ethangsmith Posted October 13, 2019 Share Posted October 13, 2019 The PA state stores just started carrying Pusser's, and I'm not much of a Rum guy, but I picked one up. Wow am I enjoying it! I actually went back and bought some Gosling's, some Appleton Reserve and Appleton 12. I'm enjoying all of them so far. I had only ever tried spiced Rums and I tried the Appleton Signature and didn't care for any of them a few years ago. I love the thicker, deeper, more molasses-forward Rums for sure. I don't care for the more burnt sugar and thin tasting ones. Are there other under-$40 Rums I should watch out for? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kane Posted October 13, 2019 Share Posted October 13, 2019 Everything you list is fairly funky and pungent. My top recommendation is Smith & Cross. Also have you seen the other thread: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ethangsmith Posted October 14, 2019 Author Share Posted October 14, 2019 Missed that thread. Thank you! Looks like we're both stuck in the wastelands of PA and the "wonderful" state stores. I think I may place a special order for some of the Pusser's Gunpowder proof and I'll probably snag a bottle of the Smith and Cross (My last name is on the label after all....). 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Black Tot Posted October 14, 2019 Share Posted October 14, 2019 6 hours ago, ethangsmith said: Missed that thread. Thank you! Looks like we're both stuck in the wastelands of PA and the "wonderful" state stores. I think I may place a special order for some of the Pusser's Gunpowder proof and I'll probably snag a bottle of the Smith and Cross (My last name is on the label after all....). The Smith And Cross is a bit of a wild beast at first. It's not a gentle Jamaican. If you don't like it at first, don't get rid of the bottle and revisit it again in a few years. I don't like Appleton either, and I really enjoy Pusser's. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ethangsmith Posted October 14, 2019 Author Share Posted October 14, 2019 Good to know. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kevinbrink Posted October 14, 2019 Share Posted October 14, 2019 3 hours ago, ethangsmith said: Good to know. The best thing IMHO available from FWGS would be the Hamilton St. Lucia bottles which you can order, they are a bit funky but if you are getting along with the Jamaicans would be a good bet. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhantomLamb Posted October 15, 2019 Share Posted October 15, 2019 Yeah I noticed that. Meant to post in the other thread but officially started my journey yesterday with Mt. Gay Eclipse. Definitely different and hard for me to get a nose/mouthfeel, but excited to move forward. @ethangsmith Let me know what you find. Still mostly into bourbon but excited to move into rum. I'm right outside of Pittsburgh if there is a FWGS option close to me I can pick up for you. Thanks, 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ethangsmith Posted December 7, 2019 Author Share Posted December 7, 2019 So I've been buying rum left and right to find what I like and what I don't. I've found I solidly like Appleton and Pussers products for sure. I bought a cheap bottle of Myer's and even enjoy that. Goslings is really good stuff too, and I have been enjoying a bottle of Zaya as well. I tried Smith and Cross but found it sickeningly funky. Too much cheesiness. I tried some Diplomatico Reserva Exclusiva and hated it. Same with some Dos Maderas 5+5. Very woody and weird tasting to me. I tried Kirk and Sweeny and thought it was ok, but too rough in the wood category. Mount Gay is ok, but doesn't seem flavorful to me. Plantation 5 year is about the same. Been thinking about picking up a few more lesser expensive bottles- Pyrat, Brugal, and maybe even a Bacardi for the heck of it. I'd love to get my hands on more Jamaican or Guyanese rums, but PA isn't real great in that category. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kane Posted December 8, 2019 Share Posted December 8, 2019 Ha! Interesting notes there. Your tastes don't follow the common patterns I see in myself and folks around me. At all. For instance, I'm very surprised you like Zaya, and even Myer's & Goslings, but hate the Diplomatico. I recommend you hold onto S&C and Mount Gay, both are not immediately likable especially after something more "tasty" like Zaya, but they become highly relevant as you explore more. 15 hours ago, ethangsmith said: Pyrat, Brugal, and maybe even a Bacardi for the heck of it. Imho, Pyrat and Brugal is venturing into trash category :) Mixing Bacardi is similar, but Bacardi 8yr I like a lot (...for a Cuban style). I recommend you try the Hamiltons like kevinbrink suggested if you can order them somewhere. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marekv8 Posted December 8, 2019 Share Posted December 8, 2019 Second the Hamilton recommendation— although everything you hate (funk, cheesy, wood, weird, rough) is everything I enjoy about rum. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ethangsmith Posted December 8, 2019 Author Share Posted December 8, 2019 I definitely like the funk, but controlled. The Smith & Cross was too funky (I felt it overpowered the rest of the flavors), but I love the funk in the Appletons and the Pusser's. When it's not present, I find rum to be boring- I found the Diplomatico and Dos Maderas to just taste like artificial sweetener and soggy wood. Regardless, I'll have to figure out where I can get some Hamilton's. PA doesn't carry it, so I'll have to start looking around in MD and DE. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhantomLamb Posted December 8, 2019 Share Posted December 8, 2019 Had 12yo Real McCoy and Appleton this weekend, absolutely delicious. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ethangsmith Posted December 8, 2019 Author Share Posted December 8, 2019 Something I should add- I tend to like rums with a heavy or forward molasses flavor- like Pusser's. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ethangsmith Posted December 20, 2019 Author Share Posted December 20, 2019 So here's an interesting one- I bought a second bottle of Smith & Cross. TOTALLY different than the one I have already. Much more balanced, more spicy, and the funk is more controlled. Looking at the cork on the first bottle, there's a huge black spot in it. Maybe the seal was leaking or it got contaminated? Regardless, this second bottle of S&C already has a permanent home on the shelf! Hopefully the rest are like this one and not the first one! The first one is almost sour, like blue cheese, and has a rotten nature about it. This new bottle has the same funky notes, with only hints of a cheesy nature- similar to Appleton Estates. Very impressed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kane Posted December 20, 2019 Share Posted December 20, 2019 Weird. It's difficult to contaminate a bottle with that much ethanol in it, but cheesy is certainly not a descriptor I'd use for funky rum either. I wonder what went wrong there. Happy that you found a bottle you like. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smokinjoe Posted December 20, 2019 Share Posted December 20, 2019 11 hours ago, ethangsmith said: ...cork there's a huge black spot in it....leaking or it got contaminated?...is almost sour, like blue cheese, and has a rotten nature about it. Based on these notes I think you have it backwards, Ethan. In the sipping rum world, this is the good bottle! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jshleffar Posted December 20, 2019 Share Posted December 20, 2019 3 hours ago, smokinjoe said: Based on these notes I think you have it backwards, Ethan. In the sipping rum world, this is the good bottle! Somehow, we knew this was coming! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ethangsmith Posted December 20, 2019 Author Share Posted December 20, 2019 I don't doubt it, but it was definitely strong on certain flavors and did not seem to be anywhere near 114 proof. The new bottle, however, still has the funk, but it's much more balanced- and definitely 114 proof. The big black spot on the cork is what keeps making me think something is amiss on the first bottle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smokinjoe Posted December 24, 2019 Share Posted December 24, 2019 On 12/20/2019 at 11:17 AM, jshleffar said: Somehow, we knew this was coming! Somebody has to have a conscience! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Black Tot Posted January 2, 2020 Share Posted January 2, 2020 That's a pretty good word for "Vendetta" there, Joe. You should definitely write tasting notes. ...just not for rum... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smokinjoe Posted January 3, 2020 Share Posted January 3, 2020 (edited) 10 hours ago, The Black Tot said: That's a pretty good word for "Vendetta" there, Joe. You should definitely write tasting notes. ...just not for rum... No way! The only vendetta you need to worry about is coming from the insult you put on your boats Hungarian cook, and his mothers goulash recipe last week... But, just calmly explain that he was mistaken, and you were recording a review of a quality sipping rum... Edited January 3, 2020 by smokinjoe 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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