A Flight of Rums

[Gillman]

In sunny Key West recently we tried some fine rums at the Rum Barrel, a bar and restaurant devoted to the art of rum. The house offers a flight, which is 4 rums served in 2 ounce shooters, and gives 25% off on the price (i.e., if you order a flight).

The selection was very large, perhaps 100 rums or more. It was hard to choose but we fixed on: Ron Zacapa 23 years old from Venezuela; Gosling Family Reserve (in the glossy opaque black flask); a grand reserve Cubano from Dominican Republic; and a Ron Cenentario from Costa Rica.

The premium Gosling was certainly very good with a smooth taste of old rum mingled with port wine, notable for its soft mouthfeel and rich taste. The Zacapa was even richer, tasting of fine old barrels and sweet molasses. The Cubano was technically speaking odd man out in that its plum- or strawberry like taste seemed apart from (in my experience) the normal rum profile. Perhaps it uses some rare yeasts or is aged in a tropical wood of some kind. Certainly one of a kind in my experience. The Costa Rican rum was very good, in the amber style, clearly without adding flavorings and a nice traditional aged rum of the non-treacly kind.

All top stuff.

An interesting place is Key West, quite lovely and tropical-like. Tourism abounds to be sure but I think still I got to learn a bit about its history and essence. And the fish eating is extremely good.

I walked in to many of the local liquor stores looking for interesting bourbons but quickly saw that while decent bourbon is available, the rum selection is generally much larger. Plus, rum is part clearly of the Island culture and influences here. So I tended to taste the rum when a hard drink was in order.

Gary

[Cigarman Chris]

Ron Zacapa is very good rum. Zaya is not bad either along with Pyrat XO, but I personally don't think either compare to the Zacapa. These are my top 3 rums, though I don't drink them often.

[mier]

A bit of good rum was very hard to get overhere,the only shop that still has a reasonable good choice is Cadenhead in Amsterdam,but tide is turning with more and more shops that sell at least one or two good quality rums beside the usual local and global brands.I`m starting to appreciate it more &more.

Eric.

[T47]

I know nothing about Rums but picked up some Ron Zacapa Centenario 23 today. I have wanted to try Guatemalan rum just for grins because my youngest is adopted from there. I actually went to pick up the Zaya 12 but saw on the label it is from Trinidad now not Guatemala. The clerk told me the Rum still was from Guatemala but the distillery had moved because of some government issues.

I enjoy the Centenario, nice molasses flavor and not as woody as I expected. Very smooth. I will probably pick up another for my son so he can open it in another 7 years when he hits 21.

:toast:

[T47]

After a little research I see that there is a Guatemalan Rum which is produced in my sons old home town of Quetzaltenango called Ron Botran. Not found here in WA but I have some feelers out, that would be a cool future gift!

[T47]

The Cubano was technically speaking odd man out in that its plum- or strawberry like taste seemed apart from (in my experience) the normal rum profile. Gary

I have tried very few Rums so far, that Zacapa 23 being my run away favorite. But the three bottles I have had are so different from one another I am wondering if there truly is a "Rum Profile". Besides the Zacapa I have tried Appleton Estate VX and Pyrat XO. The Pyrat has such an over powering orange flavor I could not notice anything else. I will be curious to see how others vary as well.

[sailor22]

The Botran is great and is a great price too - check HiTime Wine if you want to do an internet purchase or find yourself in LA.

I love the Zacapa 23 Anjos -- the current 23 Solara not so much.

The distillery didn't move, Diagio bought them out and wouldn't sell any of the Zacapa stock to Zaya for blending. The Zacapa has in my opinion suffered from the changes that Diagio imposed in order to meet a much larger distribution requirement. The irony is that most people prefer the new blend of Zaya to the older blend done with Zacapa stocks. The local stores can't keep Zaya on the shelf now.

The Zaya from both Trinidad and and Guatamala are both good with the Trinidad being the sweeter and less complex of the two.

If you like the Zacapa 23 be sure and try the El Dorado 15, 21 and 25 if you have a chance.

[kateric]

If you guys can ever afford Pyrat Cask 1623 for $300+ a bottle, it is awesome! My husband insists on getting a bottle and making it last a couple of years. (The only thing that has ever equaled/topped it was a Cuban rum he found while on an overseas trip.) The XO is for getting through and making that Cask 1623 last! Ron Pampero - in the cute leather bag - was nice to me also and it's very reasonably priced. I also liked Mt Gay Extra Old - good balance. The Santa Teresa 1796 is also quality rum, in addition to the Zaya and the Zacapa.

[Vange]

If you guys can ever afford Pyrat Cask 1623 for $300+ a bottle, it is awesome! My husband insists on getting a bottle and making it last a couple of years. (The only thing that has ever equaled/topped it was a Cuban rum he found while on an overseas trip.) The XO is for getting through and making that Cask 1623 last! Ron Pampero - in the cute leather bag - was nice to me also and it's very reasonably priced. I also liked Mt Gay Extra Old - good balance. The Santa Teresa 1796 is also quality rum, in addition to the Zaya and the Zacapa.

I have had it on a number of occasions and used to own it, but I traded it. Has the characteristic Pyrat orange flavor in it, but with increased complexity. I had bought it for $200 a handful of years ago. I prefer Appleton 21 to it as well as many others. If you like Pyrat XO its a must try and must buy (if u can afford), othewise I would pass. Just my 2 cents.

[Gillman]

In my opinion, that smack of orange flavour is from old Trinidad pot still rums. Guyana makes some old rum with a similar taste, so some of it might be from there. If you like that taste, the El Dorado rums, either 12 or 15 years old, offer it in a complex blend at a very good price.

I have a couple of my own blends which use these El Dorados as a component, I also use Angostura 1919 and the other one they have even older, 1824 I think it is called, which offer similar flavours at different ages. The pot still stuff is pungent and oily, even at old ages, and needs blending in my view (as Pyrat does I understand) to bring out the best in them.

Gary

[Gillman]

Here's some experience I had recently with Myer's. I bought some in Florida last year and tasted it recently, it has a bright round spicy smell, very distinctive, with a taste to match.

The other day I bought a 40 oz of Myer's (actually 1.14 L but reflecting still the old British quart) at the LCBO in Toronto. The brands are the same, the regular dark rum of Myer's. The Canadian one states that it is a blend of imported and domestic rum.

The reason for this statement is that you cannot import bulk rum for bottling in Canada unless some Canadian rum is added. I understand very little is generally added by importers of bulk spirits to meet this requirement, sometimes only 1%. I am not sure what Myer's does, but the nose and taste of the Canadian-listed product are very close to the one I bought in the U.S. If anything I like the Canadian one better. It has the same profile as the U.S. one (which is all-imported I should add) but is rounder and softer. Perhaps the trip over to Canada in bulk containers (although perhaps not wooden ones, I don't know) improved it. I doubt the blending had much to do with it because I think very little Canadian rum was added. However they did it, it is a fine drink of rum, better than most other brands out there IMO and much less expensive than many. This is like the bourbon in the 1970's, well-aged and mingled, inexpensive but really good. I don't know who buys it, I can't recall seeing any advertising for it locally although maybe there is some. Probably it is purchased by ex-Canadian Navy and former residents of the Islands, both of whom know good rum. Now I know.

Gary

[Gillman]

Just a little more information on why it is good. It has a heavy, traditional dark rum body. It has, although in a particularly appealing way, some citrus/oily notes that denote a pot-stilled spirit, either that or (like straight whiskey) distilled in a column apparatus at a low proof. There may be caramel added (I think I read this) but if so its presence seems hardly detectable. It offers a round, deep flavour of well-aged Islands rum. Sometimes the old stand-bys are worth revisiting... There are many fine rums out there, but this one, whose heritage goes back to the 1800's, ranks at the top and they don't charge an arm and a leg.

Gary