as well as the product info in grey. Replaced by a deep red banner it enhances the luster of the bottle. Like I said: “minor changes”.

Pouring the dark Rum, it whelms with an alcohol-heavy nose and strong spicy nuances. Molasses and brown sugar, with little complementing notes of dark chocolate are predominant in its extending perfume. I also remotely smell Italian Marsala wine. Very pleasant, to say the least. Dark colored leaning towards caramel, it is sheer eye-candy. 

The alcohol heavy nose that dominates the first sip, revealing a spicy and sharp first flavor. The Rum itself has a little burning sensation adding up to the spiced first taste, and the heavy metal experience in general. It swirls with sweet notes dominating over the light-dry mouthfeel. Bourbon aging reveals a remote light oak-woodiness and tannic spice, but only minimal. Allowing the Rum some time and (especially) a couple of extra sips, it reveals a deeper and more intense palate. The alcohol fading to the back, it blooms full bodied with arrack, vanilla and molasses, and hints of dried fruit (plums). Subnotes of caramel are present, as is the dryer mouthfeel from the Bourbon casks. All balancing out in a subtle sweet, but not oversweet, dark Rum experience with long endurance. This long-lasting aftertaste makes for greatness.

TASTING & RECIPES

Pouring it and warming the Rum and glass in the palm of my hand, it reveals its spicy nose and subtle nuances best. It exposes more depth and rich spices.

Doing a double shot blend with Coke, following Kilmister’s favorite recipe, the sweet cola fuses to the rich spices and dark fruit. With Coca-Cola releasing vanilla flavored Coke, I tried the latter and was surprised by the wonderful fuse of styles. It certainly makes me revisit as the regular Coke ‘n Rum mix isn’t my direct favorite. 

Top teer recipe tasting Motörhead Finest Caribbean Rum is with a wedge of orange, as well as adding a tiny shot of white Rum, blending with the Dark Rum astonishingly well. Oh, and do not be afraid to delude the Rum with a bit of clean (spring) water. It can handle it very well.

FOOD PAIRING

With a great drink comes a great meal, and what pairs better with a dark Rum than a grilled steak? Well, I went for a steak seasoned with salt and pepper and fresh ground Arabica coffee. The coffee will dissolve and caramelize bringing the steaks meaty flavors forward even better. The light bitter in the meats broiled crust adds to the sweet Rum body and its spicy aftertaste. It is a culinary match made in Heaven!

During the evening I also went for Dates with cream cheese and some nuts with dried fruits. This always serves well with any Rum, especially the older and dark ones. Dry cheese and a creamy brie with fresh honey drizzled are proven matches. 

I recently discovered a wonderful addition as my daughter brought home Werther’s Original caramel popcorn and the Sea Salt and Brezel caramel popcorn, instant winners… Must try!

,,Born to Lose” blasting from my speakers in repeat modes, I had an excellent evening tasting and revisiting this remarkable Rum. 

Be still, turn your back, you can’t survive, and that’s a fact
I know you can’t believe it’s true, the evil years catching up to you
Now your face, is awful pale, never thought you were gonna fail

Stand up! We cut you down, the worm awaits you in this barren ground
Your last goodbye, sweet justice for your wasted life

Right now, no doubt, in a world of pain, no way out.
Be still, can’t refuse, in a world of shame, born to lose.
No remorse, can’t cope, no getaway, up in smoke.
Fade out, we accuse, time to pay, born to lose. Born to lose.

You can purchase Motörhead Finest Caribbean Rum via Topdrinks HERE