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Bmac
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yes, absolutely. in my personal experience El Dorado 15 and RZS23 seem to work the best. I'm out of RZS23 right now, but have a bottle of XO I got for about 50 bucks (too much, if you ask me). I'm currently using the Zacapa XO little by little. Sometimes I use some Planter's gold if I want more of an orangey flavor, especially in something like an old-fashioned.

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I wouldn't apply the term thoughtful to Congress but political animals are certainly cunning and posses well honed survival instincts. Nearsighted tax policies wrecked the smaller ship builders in New England and, I agree, similar policies could have a very damaging effect on the smaller rum producers in the Caribbean.

"Thoughtful" in this case required the use of sarcafont* to make it clear!

*Sarcafont is the font one uses to clearly identify sarcasm in a post!

:cool:

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Squire, you should be able to get a bottle of El Dorado 12, 15, or Ron Zacapa 23 Solera somewhere near you for not too much. as an ingredient, the bottle will last for a very long time, and would be a good investment. Another one I sometimes use, is Mount Gay XO, but it isn't my top recommendation. Would definitely recommend the Zacapa Solera 23 as a regular substitute for sugar.

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Almost grabbed a Ron Zacapa 23 Solera today, but some of the talk on here about it changing scared me away. Still worthy or is there something else out there better for a rum newb (aside from cocktails and with coke) to spend his time and money on?

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Almost grabbed a Ron Zacapa 23 Solera today, but some of the talk on here about it changing scared me away. Still worthy or is there something else out there better for a rum newb (aside from cocktails and with coke) to spend his time and money on?
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K. So Pyrat XO, another popular option, is $20 cheaper...preference there? Looking for something of value that can be used as a sipper and mixer.

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Pyrat XO is about 2% orange extract. It's a great mixer, but not so good neat. I use it for a rum and coke when I'm in the mood for that orangey-ness, or as a sweetener in an old fashioned. You really can't go wrong with Ron Zacapa 23 as an introduction into decent rum. If you can find El Dorado 12, that would be another good option.

What is Ron Zacapa 23 where you're at? I see it for 32-36 here, and Pyrat runs 20-26.

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I'm only interested in mixers at the present time guys. I've had some high end rums in the past but that's not my current focus.

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Pyrat XO is about 2% orange extract. It's a great mixer, but not so good neat. I use it for a rum and coke when I'm in the mood for that orangey-ness, or as a sweetener in an old fashioned. You really can't go wrong with Ron Zacapa 23 as an introduction into decent rum. If you can find El Dorado 12, that would be another good option.

What is Ron Zacapa 23 where you're at? I see it for 32-36 here, and Pyrat runs 20-26.

I personally don't care for Pyrat XO as a sipping rum and the orange notes can really influence a drink as a mixer to me.

Ron Zacapa 23 (which is not 23 yo rum by the way) in Atlanta typically runs in the mid $40's as of the last time I looked a month or so ago. Very sweet and maybe a good transition to drinking rum neat for the rum n' coke crowd.

El Dorado 12 & 15yo (which are age stated rums) have been my favorites in recent years. The 15 runs $10 or more less than Zacapa and the 12 is even less than the 15. Of note the 15 is not just the 12 with three more years. They are slightly different formulations of several rums produced by DDL in Guyana using some truly historic stills. I think some have noted a change in quality over time but I haven't noticied it myself. But it is worth noting that these are batch made rums and there are slight differences from batch to batch even among the 15 or the 12 line. I happen to like that about it and so always look forward to exploring each new bottle. And I can't recall ever having a bad one.

Personally I am sure I am a little biased but for QPR it is hard to beat them as a sipping rum. But it also makes a wonderful mixer and is a tiki staple.

And if you want to step it up another notch you can always reach for the 21yo usually available here for a fairly reasonable $70-80 or so if memory serves.

If you can find it I find Doorly's XO from Barbados to be a pretty reasonable inexpensive rum at around $15 for both mixing and sipping. R.L. Seale 10 yo from the same distillery is a little more here locally, maybe low $20's, but also quite nice.

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Are those the historic wooded column stills I've read about?

Yes, DDL has both a wooden column still and two wooden pot stills that are still used in rum production.

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ED12 is one of the best deals compared to other rums here. ED 12 is $33, RZ23 is $80, and ED15 is $60. Appletons 12yo the other reasonable buy at $38.

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El Dorado 12 & 15yo (which are age stated rums) have been my favorites in recent years. The 15 runs $10 or more less than Zacapa and the 12 is even less than the 15.

Interesting. When I can find El Dorado 15 here, it runs 10 dollars MORE than the Zacapa. however, I prefer it to RZS23.

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Had my first "sipping" rum tonight, purchased a bottle of Zaya tonight as a gift and had a sip when the bottle was opened...really changed my view on rums as traditionally I only drank rum and cokes or other rum drinks.. Very sweet and really way too easy to drink. I think I might have to pick up a bottle of El Dorado as the 15 and 21 are available to me in PA to broaden my liquor horizons

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Came across an interesting looking bottle today. Whether it is any good remains to be seen but for $30 for a liter it seemed worth a try. It is Rhum Arehucas and is a product of Spain but is produced in the Canary Islands. There are several versions on the website but the only one in the store was the Oro or gold rum. One down side is that this bottle is only 37.5 ABV. Some of the other options, especially the aged rums, are at least 40 ABV.

Any who, it will be interesting to try.

With all the talk about Zacapa I decided to also pick up a bottle of Botran Solera 1893 (like I needed MORE rum...). Made in Guatemala by the same company that makes Zacapa, it is also made from fermented cane syrup, is named for the family that owns the distillery and is reportedly a good bit different from the Zacapa rums. Also at about $31 it seemed like a worthwhile experiment to compare it to Zacapa.

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I passed for now on Richland Rum at $55. It is a young rhum agricole style rum made in Americus, Georgia (In the southern part of the state where sugar cane fields can be found). It has only been in operation for a year or so and it appears they are aging in small barrels. The rum had a lot of color making me thing it is being artificially colored although I don't know that. Anyway at the price I think I would have to try it first. One of the friendly local whiskey mongers that I rely on for insite on new beverages suggested it was OK but not at that price. I am inclined to agree, at least until I can try it for myself.

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Edited by tanstaafl2
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Anybody tried the newish Kirk and Sweeney rum from the DR yet? Just arrived in my local store for $30. Given I can get ED12 for less I wasn't too excited but I could be persauded to change my mind.

Comes from 35 Maple Street, the spirits side (and address apparently) of "The Other Guys" which is a Sonoma, CA based wine company that is also responsible for Masterson's Rye.

Like Masterson's the bottle is kinda funky and interesting although that so far isn't enough to get me to bite.

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Went to the store to get some El Dorado and got sidetracked. In the sale bin was a bottle of 8 year old Barbancourt and when I showed an interest the guy said, "That's been sitting around here for years, if you want it I'll knock a few more dollars off the bottle". So I paid the $14.34 and it went home with me.

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