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Bmac
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I am a bit surprised this isn't already a thread. So here it goes.

This thread is for anyone out there who collects, tastes, mixes, drinks the "other brown liquid" Rum or Rhum. ;)

Before I started collecting Bourbon I was collecting Rum. Rum is different in so many ways. However, it shares a commonality with bourbon when it is aged. Sadly, the Angels are mighty greedy with Rum and they take 15% of the alcohol a year. Which makes you wonder how on Earth can they make 30 year rum? The Solera method. They will take a barrel that has been aging a few years and add some more new make. They'll also add in some older aging rum. Then they will take that barrel and move it somewhere else to age. They keep doing this for many, many, many years until they have a barrel that has been around for 30 years. It most likely has SOME 30 year rum in it....but not much.

Mocambo 20 yr Single Barrel is one such beast that shares a lot in common with bourbon. In fact, it tastes a lot like bourbon.

Here is my current Rum collection that I have been neglecting:

  • Ron Matuaelem Platino (White Rum)
  • Ron Metusalem Gran Reserve 18yr (the absolute best in my collection. These are no longer produced so if you find one...get it.)
  • Ron Zacapa 23yr (awesome stuff!)
  • Mount Gay Extra Old (Awesome everyday pour, neat or mixed)
  • Mount Gay 1703 30yr (not worth the price of admission :( )
  • Barbancourt Reserve Specialle Rhum 8yr (not as good as I would have expected)
  • Appleton Estate 12yr (good stuff)
  • Flora De Caña 12yr (tastes like scope mouthwash)
  • Bacardi 151 (Standard munition. Gotta kill the zombies somehow ;))
  • Bacardi Superior (standard mixer)
  • Blackheart Spiced Rum (a gift. Has a nice sexy pirate on it!)
  • Myer's Rum (Dark Rum. Standard mixer)
  • Old Monk 9yr (Tastes like they dumped an entire barrel of vanilla and caramel flavoring in this. It comes from India of all places...i guess that's how they do it there.)
  • Mocambo 20yr Single Barrel (good stuff. Artsy bottle.)
  • Oronoco (White rum. Overly priced vanilla flavored vodka :()

I need to bunker another RM 18yr, RZ 23yr and then there is a tasty looking V.S.O.P. Rhum that I can get my grubby little hands on.

Anybody else collect Rum?

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I've never had the Ron Zacapa 23yr but I have had my eye on it at a local store. I bet it's good!

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I've never had the Ron Zacapa 23yr but I have had my eye on it at a local store. I bet it's good!

Let me put it this way...it's dangerous. You could easily drink that whole bottle and not realize you're drinking alcohol. It's that smooth O_O

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You guys are going to inspire me to start buying rum. With the amount of tequila already in the house, I'm not sure my wife will let me live through that... :smiley_acbt:

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I like rum occasionally, Cruzan makes great rum. Pyrat is fantastic for the $20 it sells for. Zacapa 23yr is mind boggling, just fantastic stuff. The world of rum is immense and intriguing, there is a ton of variance, but its really tough to beat excellent rum. I like it neat in the summer months. Appleton, Cruzan, and Mt Gay make great rum across the board. It's best to jump in head first.

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I haven't been a big rum drinker for the past several years, but I used to really enjoy it. I currently just have a bottle of Mt. Gay Eclipse in the cabinet.

I also never got into the especially great rums. Probably the best I ever had was Pusser's Naval Rum. I used to buy Mt. Gay Sugar Cane Brandy fairly regularly. That is probably my all time favorite.

Then, there were many years of the pedestrian stuff - Bacardi, Ron Rico, etc. When I was in college, I thought Myers's Planters Punch was pretty high living.

Tim

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I didn't know Ron Zacapa made a straight 23yr old rum. The Ron Zacapa 23 Solera is popular around here being a blend of rums between 6yr and 23yr. Is this the Centenario or Black Label 23 anos everyone is referring to? Where is it available?

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I didn't know Ron Zacapa made a straight 23yr old rum. The Ron Zacapa 23 Solera is popular around here being a blend of rums between 6yr and 23yr. Is this the Centenario or Black Label 23 anos everyone is referring to? Where is it available?

I guess I should have added tbe Solera part. My understanding is that all extra aged rum is solera because it evaporates in the barrel.so fast you really dont have much choice.

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A dusty rum bottle was my first wonderful taste of rum. An old Trader Vic's Golden Puerto Rican from the early 70's. 4/5 quart is now about 150ml.... Wonderful sugary pineapple goodness.

I've tried white Cruzan (gasoline), and always have the Bacardi 151 and Malibu on hand for making hurricanes.

I think Appleton Estate 12 year is my next target for rum, but it just doesn't get drank that much around here except for in cocktails. Summer is coming though, and a good mojito or daiquiri (non-frozen please, just rum, sugar, lime juice) can't be beat in the heat of an evening with a small cigar.

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Is Bacardi 8 Anos any good??

Currently this is the only rum I have open. Priced very well for what it is. I enjoy the odd rum as a change from whiskey. This one I would say is better than el dorado 12, I like it about the same as el dorado 15, but several steps under el dorado 21.

I enjoyed havana club barrel proof probably the most out of all the rums I have had, but has been unavailable here. I might get the ron zacapa 23 in the future...but $80 price point here seems steep. Pyrat XO reserve is $50 around here...which of the 2 is the better buy given the prices?

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Currently this is the only rum I have open. Priced very well for what it is. I enjoy the odd rum as a change from whiskey. This one I would say is better than el dorado 12, I like it about the same as el dorado 15, but several steps under el dorado 21.

I enjoyed havana club barrel proof probably the most out of all the rums I have had, but has been unavailable here. I might get the ron zacapa 23 in the future...but $80 price point here seems steep. Pyrat XO reserve is $50 around here...which of the 2 is the better buy given the prices?

I don't know where you live or if you can get things shipped in your state, but a Hi Time (www.hitimewine.net), you can get El Dorado 12 for $25.99, Ron Zacapa for $37.99 and Pyrat XO for $19.99. I'd say take the $80 that you were going to spend on the Z23 and buy all 3 and spend a tiny bit more.

http://www.hitimewine.net/RON-ZACAPA-23-RUM-750.html

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I like rum occasionally, Cruzan makes great rum. Pyrat is fantastic for the $20 it sells for. Zacapa 23yr is mind boggling, just fantastic stuff. The world of rum is immense and intriguing, there is a ton of variance, but its really tough to beat excellent rum. I like it neat in the summer months. Appleton, Cruzan, and Mt Gay make great rum across the board. It's best to jump in head first.

I had a bottle.of.Pyrat XO and both times I had to send it back becajse cork was rotting. Rum happens to create condensation. I am not sure why. But it saturates the cork which festers, then sweats that nasty stuff back in the rum. You get a terrible.stomach ache :(

So...no more Pyrat for me :(

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I had a fling with rum. Then I found bourbon...

Heh, naw just kidding. I did have a brief fling with rum when I went gluten-free and thought any liquor or beer distilled from grain had gluten in it. Rum and potato vodka.

I have recently had the opportunity to try some Rhum Agricole, and was kind of blown away by that. Can be similar to tequila in the way it expresses the source plant.

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Currently drinking Ron Barcelo Anejo. Fairly light body, significant caramel flavor with a touch of molasses, a tad sweet, very mellow texture. Pretty much a poster child for the rums of Spanish-speaking islands (this one is made in Dominican Republic).

Pairs nicely with a cigar that is made with a Connecticut Shade wrapper-- Maduros would probably overwhelm it.

They make an Extra Anejo as well, but I can't get my hands on it.

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I guess I should have added tbe Solera part. My understanding is that all extra aged rum is solera because it evaporates in the barrel.so fast you really dont have much choice.

It changed from 23 anjos (years) to 23 solara after Diagio bought them and greatly increased distribution. They needed to use more younger juice to meet demand. If you compare an older bottle of the 23 anjos to a current solara offering you may be disappointed in the change. The XO changed considerably after the Diagio take over also.

Remember with rum there are pretty much no rules you can count on. In the USA if a Bourbon says 18 yrs on the label that is the youngest juice in the bottle. Not the case with rum at all. In most cases it means there may be some juice that old in there.

Rum is common and manufactured around the world with various levels of oversight. Even Nepal has a rum manufacturer. With nearly all rums there is usually no way of telling what has been added or how it has been added or modified although nearly all say that the flavors come only from the barrel. Taste something like Pyrat XO which tastes for all the world like an orange liqeur and see if it mirrors any of the barrel flavors you get from a Bourbon or Scotch.

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It changed from 23 anjos (years) to 23 solara after Diagio bought them and greatly increased distribution. They needed to use more younger juice to meet demand. If you compare an older bottle of the 23 anjos to a current solara offering you may be disappointed in the change. The XO changed considerably after the Diagio take over also.

Remember with rum there are pretty much no rules you can count on. In the USA if a Bourbon says 18 yrs on the label that is the youngest juice in the bottle. Not the case with rum at all. In most cases it means there may be some juice that old in there.

Rum is common and manufactured around the world with various levels of oversight. Even Nepal has a rum manufacturer. With nearly all rums there is usually no way of telling what has been added or how it has been added or modified although nearly all say that the flavors come only from the barrel. Taste something like Pyrat XO which tastes for all the world like an orange liqeur and see if it mirrors any of the barrel flavors you get from a Bourbon or Scotch.

Agreed. Would the dusty version of RZ 23yr be the version that is covered completely in wicker (instead of the small strip)?

You're right rum is pretty much an un-standardized spirit industry. It might be why is hasn't taken off as much as bourbon and scotch has in recent years.

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The palm wrapped was the first iteration and was imported on a small scale if I'm not mistaken. I have only sampled it a couple of times and haven't had a chance to compare a wrapped version with any of the others in a side by side tasting.

Last summer six of us did a blind taste with a bottle of 23 anjos from before the Diagio takeover, the current 23 solara and the current XO. Everyone preferred the 23 anjos by a large margin over the other two. It is worthwhile seeking it out as a dusty.

Also a dusty worth searching for if you are partial to the Cuban style is Matusalem Gran Reserve that was distilled and bottled in Lake Alfred Florida. Currently I think it's a product of PR and is good but the Lake Alfred bottlings always win out in bling tastings.

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I have recently had the opportunity to try some Rhum Agricole, and was kind of blown away by that. Can be similar to tequila in the way it expresses the source plant.

I am trying my first ones soon from Rhum JM and Rhum Clement. Supposed to be pretty remarkable difference and purity. Can't wait.

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Also a dusty worth searching for if you are partial to the Cuban style is Matusalem Gran Reserve that was distilled and bottled in Lake Alfred Florida. Currently I think it's a product of PR and is good but the Lake Alfred bottlings always win out in bling tastings.

I have the Gran Reserve 18yr which is phenomenal. I had two rum tastings and this one beat out all at both. I am pretty sure I can get another bottle, and have been looking to bunker it since it isn't in production.

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I had a bottle.of.Pyrat XO and both times I had to send it back becajse cork was rotting. Rum happens to create condensation. I am not sure why. But it saturates the cork which festers, then sweats that nasty stuff back in the rum. You get a terrible.stomach ache :(

So...no more Pyrat for me :(

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Not directly on point I know, but I bought a bottle of Knob Creek in Toronto yesterday and noted it has the synthetic cork closure, first I've seen of it amongst the Beam range.

Gary

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I am trying my first ones soon from Rhum JM and Rhum Clement. Supposed to be pretty remarkable difference and purity. Can't wait.

I've been very enamored lately with the Rhum JM Blanc. It's the by far the best "white" rum that i've had.

I need to break down and get a couple of their other aged selections. I've only read reviews on them, and the suspense is building.

B

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On the dark side of things, having a nightcap pour of some Pyrat Cask 1623.

The thing that just gets me the most is how it just fills the air with it's smell. Much more so than any other bourbon i've every had. Not quite how it does it, but man, just letting it sit next to you is a dream.

B

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