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Sipping rum suggestions for beginners


bdrinker
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  • 8 months later...

Thanks to the recommendations in this post, I found a Clement 6 yr 88 proof sitting on the back of the shelf at my local LS.

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  • 7 months later...

With coupon in hand at TW I took the plunge and bought a bottle of R.L. Seale's 10yr rum. Thanks for the recommendation, fellas. It's good. On the nose, it reminded me of another whiskey that I couldn't initially place but eventually came to me as Tullamore Dew Phoenix. The palate is a nice balance of flavors I associate with bourbon, Irish whiskey, and some Japanese whiskies - so a great combo. While it's rum, I wouldn't hesitate to use it to introduce a complete novice to the flavors of whiskey. It may not replace my bourbon consumption, but it makes for a nice change of pace. Thanks again!

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Captain Morgan's Coconut. Yummmmm. Tasty, cheap and plentiful. That's what I'm talking about.

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16 minutes ago, DCFan said:

Captain Morgan's Coconut. Yummmmm. Tasty, cheap and plentiful. That's what I'm talking about.

Easy living through lowered expectations. I like it. Not joining you - but I like it.

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36 minutes ago, The Black Tot said:

Easy living through lowered expectations. I like it. Not joining you - but I like it.

Absolutely.  Life for almost everyone is not Dom Perignon and Pappy's 24/7.  Sometimes the pedestrian stuff like Bacardi, Wellers with the screw cap tops, and OGD hits the spot tastewise and walletwise.

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Just now, DCFan said:

Absolutely.  Life for almost everyone is not Dom Perignon and Pappy's 24/7

Aw, now I KNOW you're foolin' - AS IF you're not drinking Pappy every day! Everyone here does.

 

SB.com members use Dom P for mimosas.

 

You really had me there for a second with that Bacardi thing. Ha!

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5 minutes ago, The Black Tot said:

Aw, now I KNOW you're foolin' - AS IF you're not drinking Pappy every day! Everyone here does.

 

SB.com members use Dom P for mimosas.

 

You really had me there for a second with that Bacardi thing. Ha!

 Who didn't grow up drinking Bacardi and coke (or Jack and coke)?  Long live the cheap stuff!!!! :D :D

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I think you'd better buy yourself a case of the Capt Morgan Coconut. I hear they're transitioning from continuous fermentation, high proof column distillation, short-term used cooperage aging and added sugar and chemical flavoring to... to...

 

...damn it, this joke is impossible - I can't imagine anything worse! :)

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9 minutes ago, The Black Tot said:

I think you'd better buy yourself a case of the Capt Morgan Coconut.

 

Negatory good buddy. I'm not a hoarder. My mind doesn't go into convulsions at the thought that "my whiskey" will soon disappear.  I have yet to go into a LS that looks like a Venezuelan (or old Soviet) supermarket with nothing but empty shelves as far as the eye can see. ;)

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Quite seriously there are a few in Houston. I'm not sure what's going on in there...

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12 minutes ago, The Black Tot said:

Quite seriously there are a few in Houston. I'm not sure what's going on in there...

Harvey prep?

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1 hour ago, The Black Tot said:

Quite seriously there are a few in Houston. I'm not sure what's going on in there...

Paul, I thought that's how the stores look after you (or some other SB members) shop there? Ha-ha

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8 hours ago, The Black Tot said:

Rockin', Brian. Now try Foursquare's cask strength stuff!

 

Will do, Paul! The only other ones I saw were Doorly's and their namesake spiced rum, but I'm keeping an eye on the shelves now.

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9 hours ago, PaulO said:

Paul, I thought that's how the stores look after you (or some other SB members) shop there? Ha-ha

Ha. Fair point. Maybe I'm getting there right after the other Houston sb.com lurkers.

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  • 3 months later...
On 8/7/2015 at 7:16 AM, tanstaafl2 said:

Where to begin? Tons of information in the new Rum Forum of course. For a whiskey drinker I tend to suggest Mount Gay XO or Appleton 12. If you think you might like the rums that are typically sweeter then for me it is hard to go wrong with El Dorado 12, 15 and 21yo. These all tend to be readily available and generally affordable. I also like the Doorly XO and Seale 10yo that are from Barbados like Mount Gay and supposedly are not permitted to have added sugar like most rums do. Zaya is another rum on the sweeter side but interesting enough as a sipper.

The aged rhum agricoles are fun but might not be the ideal starting point as they tend to have a bit more of a vegetal funk and may be harder to find and more expensive. But they are not permitted to be sweetened as most rums are and tend to be more whiskey like as a result. Rhum Barbancourt 5 star/8yo is another generally readily available affordable rum which is a bit more like the rhum agricoles but to me typically not quite as vegetal in nature (or as expensive) as the rhum agricoles from Martinique and Guadeloupe.

These are the exact two i started with not too too long ago, I prefer the Mount Gay personally, but keep one of each on hand.

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I started with the Mount Gay as well. In fact, I unearthed the remains of an early bottle on a back room shelf just this week. Ten years of oxidation have rounded it a bit compared to a fresh bottle, but not in a bad way at all.

 

 

 

mount_gay.thumb.jpg.4f51fcf5f98a99028b2adc47e4adf9f3.jpg

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Hehe, the first batch I bought was El Dorado 15 and Zacapa, also my first taste of rum. At first I loved the cloyingly sweet burnt sugar and spice.

 

Then I bought a Mount Gay XO and Appleton 12, and I remember going "Aaaah, now I get it." Nowadays I can't even stomach El Dorados that everybody else seems to enjoy, way too sweet and un-funky (?)

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If I was going to select a trio of attainable and affordable sippers I would go with the aforementioned Mount Gay XO and Appleton 12, with those out of the way, and assuming the individual already had experience in whiskey I would suggest something more assertive and my pick would be Smith and Cross. Some might not find it to be a sipper but for me it is really fantastic for the price, if it comes off as over the top you could always bring it back to earth by blending with the Appleton.  

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  • 5 weeks later...
If I was going to select a trio of attainable and affordable sippers I would go with the aforementioned Mount Gay XO and Appleton 12, with those out of the way, and assuming the individual already had experience in whiskey I would suggest something more assertive and my pick would be Smith and Cross. Some might not find it to be a sipper but for me it is really fantastic for the price, if it comes off as over the top you could always bring it back to earth by blending with the Appleton.  

I have to agree with your recommendations of readily available rum introduction choices. There are other harder to find options that I like better, but these are three solid choices...especially Smith and Cross, which is an incredible value to boot!


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Anyone have any suggestions for a first time agricole? I’ve been dabbling in rum for about a year now and want to expand my perspective a bit. On my shelf I have and have tried:

 

Appleton 12

Mt. Gay XO

Doorly’s 12

RL Seale 10

Real McCoy 12

Rhum Barbancourt 15

Plantation OFTD

Plantation 2002

Foursqaure Port Cask

Foursquare 2004

 

I’m looking for some suggestions of what would typify an agricole and might be available. I live in a non-ship state and haven’t seen any on the shelves except for:

 

St. George California for $52 at Total Wine

Clement Canne Bleue Rhum Blanc @$34

Clement premiere Rum Blanc @$31

 

The two Clements aren’t barrel aged, or at least are clear. I can’t tell from the website whether the St. George is aged but wasn’t excited about a California product. I have a couple stores that will order for me if I give them the names. Any suggestions? Thanks!

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My experience with Agricoles is limited compared to some of the other guys but I took a look at what the MD Total Wine's have in stock and it looks like Laurel has both JM and Clement VSOP which would certainly good places to start with aged Agricole. 

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I quite like the Neisson Élevé Sous Bois, which I can typically track down without too much trouble. It's got cask influence vs. domination which allows the essence and character of the spirit to survive. The 50% ABV is also a huge plus, along with the 1.0 Liter bottle.

 

IMG_8139.thumb.jpg.4e1ddf4decdb18af8af55c9c8f90d20e.jpg

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After getting punched in the face with Smith&Cross, and given my affinity to Appleton, I have decided to seriously explore big funk bombs. Planning a SBSBSBS[...] this weekend. Any classics that I should try?

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