Dougdogs' Dusty Rum Bottles...

[dougdog]

I’ve recently become more interested in Rum…

A bottle of Sea Wynde, a post from Chuck (CL) titled “What Rum Do You Drink Neat?” and some influence from Tim (TMH), is all it took.

You can see more about my first Rum-Rhum vertical tasting HERE

I have found several bottles to get started with. But how did I know what to look for?...Well…The list of what to look for, came from everyone’s’ contribution to CL’s post…Thanks CL! (And all!)

The picture below shows a few of the first days’ huntin’, they are:

1. Green Label, Cadenhead bottling, 10yo, 46%, 750ml, Jamaica Rum, white wine color.

2. Green Label, Cadenhead bottling, 20yo, 46%, 750ml, Jamaica Rum, very dark color.

3. Pyrat, Superior Blanco, NAS, 40%, 750ml, Anguilla, British West Indies.

4. Pyrat XO Reserve, NAS, 40%, 750ml, hand numbered bottle 26909LW, Anguilla, British West Indies.

More to come… Stay tuned!

Dougdog

[gr8erdane]

Not sure about the others but I'll attest to the Pyrat XO as being very yummy. Last year after the holidays HiTime had a REALLY good sale on gift packs with two glasses for about half the normal price of the bottle alone. Keep tuned to them for any specials!

[dougdog]

While out rum hunting…I found these, some were on the list of rums in CL’s thread, others not.

Cruzin Rum, NAS, single barrel, 40%, 750ml, hand numbered bottle 59482 barrel 85197 UPC 89016, St. Croix, US virgin Islands, this was on the list.

Next are two bottles of Chauffe Coeur Rhum, NAS, 54%, agricole, 750ml, Martinique, France. Imported by Whyte & Whyte of Chicago/Elk Grove (usually remembered for the great single barrel bottlings of SMSW that grace my bunker and my palate these days) (Signatory did most, if not all of the Whyte & Whyte bottlings) these bottles date back pre 1994. The gold wax tops are brittle and there is no “pull tab” to aid in opening. I opened the taller wine bottle version, and found that it was not at all what one would expect rum to taste like. It has no evidence of barrel influence. (You can see from the color) It is youthful and exuberant, you can smell the juice dripping out of the cane while standing in the cane field, complex hints of citrus and tropical fruit were just behind the big “cane” profile that dominated the nose…they gave no clue to what was about to come . The ABV was not subtle or demure; it was very able to take your breath away if you were unsuspecting. The big “fresh cane” flavors were now most evident and burst onto the palate, engulfing your entire mouth. The Rhum had a thick and viscous texture for the best mouth feel of any rum/rhum tasted to date. Then after the initial blast, some soft, grassy, green vine notes and a reminder of the tropical fruits emerge that eventually lead you to a long warming “Tallisker like” finish. The legs were slow and irregular…incredible! (I wonder if this stuff was pot stilled?). At the end, while wiping out my glass for the next pour, I noticed how “hazy” my glass had become, Indicating the Rhum was not chill filtered…lots of fats in this one…It will be interesting to see how this one opens up in the bottle, now that it has had a breath of oxygen. This one was not on the list.

Next is a bottle of Gosling’s Black Seal, NAS, 40%, 750ml, Bermuda rum, UPC 21094, this one was on the list.

Last up is Appleton Estate, 12yo, 43%, 750ml, Jamaican rum, UPC 83960, this one was on the list.

[dougdog]

Dane, you wrote

Not sure about the others but I'll attest to the Pyrat XO as being very yummy.

I'll second that...as a matter of fact, The Pyrat XO was one of the tag-along items I took to Christmas dinner at a friends house this year...I poured it for the host, he liked it so well he begged to buy it...who was I to argue...I would have given it too him, but he just received a bottle of Cardhu 12yo SMSW from me for his Xmas gift...

BTW...another great rum that I just opened was the El Dorado 15yo, slightly different than the Pyrat, but just as "yummy"...that one was from a note/list on CL's thread, El Dorado got high marks there...no wonder!

Dougdog

[dougdog]

The last three bottles from this huntin' trip are:

Ron Antiguo, Santa Teresa 1796 Rum, Nas, 40%, 750ml, Venezuela, UPC 24223.

Next is Pusser's Navy Rum, NAS, 47.75%, 750ml, British Virgin Islands Rum, UPC 80686. (This is a very good rum with or without the low price point...higher priced rums should take note!)

Last is a cracker...El Dorado, special reserve 15yo, 40%, Demerara rum from Guyana. UPC 11629. I guess I'd have to say that this is what I think rum tastes like, rich and full bodied. It is thick and syrupy with no "off" notes. At 35 bucks it is real good rum...I still have a bunch to open and taste...but this one is leading the way right now. It is the yardstick by which all others will be judged!

All you guys who posted notes about El Dorado on CL's thread, "What Rum Do You Drink Neat"....well...Thanks!

dougdog

[T47]

Have you ever tried ZAYA GRAN RESERVA 12 YR RUM? It is from Guatemala. I am thinking of picking up a couple bottles. 1 to sample, and one to save for my 11 year old son, until he is an adult. I adopted him from Guatemala and think it would be an interesting gift for a 21st B-day?

[dougdog]

T47 you wrote:

Have you ever tried ZAYA GRAN RESERVA 12 YR RUM? It is from Guatemala. I am thinking of picking up a couple bottles. 1 to sample, and one to save for my 11 year old son, until he is an adult. I adopted him from Guatemala and think it would be an interesting gift for a 21st B-day?

I have tasted Zaya and found it interesting and different but it is not gonna make my top ten list probably ever...It is a grand idea to buy one for your son, for all the reasons you mentioned...so, do it!...Just buy yourself some other rum for same amount of money, in the meantime, and hopefully you can be there when he opens the Zaya on his 21st B-Day and enjoy it with him then...Kinda deferred tasting/gratification-father/son bonding experience.

best regards, dougdog

[T47]

you can be there when he opens the Zaya on his 21st B-Day and enjoy it with him then...Kinda deferred tasting/gratification-father/son bonding experience.

Good idea, and thanks for the advice...happy new year.

[Jake_Parrott]

Another (IMHO better) one from Guatemala is Zacapa Centenario.

[ratcheer]

I was going to ask you, last night, whether you had tried the Pusser's. But I was afraid it would be a stupid question, so I didn't.

A friend gave me a drink of it about 5 years ago and I thought it was wonderful. But my tastes don't seem to run with so many others' on this forum (e.g., everyone is enthralled with the wheaters, but I am not), so I kept quiet.

I'm glad to hear you like the Pusser's.

Tim