What rum are you drinking today?

[Marekv8]

10 hours ago, Kpiz said:

Does it say which still this came off of?

 

No, unfortunately.

[Marekv8]

Wow.

Halfway through the delivery, this explodes with a fresh mango & pepper blast (plus a drop of 1970s era Testors model cement). Really delighted with all three of the Rhumb Runner expressions.

 

[smokinjoe]

12 hours ago, Marekv8 said:

Wow.

Halfway through the delivery, this explodes with a fresh mango & pepper blast (plus a drop of 1970s era Testors model cement). 

 

Model glue?  The hits just keep on comin’!!!!   Well, I guess this would offer the added benefit of providing a bit of a buzz from simply nosing the pour.  

[EarthQuake]

I'm trying to figure out what sort of rums I like, so I ordered a bunch of samples from Master of Malt. This was a really fun experiment.

Uploaded Images

 

El Dorado 12, 80 pf - 86/100

Sweet, vanilla, little bit of oak, very smooth, slight bitterness on finish keeps the sweetness in balance, almost brandy-like, very pleasant.

 

El Dorado 21, 86 pf - 84/100

Anise, more of a funky pot-still thing more like an agricole here. No mistaking that this one is a rum. Drier and a bit more complex and challenging than the 12 year, but a surprising lack of oak for a 21 year old. There’s a sharp bitterness on the finish that is verging on unpleasant.

 

Appleton 21, 86 pf - 88/100

Sweet vanilla at first, then shifts to anise, and a bit of bitter oak. A touch of funk, very clean Jamaican style. Long finish.  This one is like the best parts of the El Dorado 12 and 21, but again has less oak than I would like, or rather the oak shows up as sweet vanilla rather than tannic and woody.

 

J. Bally Millesime 2002, 86 pf - 88/100

Smells like a plant. Tastes like grass. Dry, savory, just a little sweet. A bit of wood.

 

Bellevue 17 year 1998 Guadeloupe, 86 pf - 94/100

Spices, grass, nuts, leather, oak, dark chocolate. Just enough sweetness to balance the drying finish. Fantastic.

 

Flor de Cana 18 year, 80 pf - 78/100

Vanilla, sugar not much going on here. Pretty basic rum.

 

St. Lucia 1931 4th Edition, 86 pf - 88/100

A little bit sweet, a little bit of bitter sharpness, a little bit of funk. Grass and a bit of anise. Not super complex but enjoyable.

 

Plantation XO, 80 pf - 70/100

Sweet like candy. Sugar, sugar and more sugar. A little bit of oak. This is so cloyingly, artificially sweet it’s hard to pick out any other flavors.
 

Pusser’s 15 year, 80 pf - 86/100

Sweet anise candy leads to dark chocolate and coffee. The bitterness on the finish helps to balance the initial sweetness, but it’s still a little too sweet.

 

Rhum J.M XO, 90 pf - 86/100

Bright, and lively. Fresh cane juice. Bitter oak. The higher proof gives this a snap that the rest of these are missing. Reminds me of Clement. Like the St. Lucia the flavor profile isn’t overly complex, but it’s enjoyable nonetheless. 

 

 

Edited April 18, 2018 by EarthQuake

[kevinbrink]

15 minutes ago, EarthQuake said:

I'm trying to figure out what sort of rums I like, so I ordered a bunch of samples from Master of Malt. This was a really fun experiment.

Uploaded Images

 

El Dorado 12, 80 pf - 86/100

Sweet, vanilla, little bit of oak, very smooth, slight bitterness on finish keeps the sweetness in balance, almost brandy-like, very pleasant.

 

El Dorado 21, 86 pf - 84/100

Anise, more of a funky pot-still thing more like an agricole here. No mistaking that this one is a rum. Drier and a bit more complex and challenging than the 12 year, but a surprising lack of oak for a 21 year old. There’s a sharp bitterness on the finish that is verging on unpleasant.

 

Appleton 21, 86 pf - 88/100

Sweet vanilla at first, then shifts to anise, and a bit of bitter oak. A touch of funk, very clean Jamaican style. Long finish.  This one is like the best parts of the El Dorado 12 and 21, but again has less oak than I would like, or rather the oak shows up as sweet vanilla rather than tannic and woody.

 

J. Bally Millesime 2002, 86 pf - 88/100

Smells like a plant. Tastes like grass. Dry, savory, just a little sweet. A bit of wood.

 

Bellevue 17 year 1998 Guadeloupe, 86 pf - 94/100

Spices, grass, nuts, leather, oak, dark chocolate. Just enough sweetness to balance the drying finish. Fantastic.

 

Flor de Cana 18 year, 80 pf - 78/100

Vanilla, sugar not much going on here. Pretty basic rum.

 

St. Lucia 1931 4th Edition, 86 pf - 88/100

A little bit sweet, a little bit of bitter sharpness, a little bit of funk. Grass and a bit of anise. Not super complex but enjoyable.

 

Plantation XO, 80 pf - 70/100

Sweet like candy. Sugar, sugar and more sugar. A little bit of oak. This is so cloyingly, artificially sweet it’s hard to pick out any other flavors.
 

Pusser’s 15 year, 80 pf - 86/100

Sweet anise candy leads to dark chocolate and coffee. The bitterness on the finish helps to balance the initial sweetness, but it’s still a little too sweet.

 

Rhum J.M XO, 90 pf - 86/100

Bright, and lively. Fresh cane juice. Bitter oak. The higher proof gives this a snap that the rest of these are missing. Reminds me of Clement. Like the St. Lucia the flavor profile isn’t overly complex, but it’s enjoyable nonetheless. 

 

 

That looks like a fun "project"

[Marekv8]

3 hours ago, EarthQuake said:

I'm trying to figure out what sort of rums I like, so I ordered a bunch of samples from Master of Malt. This was a really fun experiment.

Uploaded Images

 

El Dorado 12, 80 pf - 86/100

Sweet, vanilla, little bit of oak, very smooth, slight bitterness on finish keeps the sweetness in balance, almost brandy-like, very pleasant.

 

El Dorado 21, 86 pf - 84/100

Anise, more of a funky pot-still thing more like an agricole here. No mistaking that this one is a rum. Drier and a bit more complex and challenging than the 12 year, but a surprising lack of oak for a 21 year old. There’s a sharp bitterness on the finish that is verging on unpleasant.

 

Appleton 21, 86 pf - 88/100

Sweet vanilla at first, then shifts to anise, and a bit of bitter oak. A touch of funk, very clean Jamaican style. Long finish.  This one is like the best parts of the El Dorado 12 and 21, but again has less oak than I would like, or rather the oak shows up as sweet vanilla rather than tannic and woody.

 

J. Bally Millesime 2002, 86 pf - 88/100

Smells like a plant. Tastes like grass. Dry, savory, just a little sweet. A bit of wood.

 

Bellevue 17 year 1998 Guadeloupe, 86 pf - 94/100

Spices, grass, nuts, leather, oak, dark chocolate. Just enough sweetness to balance the drying finish. Fantastic.

 

Flor de Cana 18 year, 80 pf - 78/100

Vanilla, sugar not much going on here. Pretty basic rum.

 

St. Lucia 1931 4th Edition, 86 pf - 88/100

A little bit sweet, a little bit of bitter sharpness, a little bit of funk. Grass and a bit of anise. Not super complex but enjoyable.

 

Plantation XO, 80 pf - 70/100

Sweet like candy. Sugar, sugar and more sugar. A little bit of oak. This is so cloyingly, artificially sweet it’s hard to pick out any other flavors.
 

Pusser’s 15 year, 80 pf - 86/100

Sweet anise candy leads to dark chocolate and coffee. The bitterness on the finish helps to balance the initial sweetness, but it’s still a little too sweet.

 

Rhum J.M XO, 90 pf - 86/100

Bright, and lively. Fresh cane juice. Bitter oak. The higher proof gives this a snap that the rest of these are missing. Reminds me of Clement. Like the St. Lucia the flavor profile isn’t overly complex, but it’s enjoyable nonetheless. 

 

 

 

 

That's a great way to do it-- I had the Bellevue pegged as my #1 before reading your notes.

[EarthQuake]

7 hours ago, Marekv8 said:

 

 

That's a great way to do it-- I had the Bellevue pegged as my #1 before reading your notes.

Yeah it was head and shoulders above the rest. Pity though, by the time I figured it out it was out of stock at Master of Malt.

[MTNBourbon]

12 hours ago, EarthQuake said:

I'm trying to figure out what sort of rums I like, so I ordered a bunch of samples from Master of Malt. This was a really fun experiment.

Uploaded Images

 

El Dorado 12, 80 pf - 86/100

Sweet, vanilla, little bit of oak, very smooth, slight bitterness on finish keeps the sweetness in balance, almost brandy-like, very pleasant.

 

El Dorado 21, 86 pf - 84/100

Anise, more of a funky pot-still thing more like an agricole here. No mistaking that this one is a rum. Drier and a bit more complex and challenging than the 12 year, but a surprising lack of oak for a 21 year old. There’s a sharp bitterness on the finish that is verging on unpleasant.

 

Appleton 21, 86 pf - 88/100

Sweet vanilla at first, then shifts to anise, and a bit of bitter oak. A touch of funk, very clean Jamaican style. Long finish.  This one is like the best parts of the El Dorado 12 and 21, but again has less oak than I would like, or rather the oak shows up as sweet vanilla rather than tannic and woody.

 

J. Bally Millesime 2002, 86 pf - 88/100

Smells like a plant. Tastes like grass. Dry, savory, just a little sweet. A bit of wood.

 

Bellevue 17 year 1998 Guadeloupe, 86 pf - 94/100

Spices, grass, nuts, leather, oak, dark chocolate. Just enough sweetness to balance the drying finish. Fantastic.

 

Flor de Cana 18 year, 80 pf - 78/100

Vanilla, sugar not much going on here. Pretty basic rum.

 

St. Lucia 1931 4th Edition, 86 pf - 88/100

A little bit sweet, a little bit of bitter sharpness, a little bit of funk. Grass and a bit of anise. Not super complex but enjoyable.

 

Plantation XO, 80 pf - 70/100

Sweet like candy. Sugar, sugar and more sugar. A little bit of oak. This is so cloyingly, artificially sweet it’s hard to pick out any other flavors.
 

Pusser’s 15 year, 80 pf - 86/100

Sweet anise candy leads to dark chocolate and coffee. The bitterness on the finish helps to balance the initial sweetness, but it’s still a little too sweet.

 

Rhum J.M XO, 90 pf - 86/100

Bright, and lively. Fresh cane juice. Bitter oak. The higher proof gives this a snap that the rest of these are missing. Reminds me of Clement. Like the St. Lucia the flavor profile isn’t overly complex, but it’s enjoyable nonetheless. 

 

 

Very cool! Gonna checkout this Master of Malt.

[MTNBourbon]

12 hours ago, EarthQuake said:

I'm trying to figure out what sort of rums I like, so I ordered a bunch of samples from Master of Malt. This was a really fun experiment.

Uploaded Images

 

El Dorado 12, 80 pf - 86/100

Sweet, vanilla, little bit of oak, very smooth, slight bitterness on finish keeps the sweetness in balance, almost brandy-like, very pleasant.

 

El Dorado 21, 86 pf - 84/100

Anise, more of a funky pot-still thing more like an agricole here. No mistaking that this one is a rum. Drier and a bit more complex and challenging than the 12 year, but a surprising lack of oak for a 21 year old. There’s a sharp bitterness on the finish that is verging on unpleasant.

 

Appleton 21, 86 pf - 88/100

Sweet vanilla at first, then shifts to anise, and a bit of bitter oak. A touch of funk, very clean Jamaican style. Long finish.  This one is like the best parts of the El Dorado 12 and 21, but again has less oak than I would like, or rather the oak shows up as sweet vanilla rather than tannic and woody.

 

J. Bally Millesime 2002, 86 pf - 88/100

Smells like a plant. Tastes like grass. Dry, savory, just a little sweet. A bit of wood.

 

Bellevue 17 year 1998 Guadeloupe, 86 pf - 94/100

Spices, grass, nuts, leather, oak, dark chocolate. Just enough sweetness to balance the drying finish. Fantastic.

 

Flor de Cana 18 year, 80 pf - 78/100

Vanilla, sugar not much going on here. Pretty basic rum.

 

St. Lucia 1931 4th Edition, 86 pf - 88/100

A little bit sweet, a little bit of bitter sharpness, a little bit of funk. Grass and a bit of anise. Not super complex but enjoyable.

 

Plantation XO, 80 pf - 70/100

Sweet like candy. Sugar, sugar and more sugar. A little bit of oak. This is so cloyingly, artificially sweet it’s hard to pick out any other flavors.
 

Pusser’s 15 year, 80 pf - 86/100

Sweet anise candy leads to dark chocolate and coffee. The bitterness on the finish helps to balance the initial sweetness, but it’s still a little too sweet.

 

Rhum J.M XO, 90 pf - 86/100

Bright, and lively. Fresh cane juice. Bitter oak. The higher proof gives this a snap that the rest of these are missing. Reminds me of Clement. Like the St. Lucia the flavor profile isn’t overly complex, but it’s enjoyable nonetheless. 

 

 

They don't ship to USA. That sucks!

[EarthQuake]

14 minutes ago, MTNBourbon said:

They don't ship to USA. That sucks!

I just read the announcement, this is a sad day.

[sailor22]

Nice notes Earthquake - We are in general agreement with the exception of Pusser's 15 which I would grade much lower.

 

I got an email last week from MoM that they were resuming shipping but to limited states.

[Kpiz]

33 minutes ago, sailor22 said:

I got an email last week from MoM that they were resuming shipping but to limited states.

MoM has been really up and down with the shipping to the USA thing over the past year or so, as you probably know. The most recent update came today: https://www.masterofmalt.com/blog/post/shipping-to-the-usa.aspx

 

While I think most changes in their USA shipping policies can be blamed on the US or certain states specifically, this one is likely due to their other announcement today of a new "partnership" with AB InBev    https://www.masterofmalt.com/blog/post/shipping-to-the-usa.aspx

[Kpiz]

14 hours ago, EarthQuake said:

I'm trying to figure out what sort of rums I like, so I ordered a bunch of samples from Master of Malt. This was a really fun experiment.

 

El Dorado 12, 80 pf - 86/100

Sweet, vanilla, little bit of oak, very smooth, slight bitterness on finish keeps the sweetness in balance, almost brandy-like, very pleasant.

 

El Dorado 21, 86 pf - 84/100

Anise, more of a funky pot-still thing more like an agricole here. No mistaking that this one is a rum. Drier and a bit more complex and challenging than the 12 year, but a surprising lack of oak for a 21 year old. There’s a sharp bitterness on the finish that is verging on unpleasant.

 

Appleton 21, 86 pf - 88/100

Sweet vanilla at first, then shifts to anise, and a bit of bitter oak. A touch of funk, very clean Jamaican style. Long finish.  This one is like the best parts of the El Dorado 12 and 21, but again has less oak than I would like, or rather the oak shows up as sweet vanilla rather than tannic and woody.

 

J. Bally Millesime 2002, 86 pf - 88/100

Smells like a plant. Tastes like grass. Dry, savory, just a little sweet. A bit of wood.

 

Bellevue 17 year 1998 Guadeloupe, 86 pf - 94/100

Spices, grass, nuts, leather, oak, dark chocolate. Just enough sweetness to balance the drying finish. Fantastic.

 

Flor de Cana 18 year, 80 pf - 78/100

Vanilla, sugar not much going on here. Pretty basic rum.

 

St. Lucia 1931 4th Edition, 86 pf - 88/100

A little bit sweet, a little bit of bitter sharpness, a little bit of funk. Grass and a bit of anise. Not super complex but enjoyable.

 

Plantation XO, 80 pf - 70/100

Sweet like candy. Sugar, sugar and more sugar. A little bit of oak. This is so cloyingly, artificially sweet it’s hard to pick out any other flavors.
 

Pusser’s 15 year, 80 pf - 86/100

Sweet anise candy leads to dark chocolate and coffee. The bitterness on the finish helps to balance the initial sweetness, but it’s still a little too sweet.

 

Rhum J.M XO, 90 pf - 86/100

Bright, and lively. Fresh cane juice. Bitter oak. The higher proof gives this a snap that the rest of these are missing. Reminds me of Clement. Like the St. Lucia the flavor profile isn’t overly complex, but it’s enjoyable nonetheless. 

 

Great notes. Yeah that Plantation XO 20th Anniversary is crazy sweet. I think the only way I'd be able to enjoy it is if it was poured over shaved ice Hawaiian style.

 

So where do you go from here? Planning to make any purchases based on this research?

Edited April 18, 2018 by Kpiz

[sailor22]

I'm enjoying a pour of Foursquare 2005

[lcpfratn]

I'm enjoying a pour of Foursquare 2005

Nice! Has this hit US shores yet or was this one of your Barbados purchases?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[sailor22]

I picked it up in Barbados

 

[RWBadley]

1 hour ago, sailor22 said:

I picked it up in Barbados

 

I haven't cracked mine open yet. Last night we did get into the Principia, Dominus and Premise. It was a social thing so no notes yet other than they are all fantastic- with the Principia especially being truly a stunning spirit.

[Kpiz]

2 hours ago, sailor22 said:

I'm enjoying a pour of Foursquare 2005

Sounds (and looks) like there's a little more oak influence in the 2005 than the 2004. Is that the case?

[EarthQuake]

8 hours ago, Kpiz said:

 

Great notes. Yeah that Plantation XO 20th Anniversary is crazy sweet. I think the only way I'd be able to enjoy it is if it was poured over shaved ice Hawaiian style.

 

So where do you go from here? Planning to make any purchases based on this research?

Hmm I guess overall I'm still searching for rums that I like as much as whiskey or cognac/armagnac, the Bellevue was the only one in the bunch I would put in that category where I would seek it out on a regular basis if I had it in my cabinet, but this was very informative. A few other things I learned:

1. I was disappointed by the Appleton 21 and El Dorado 21, on the other hand it really drills home good the 12 year versions of both are. I'm curious to try the El Dorado 15, as I've read some prefer that over the 12 and 21. Also I expected the El Dorados to be cloyingly sweet with how much sugar that is reported added, but they seemed pretty well balanced.
2. I'm learning that I tend to prefer agricoles with some age on them, it's a shame that these aren't terrible common in the US.
3. Considering I can actually get it with relative ease and it's not terribly expensive, the Pusser's 15 did real well. If I see one of the shelf I'll probably buy it.
4. I sure would love a bottle of the Bellevue if only it was available in the US, this makes me want to try more independent bottles.

I was in Chicago a couple weekends ago and stopped at a Binny's and picked up a Brugal 1888 (decent but nothing exciting) and a Hamilton St. Lucia 10 year barrel proof, which was everything I liked about the 1931 and then some, so I'm very happy with that. I need to sit down and do proper tasting notes sometime. If I hadn't tried the St. Lucia 1931 it's unlikely I would have noticed the Hamilton.

[kevinbrink]

50 minutes ago, EarthQuake said:

Hmm I guess overall I'm still searching for rums that I like as much as whiskey or cognac/armagnac, the Bellevue was the only one in the bunch I would put in that category where I would seek it out on a regular basis if I had it in my cabinet, but this was very informative. A few other things I learned:

1. I was disappointed by the Appleton 21 and El Dorado 21, on the other hand it really drills home good the 12 year versions of both are. I'm curious to try the El Dorado 15, as I've read some prefer that over the 12 and 21. Also I expected the El Dorados to be cloyingly sweet with how much sugar that is reported added, but they seemed pretty well balanced.
2. I'm learning that I tend to prefer agricoles with some age on them, it's a shame that these aren't terrible common in the US.
3. Considering I can actually get it with relative ease and it's not terribly expensive, the Pusser's 15 did real well. If I see one of the shelf I'll probably buy it.
4. I sure would love a bottle of the Bellevue if only it was available in the US, this makes me want to try more independent bottles.

I was in Chicago a couple weekends ago and stopped at a Binny's and picked up a Brugal 1888 (decent but nothing exciting) and a Hamilton St. Lucia 10 year barrel proof, which was everything I liked about the 1931 and then some, so I'm very happy with that. I need to sit down and do proper tasting notes sometime. If I hadn't tried the St. Lucia 1931 it's unlikely I would have noticed the Hamilton.

The Hamilton St. Lucia's are up there at the top of the stack for me especially taking price into account, best qpr in rum I can think of along with the Stolen Overproof Jamaican.

[NDN98]

9 hours ago, sailor22 said:

I'm enjoying a pour of Foursquare 2005

Looking forward to trying this when it hits the state.  Is it as good as the 2004?

[sailor22]

10 hours ago, NDN98 said:

Looking forward to trying this when it hits the state.  Is it as good as the 2004?

Here are the notes I posted on a Rum forum:

 

I was a huge fan of the 2005 when I tasted it last week in Barbados and wanted to do a back to back with the 2004 release. 

 

2004 - This is the definitive cross over bottling that got so many Bourbon and Scotch drinkers attention by showing what rum was capable of when created by an honest producer who cared to take the time and effort to understand their palate. While its flavor set is definitely molasses based rum without a lot of distractions from finishes or exotic woods it shares a character and mouth feel with some higher proof blended highland whiskeys or perhaps a lighter Bourbon. In fact the strength of this iteration is it's balance, grip and presence more than any flavors it brings to the table.

 

2005 - Very aromatic, the nose jumps out of the glass. Deeper sweeter aromas than the 2004 showing caramel and hints of vanilla. Think the sweet wood and tobacco notes of a well structured Bourbon over a caramel base.
Mouth feel is richer and thicker than the '04 with a natural woody sweetness Bourbon drinkers will recognize immediately. 
Palate is sweet with toasty fruit and then brings the dryness of oak late. Most the action is at the front to mid palate with the dryness of the wood eventually holding sway.
The not overly long finish likewise is more forward but mostly dry with only some subtle sweetness.
While there isn't a big long deep finish this is nonetheless a hugely satisfying pour. Take your time and sip it, it's just complex enough, or just pour a few fat fingers as a pleasant companion on a summers day.

[MTNBourbon]

21 hours ago, Kpiz said:

MoM has been really up and down with the shipping to the USA thing over the past year or so, as you probably know. The most recent update came today: https://www.masterofmalt.com/blog/post/shipping-to-the-usa.aspx

 

While I think most changes in their USA shipping policies can be blamed on the US or certain states specifically, this one is likely due to their other announcement today of a new "partnership" with AB InBev    https://www.masterofmalt.com/blog/post/shipping-to-the-usa.aspx

It would be cool, if some place in the US would sell samples like that.

[kevinbrink]

1 hour ago, MTNBourbon said:

It would be cool, if some place in the US would sell samples like that.

The only place I can think of is Flaviar and, though I'm no expert, I don't think you get to choose. I wonder how legal repackaging and selling is here. 

[MTNBourbon]

4 minutes ago, kevinbrink said:

The only place I can think of is Flaviar and, though I'm no expert, I don't think you get to choose. I wonder how legal repackaging and selling is here. 

Thanks