Thanks for the info on Plantation rums. I saw those at a store when looking for El Dorado 15yr and didn't know anything about them. May go back and pick one up.
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Thanks for the info on Plantation rums. I saw those at a store when looking for El Dorado 15yr and didn't know anything about them. May go back and pick one up.
The stores here stock the Plantation Old Reserve (reg 55 on sale for 40) and Plantation Barbados Aged 5 years ($26). I seen a post on another whiskey forum that said the old reserve was not that good. Any opinions from the members here. Should I buy 1 or both?
Clavius,
If you ever get down to Nashville you will probably be able to find several El Dorado offerings. Last time I was there I stocked up on a couple bottles of the 12, 15 and a 21 yr. all at reasonable prices. I do know of one store here in Louisville that carries the 15 year but they want 50 some odd dollars a bottle. IIRC i paid under 40 in Nville. While all 3 are among my favorite rums I give the nod to the 12 year over the 15 but not by much.
If you're considering the Zacapa you might want to see if Zaya is available in your AO. It's a nice, reasonably priced aged agricole.
Zaya is indeed another rum with a sweeter profile like Zacapa but just to clarify, it is not a rhum agricole. It is a molasses based rum made in Trinidad from a blend of rums from other distillers from Trinidad and other islands where each rum is reportedly aged for at least 12 years in used whiskey and/or bourbon barrels and then blended together to make the final private label product. The biggest difference is that each rum is at least 12 years old compared to Zacapa which uses a blend of 6 to 23 yo rums.
Technically a rhum agricole must come from freshly pressed sugar cane juice only (not molasses or processed sugar cane syrup) and most comes from Franco-Caribbean islands like Martinique and Guadeloupe. Other French possessions like Mauritius and Reunion Island in the Indian Ocean also make a rhum agricole using sugar cane juice. But Martinique is probably the largest producer.
It is definitely different in taste from molasses based rums.
By way of further clarification. Zaya used to contain a lot of Zacappa juice that they purchased in bulk. When Diagio bought Zacappa the bulk sales stopped and Zaya had to source from other producers. The older Zaya will say Guatemala on the bottle the current offerings say Trinidad. Obviously the old blend has much more in common with Zacappa. The new blend is sweeter than the old and has a marvelous nose. Zacappa has also gotten sweeter post Diagio.
Quote:
Originally Posted by WhiskyToWhiskey
Get the 5 year first. If you like it but want an older, more mature option for better sipping, get the extra old.
Apologies. It's a decent pour, though.Quote:
Originally Posted by tanstaafl2
Any thoughts from you rum experts on Cruzan Single Barrel?
Cruzan Single Barrel a good-quality clean tasting rum and is fairly priced. I enjoyed it but did not replace my bottle as it (like most rums from Spanish-speaking islands) is a bit light, probably due to the high degree of distillation. I find myself wanting more body, funk, and complexity than came with this rum. Flor de Caņa 7 is a similar rum that I prefer for a similar flavor profile.
Conversely, Cruzan Black Strap is a beast, and my favorite black (molasses added) rum. It is rich, buttery, and sweet but with the sweetness balanced by the heavy molasses profile.
Thought I posted here but I guess not! I agree the Cruzan Single Barrel is good but not great as a sipper for the reason Rutherford mentioned. Not much hogo found in it or most Cuban/Spanish style rums. It is pretty much the top of the Cruzan line but still nicely priced and makes a great mixer.Quote:
Originally Posted by Rutherford
Blackstrap is a great mixing and tiki rum and perfect for a Dark and Stormy but perhaps too rich and one dimensional for a sipping rum. Also good for flavoring in cooking. It has no doubt been colored heavily with caramel and there is some discussion of how much extra molasses is used to give it that remarkably heavy syrupy texture.