Favorite Rum

Williams 728
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knuckleheadbrewing said:
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
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Ahh. Supposed to be, yes. But very often I hear the opposite from teh connoisures. That "the 18 year such and such is not worth the price and thuis the 12 year such and such is sooooo much better anyway" (paraphrased of course). I see this frequently with other spirits too.
 
Personally I'm not a fan of things that are too sweet. My palate just doesn't agree with them. Things like Mt. Gay (I could be entirely mistaken on the name, don't quote me.) are just coyingly sweet.

I will drink Captain Morgan Black Label no problem. Only a few dollars over regular Captain Morgan Spiced Rum and way cheaper than the fancy ones.
 
GilaMinumBeer said:
Ahh. Supposed to be, yes. But very often I hear the opposite from teh connoisures. That "the 18 year such and such is not worth the price and thuis the 12 year such and such is sooooo much better anyway" (paraphrased of course). I see this frequently with other spirits too.
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I get what you mean....I've read some places of 18's being better the 25's and so on and so forth. In my limited experience with spirits (I just this year started dabbling in 'sipping' whiskys, whiskeys, bourbons and rums this year), I have found my longer aged drinks to be better then the younger. They are slightly smoother, sweeter, more enjoyable IMHO.

I have however, had some 10 year Old's (Glenmorangie) that were Better then 12 year olds (glenlivet/Glenfiddich)...just like with beer, it's all subjective :D
 
GilaMinumBeer said:
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.
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i personally think it's more viscous than other rums, or other 80 proof liquors in general.

i agree that its not cloying but definitely on the sweet side.

if you want "cane", try Saint James. or Rhum Barbancourt. Barbancourt 8yr, at ~$21/750ml, is probably THE best value in spirits.
 
Broke down and bought some Zaya and some Don Julio Blanco. I'm going on a 16 day vacation on Santa Rosa beach in Florida next Friday and I'll prolly just leave them capped and sealed until then.
 
No clue on what rum's are good. But a dark rum and ginger ale, dark n stormy's, are great!
 
motobrewer said:
so???

i've never had zaya
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Ha. Sorry. The Zaya is tolerable. Very tannic and not really my thing. Taken neat, it hits me like a Oked Bourbon or Scotch (of which I am not a fan at all unless in a sour).

But, it goes down easy too. Not very hot at all.

Between Ron Zacapa and Zaya, I'll mix the Zaya to tone down the oak and I'll take the RZ with a cube of ice.

As for the Don Julio, wow. If it weren't for the huge lip on the bottle I'd skip the glass and to save wasted time. Wife started to mix a margarita and went for the Dj bottle. I told her I'd cut her brake lines if she ruined it like that. ;)
 
Ron Botran Reserva is my twenty-dollar beats Bacardi and Captain hands-down choice. Most Captain drinkers try Ron Botran and prefer the spices in it... And then you get to explain that it's not spiced... It is traditional barrel aging that gives it its spice. Sometimes then the lightbulb goes off and they realize you don't need artificial flavors to make a good spirit.

Rum Barbancourt 15 is my all time favorite though. The 8yr isn't anything special, IMO.

And Ron Pompero Anejo is a Venezuela Rum, complex and oaky and nice to sip as well.

There was a time when I could identify a rum's origin by taste alone and would frequently prove it... Though occasionally I would be off by a couple hundred miles for landlocked rums.
 
rifraf said:
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 :).
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Being a gringo living in your wonderful home country, I am also partial to Zacapa....and give similar advice to those who even think about mixing it! I tell them they will go straight to Rum Hell. The Reserva is quite nice too.

We keep Ron Botran 12 year on hand for mixing use. Its also a very good rum, almost good enough to be a true sipping rum. We mix it with a bit of agua de coco and it is wonderful.

Some of the higher end (older) Flor de Cana products from Nicaragua are quite nice too, but finish with a bit of a bite to my palate. Although I do have a few Guatemalteco friends who prefer them (Traidores!). They can be found, in limited quantities (some sort of import/export quota) here in Guate, but I was in Granada, Nicaragua recently so got to sip them in their native country.

Ron Pompero Anejo (Venezuela) ranks very near Zacapa for me.

Ive asked at Licores de Guatemala (Zacapa distributor) about purchasing some of the old barrels used to age Zacapa and that is a possibility. I plan to buy one or two this year and try it out....maybe a Porter or a Barelywine would be nice....

Also, we have a few other home brewers in Guatemala on the forums and created a group here named "Cerveceros CA-4" (https://www.homebrewtalk.com/groups/cerveceros+ca-4/).
 
rifraf said:
No way! That's awesome. If I could clone Gallo, I'd be a happy camper. Also let me know about the barrels. I'd be extremely interested in one of those...
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Hey join up, you're not living here, but you are from here.

A Gallo clone should not a be a tall order. Not sure when you were last in Guate, but Gallo now makes "Moza" and "Moza Gold" which are not too bad. Still a long way from "craft brews" but at least a step in a nice direction.
 
So, who likes to have a good cigar with their rum?

I was in Grenada, Nicaragua recently and visited the Dona Elba cigar factory. At the end of the tour they gave me a nice tasty cigar (maduro) and a glass of Flor de Cana 18. Yum...

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I live in Ontario, so my selection is limited to what the government-owned LCBO decides I should be allowed to purchase.

So it's Mount Gay. XO for sipping, regular for coke/others. Liquid gold.
 
some things I've picked up recently:

English Harbor - haven't given it a through tasting, but the quick nips I've had have been very promising. lots of raw cane, especially on the aroma. pot still
Westerhall Plantation - haven't opened it, but pretty excited for this. Apparently they only produce 3 barrels a day. mostly? pot still? unsure.
Saint James Ambre - I have the Hors d' Age, and that is pretty fantastic. hoping it works well in a mai tai.
 
Grabbed a bottle of Ron Solera Bacardi 1873 this weekend. $15. Makes for a very decent everyday sipping rum. Has a bit of first sip bite to it but otherwise very easy to sip neat.
 
I've been wanting to try that - actually what I'd really like to try is the Bacardi Limited Edition.

anyway I cracked open the Westerhall - it could be my new favorite rum, at least by taste. not sure how it's made, I think at least part of it is pot-stilled. aroma was light, but then again, i don't have a very good sense of smell. banana, hit of oak and tobacco - taste was dominated by delicious fresh sugar cane. not sure how long it's aged, light color tells me not that long, maybe 4/5 years at most. at 43%, it's quite possibly the smoothest rum I've ever tasted - over zacapa and more aged rums like el dorado 15 and flor de cana 12. the limited production aspect scares me, lol! i only saw 2 bottles at the local liquor store. it's gonna be hard not to go grab the other bottle asap. All this for $29.99!

right now i'm enjoying a Mai Tai:

  • 1oz Saint James Hors d'Age
  • 1oz Smith and Cross
  • 1oz Lime Juice
  • 1/2oz Rhum Clement Creole Shrubb
  • 3/4oz Orgeat Syrup
 
I'm trying to remember if I have the FDC 8, or 12. Can't recall for certain. I'm not really liking it much. I think the tannins are too prominant for me to enjoy.
 
i had a bottle of FDC 7 (I think you meant 7, ;) ) a while ago, i don't remember sipping it straight. made a pretty interesting mojito though.

i toughly enjoy the 12 though. that's high up on my list of rums I like neat.
 
Barbancourt 15 for sipping straight. The 8-yr is great too, I like it in mixed drinks. Can be tough to find around me though.
 
jerrodm said:
Barbancourt 15 for sipping straight. The 8-yr is great too, I like it in mixed drinks. Can be tough to find around me though.
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Rhum Barbancourt and Mount Gay are next in my sights. I think I've already tried the youngest ones and now it's time to look for some more mature bottles.
 
GilaMinumBeer said:
I just can't recall. 7, 8, or 12. I dunno.

But I definitely "toughly" enjoy it too. Have to finish the bottle somehow, right?

:D
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7:30 am spelling is not my strong suit...

I've only had Barb 8, and it's fantastic. I see the 15 and for some reason haven't been able to pull the trigger.

I will confess that I really enjoy the barb 8 with coke and a bit of lemon.

I need to investigate the mount gay line as well.
 
oh, also, I'm making some rum balls tonight, haven't decided what to use. the recipe i have only calls for 3oz...which might get bumped up to 4.

thinking el dorado 12 or FDC 12 - or maybe stick with something like appleton and/or coruba.
 
motobrewer said:
oh, also, I'm making some rum balls tonight, haven't decided what to use. the recipe i have only calls for 3oz...which might get bumped up to 4.

thinking el dorado 12 or FDC 12 - or maybe stick with something like appleton and/or coruba.
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Wife recently made Bread Pudding with a Rum Vanilla sauce. Used FDC 7 in that and it was amazing.

Last night I was sipping on FDC 7 and Disarrono after putting away a few neat RSB 1873's. Tasted like butter rum hard candies.
 
how many do you have? :)

after a very long tasting I went with flor de cana 12. they're...not very rummy. but when you've been drinking rum all night i don't think i'm a very accurate gauge of how rummy things are.

we'll see what the guys at the curling club think. i went with powdered sugar and pistachio coating. i tried a few in cocoa powder but it eventually just absorbed the moisture so it didn't look like it was coated at all.
 
motobrewer said:
how many do you have? :).
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That would depend entirely on how many I have already had and whether or not my wife has an attitude about my condition. So, that night I had one good eye. Using two eyes, everything doubled (so a sober person would go with half). With a wifes attitude, there would be three to four eyes metering the quantities. At least 3 of those eyes would see a reasonable amount going into the glass, and when two of them leave, one of the eyes would see a less reasonable amount get poured on top.

Capiche'? :D

And, you did not quote the previous reply. Tsk, Tsk, Tsk.
 
Over the past 11 years I've been to just about every one of the RUM islands in the Caribbean and West Indies.
Sampled all of the rums they make.. The most complex killer rum I have ever tried is Demerara El Dorado 21 year old.
I never fail to bring home a couple of bottles each year and reserve them for quiet times when something special is required.;)
Fantastic rum to be sure.

bosco
 
GilaMinumBeer said:
And, you did not quote the previous reply. Tsk, Tsk, Tsk.
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well this thread is essentially a conversation between me and you, so I figured the formality of quoting could be left aside. ;)

boscobeans said:
The most complex killer rum I have ever tried is Demerara El Dorado 21 year old.
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yeah, the 21 is on "the list". probably be awhile before I drop that much cash on a bottle of rum. altho i just dropped the same amount of cash on a bottle of scotch....funny that...
 
motobrewer said:
well this thread is essentially a conversation between me and you, so I figured the formality of quoting could be left aside. ;).
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NOOB! Not everything is apparent to the naked eye. But even focusing with one good eye doesn't make what becomes apparent, all that important. :tank:
 
Seriously, what's the skinny on Sailor Jerry. I hear a lot of people talking about it, but it's cheaper than Bacardi and I personally blame Bacardi for most peoples' hatred of rum, so I've been loathe to try something else in that range. Good rum is as good as a fine scotch or whiskey, for sure... but bad rum is an abomination. Bacardi falls into that category for me. I will not touch the stuff. So what's the deal with sailor jerry?
 
Sir Humpsalot said:
Seriously, what's the skinny on Sailor Jerry. I hear a lot of people talking about it, but it's cheaper than Bacardi and I personally blame Bacardi for most peoples' hatred of rum, so I've been loathe to try something else in that range. Good rum is as good as a fine scotch or whiskey, for sure... but bad rum is an abomination. Bacardi falls into that category for me. I will not touch the stuff. So what's the deal with sailor jerry?
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Sailor Jerry is just good stuff. Very smooth, tastes great on the rocks(not bad for 92 proof) unlike that Bacardi crap. I remember a couple of years when SJ was under 10 bucks a bottle, not any longer.
 
Bacardi is not bad rum - and it's the closest thing any of us in the states will get to real Cuban rum. hard to make a true mojito without it.

the mass produced spice rum is the real garbage. fyi - sailor jerry (and captain) is artificially colored.
 

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