Favorite Rum

bourbon/scotch is pretty popular. but anyone enjoy rum?

i think good rum can rival a good scotch. and its usually much, much cheaper.

right now i'm drinking a Plantation Jamaica Old Reserve 2000.

some of my other favorites are:

El Dorado 15
Barbancourt 5-star
Smith and Cross
Lemon Hart 151
Saint James Hors d'age

Ron Zacapa 23 is by far the best sipping rum I've had.

zacapa is pretty good. it is very sweet tho.

also some people have problems with using additives. i don't, personally.

captain morgan spiced
appleton estate deluxe
bacardi 151

In the near future I plan on trying the krakken spiced rum and captain morgans special reserve

Barbncourt 15 year. Miss the days of sailing and picking it up for 15-20 bucks in the late 90s-early 00s

man, that's nice. i haven't had the 15year. gone thru more than a few bottles of the 8. I think even that's a great value at $22.

barbancourt is such a distinct rum. i'm glad they didn't get permanently screwed during the quake.

If you're ever in St. Lucia, try Bounty rum. It's a light golden rum meant for mixing, but stands up well on it's own with a very distinctive flavor. It's great both mixed and neat, but you can only get it in St. Lucia as far as I know. And it's like <$10 US there for a 750 mL bottle.

I had some 7 year flor de cana in Miami this year. It was pretty good but I don't think it was anywhere as good as scotch.

Mt. Gay for sure. Very nice by itself or mixed.

ReverseApacheMaster said:

I had some 7 year flor de cana in Miami this year. It was pretty good but I don't think it was anywhere as good as scotch.

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FDC 7 is pretty good. I just bought a bottle of the 12.

i don't think FDC 7 will rival a scotch, but at under $20 a 750 it's a damn good value.

autobaun70 said:

Mt. Gay for sure. Very nice by itself or mixed.

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second this. All we used to drink while fishing in the Keys.

motobrewer said:

FDC 7 is pretty good. I just bought a bottle of the 12.

i don't think FDC 7 will rival a scotch, but at under $20 a 750 it's a damn good value.

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I did enjoy sipping on it and it was a nice change of pace. I was surprised to see how cheap it is at the stores. I think it runs a little over $20 here but definitely good value.

Zaya is a 12 aged rum from Trinidad that is the best sipping rum I've had.

ReverseApacheMaster said:

I did enjoy sipping on it and it was a nice change of pace. I was surprised to see how cheap it is at the stores. I think it runs a little over $20 here but definitely good value.

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yeah, thinking now it probably is in the 20-25 dollar range. I haven't bought the 7 in awhile. not sure why, it's a great rum. the 12yr was about 30 even i think.

El dorado 15 for me. Tried the El Dorado 21 - very good but $75 a bottle.

appleton estate 12 year is my house rum
their...18 year I think it is, is my top shelf. Its damn good at under $40 a bottle.

Goofynewfie said:

captain morgan spiced
appleton estate deluxe
bacardi 151

In the near future I plan on trying the krakken spiced rum and captain morgans special reserve

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Kraken is delicious, it goes really well with lemonade. It also comes in a cool bottle.

allenH said:

second this. All we used to drink while fishing in the Keys.

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My Bajan friend claims that it's the only rum worth drinking--a bold statement for the caribbean. Unfortunately I've never had the pleasure.

henrybeggs said:

Kraken is delicious, it goes really well with lemonade. It also comes in a cool bottle.

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Agreed about the bottle, would look good with a mead in it

El dorado 21, Tortuga, Captain Morgan private reserve

tuckferrorists said:

Zaya is a 12 aged rum from Trinidad that is the best sipping rum I've had.

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Yes sir! I agree!! Much better profile IMHO then Ron Zapaco 23.

I consider myself fairly well traveled when it comes to Scotch and Bourbon, no connoisseur mind you but I've sampled quite a few different ones.

This thread however has made me realize that sadly I'm a Rum novice. So I'm on a Rum mission. I picked up a bottle of Kracken the other night along with a bottle of Four Roses as the selection of spirits here in WA just got much better. Its not to bad. Better than the old standby CM but I'm thinking that there are better out there.

So whats a good day to day sipper without spending a fortune?

And a picture just because i like the cool bottles.

autobaun70 said:

Mt. Gay for sure. Very nice by itself or mixed.

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It's my go to for mixing, but don't really like it on the rocks that much.

JeepDiver said:

It's my go to for mixing, but don't really like it on the rocks that much.

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have you tried the XO?

Appleton for sipping.
151 for mixers.

Have never strayed far from these. I definitely stay away from the spiced and flavored stuff. Made the mistake of getting high on Malibu Coconut cocktail in a bottle. Once.

bought a bottle of the kracken tonight, looking forward to sitting down in a bit and trying it

I don't drink rum, but when I did I drank:


Probably wasn't the best rum out there...

Mt. Gay Special Reserve. Surprisingly smooth and tasty. Priced right, too, at $15-$18 a fifth.

brewthunda said:

Mt. Gay Special Reserve. Surprisingly smooth and tasty. Priced right, too, at $15-$18 a fifth.

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Just took a pic of that one recently:

Just got some El Dorado 12. haven't tried it yet. had to get my buddy in MN to grab it for me, El Dorado isn't available in WI.

Bought myself a bottle of Ron Zacapa 23. ~$45 a bottle. 375mL, IIRC. Damn good sipper. Very distinct and smooth. MUCH better than the Appleton I've been clinging too.

May very well have to try some of the Mt Gay.

Sounds like i have a shopping list for this evening.

GilaMinumBeer said:

Bought myself a bottle of Ron Zacapa 23. ~$45 a bottle. 375mL, IIRC. Damn good sipper. Very distinct and smooth. MUCH better than the Appleton I've been clinging too.

May very well have to try some of the Mt Gay.

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Skip the Mt Gay....If you like sipping go for Zaya 12 Gran Reserva.

knuckleheadbrewing said:

Skip the Mt Gay....If you like sipping go for Zaya 12 Gran Reserva.

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Was on my list but not on the shelves. And, honestly, I had my reservations about the 23. It seems a common theme between spirits is that longer aged products tend to be less enjoyable than the younger offerings (especially in the context of Whiskeys).

Cruzan Black Strap
Appleton Estate Extra 12 Year Old

Cruzan silver or amber for mixing.

Ron Zacapa is on my list of ones to try, I haven't seen it on the shelves at my usual place.

the only mt gay i'd really sip is the xo. others are great rums but work best in cocktails.

also they will be completely different from zacapa. zacapa is dangerously close to liqueur territory. i still like it though.

motobrewer said:

zacapa is dangerously close to liqueur territory. i still like it though.

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Not sure I follow you here. Do you say this in regards to density? I did not find the Zacapa to be any more or less syrupy than others. Definitely not the same density as a Chambord, DiSarrono, or TripleSec.

Or do you mean lack of dryness?

If this is the case, I may agree. It was NOT a dry drink. Not cloying either. Had a very distinct "cane like" twang too it at the end. Something I only recall from having raw cane drinks in Asia.

GilaMinumBeer said:

Was on my list but not on the shelves. And, honestly, I had my reservations about the 23. It seems a common theme between spirits is that longer aged products tend to be less enjoyable than the younger offerings (especially in the context of Whiskeys).

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Are you sure you have that right? Longer aged sprites tend to be much smoother and much better....Like the difference between a 12 year old Glenlivet and the 18 y/o Glenlivet are vast...the 18 is far superior

Being originally from there, it warms my little Guatemalan heart to hear praise for Zacapa! I know I'm biased but I think it's the best and it's got 4 gold medals to its name.

I'll never forget when my dad gave me my first taste of it and said "Son don't you ever even dare think about putting Coke in this, I'll disown you". Most I'll do is a little squeeze of lime .

GilaMinumBeer said:

Was on my list but not on the shelves. And, honestly, I had my reservations about the 23. It seems a common theme between spirits is that longer aged products tend to be less enjoyable than the younger offerings (especially in the context of Whiskeys).

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I believe Zacapa has a 15 year as well. Their super premium XO is amazing, I save it for super special occasions.