Yo Ho Ho - Let's Talk Rum

[Eggo 3975]

Ever since reading Wayne Curtis's book And a Bottle of Rum about how rum has evolved and influenced the New World, I've subscribed to the romance of spirit more than any other. I've tried some great ones and some damn wretched ones, and here's what I've accumulated so far. 

 

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Back row L-R:

Rhum Neisson agricole blanc (highly vegetal and delicious)

Lemon Hart 151 overproof rum 

Scarlet Ibis

Caña Brava aged white rum (my go-to for shaken cocktails)

Cruzan Black Strap rum (use it as a cocktail modifier, not great by itself)

 

Front row L-R:

Flor de Caña 12-year 

Foursquare 2004 (Amazing sipper appropriate for a whisky lover)

Foursquare 2005

Foursquare 2007

Appleton Estates Signature Blend 

 

Also, not technically a rum, but special mention to my Van Oosten Batavia Arrack:

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[RMac5 1550]

I have a bottle of Mocambo dark rum that is damn good. It comes in a tall bottle with a web of seaweed looking stuff, pretty cool bottle.

i love Moscow mules and have been drinking dark and stormy’s a lot lately, perfect summer drink.

[RPM 26237]

I'm not a rum guy, but this was really, really good.

[RMac5 1550]

Here you go.

[deadshank 24651]

Pampero Aniversaro and Santa Teresa 1796 are two dark Venezuelan rums that @hornimal turned me onto a few years back.  

I enjoyed them. 

[Spaulding Smails 1551]

@RPM Brugal is a great value rum.  One of my favorites from DR.

Rum is, far and away, my summer time sipper.  They tend to be fairly inexpensive, too.  In my opinion, Venezuelan rum tends to be richer and more full-bodied.  Atlantico has been my staple for a while for sipping rum.  But, I just stumbled on Diplomatico Reserva Exclusiva, and damn it's good.  My new #1.

[huge 3789]

I got a bottle of Brass Monkey that your girlie seems to enjoy...

 

am I doing this right?

[Moby Ric 2058]

Rum is a great drink in the summer.  I enjoy it with some ginger ale and a lime.  My everyday if you will is just some Captain Morgans Spiced.  I just bought a bottle of that 12 yr old Flour de Cana while in Mexico.  I have yet to crack it open but when there I had some and it was pretty good.  I expect that should be drank on the rocks which is how I will probably do.

[Carl Spackler 3461]

1 hour ago, Spaulding Smails said:

But, I just stumbled on Diplomatico Reserva Exclusiva, and damn it's good.  My new #1.

This.  My favorite rum by a substantial margin, and not very expensive.  A tremendous value.

[Carl Spackler 3461]

Grabbed a bottle of this recently and, while good, I didn't like it as well as the Diplomatico Reserva Exclusiva.  The Chairman's Reserve supposedly comes from casks that were forgotten after a fire at the distillery and then discovered recently.  

 

[Eggo 3975]

I dropped over $100 on a bottle of this beauty which I'll probably save to open at Christmas. 

14-year aging, ex-bourbon/sherry casks. Stellar sipper. 

[Landomatic 3813]

I don’t remember the last time I drank a bottle of rum.  Other than it was Sailor Jerry.

[hornian 5206]

For Pride month, you have to drink Mount Gay rum. 

[Spaulding Smails 1551]

I'm also a big fan of Cruzan for more of a well drink.  Their aged light rum with Topo Chico and lime is my favorite drink while at the beach.  I also keep a bottle of Pussers on hand for painkillers.  They're awesome by the pool but holy shit, they're like 2000 calories each.  Only rum I don't care for is Myers.  

[Eggo 3975]

Great Fred Minnick piece in Forbes from December on sipping rums: https://www.forbes.com/sites/fredminnick/2018/12/13/best-sipping-rums-of-2018-the-ultimate-holiday-gift-guide/#2ad528d6596b

Quote

Rum is an amazing sipper.

Put any of these rums up against the best brandies or whiskeys and you'll see that well-aged rum deserves an opportunity to please your palate.

And the best part, you can still find the elite rums. That's right.

While bourbon geeks stand in lines with a hope--no, a prayer--to land a bottle of Pappy Van Winkle, rum enthusiasts can still walk into many American liquor stores and find the best rums. But you cannot rest on your tiki shorts: People are starting to learn of rum's sipping beauty.

Before I get into my best sipping rums of 2018, I must offer a couple disclaimers: This is my opinion and I assessed these on their sipping merit vs. cocktail glory. There are many great rums in the world (I've tasted most), and these are what I believe to be the very best of 2018. They were selected after a long year of tasting, in which I shortlisted these as the best of the best for my palate.

 

[RMac5 1550]

Let’s keep all the rum accolades to ourselves so it doesn’t go on allocation. 

[chesthair 231]

For Pride month, you have to drink Mount Gay rum. 

Mt gay XO is incredible.


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[Eggo 3975]

8 hours ago, chesthair said:

 

Mt gay XO is incredible.


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Mt Gay Black Barrell is a good mixer too 

[Bozo_Casanova 26332]

I love Rum and Rhum Agricole and this is a great thread. A lot to agree with so far.
Has anybody else had Bundaberg? They don’t import it to the US, but that’s my favorite and Bundaberg black is the best rum I’ve ever tasted.

[Onboard 2.0 9083]

I like a rum and tonic (clear rum of course).

[Eggo 3975]

Tried a cocktail the other night made with Paranubes rum out of Oaxaca. Similar to rhum agricole in that it's made primarily from cane juice. I've read it described as somewhere in the spectrum between rhum agricole and cachaca, and I'm eager to get a bottle and try a simple daiquiri.  

[Grippe 308]

1 hour ago, Onboard 2.0 said:

I like a rum and tonic (clear rum of course).

You should try a spiced rum and ginger ale, especially in the summertime.

[Spankytoes 1736]

Havana Club 15 years. Nuff said

[Longhornfan1024 1707]

Rum sucks.  The end.

[closetojumping 62260]

30 minutes ago, Longhornfan1024 said:

Rum sucks.  The end.

More or a gin guy? An aperol spritz fan, perhaps?

 

[Macanudo 12936]

45 minutes ago, Spankytoes said:

Havana Club 15 years. Nuff said

20 years ago, I would have agreed but other makers have caught and maybe even surpassed them. 

[Longhornfan1024 1707]

22 minutes ago, closetojumping said:

More or a gin guy? An aperol spritz fan, perhaps?

 

Bourbon and beer with the occasional scotch.  Rum, even the good stuff I've tried, is way too sweet.  

Edited July 2, 2019 by Longhornfan1024

[Bozo_Casanova 26332]

Havana Club 15 years. Nuff said

Real Cuban Havana Club is great.

[Eggo 3975]

33 minutes ago, Longhornfan1024 said:

Bourbon and beer with the occasional scotch.  Rum, even the good stuff I've tried, is way too sweet.  

In the same way that some may dislike a highly coveted bourbon or scotch, you won't love them all. I would challenge you to try a Foursquare 2005 or 2007 and tell me it's not a damn good sipper. You only risk trying more booze, and I mean...

[Eggo 3975]

21 minutes ago, Bozo_Casanova said:

Real Cuban Havana Club is great.

Death & Company's cocktail book alleges that Caña Brava aged white rum is the closest thing you'll going to find to Cuban HC in the US. I haven't tried HC, but I'm on board if the comparison is correct.

[PencilPusher 454]

My brother was in the Cayman Islands a couple of weeks ago and brought this back. It is a nice sipper, aged in bourbon barrels that they sink to a depth of 7 Fathoms (hence the name). If I handed this to you without telling you it was rum, you'd probably think it was whiskey. 

 

[Bozo_Casanova 26332]

13 minutes ago, Eggo said:

Death & Company's cocktail book alleges that Caña Brava aged white rum is the closest thing you'll going to find to Cuban HC in the US. I haven't tried HC, but I'm on board if the comparison is correct.

I always keep a bottle or two of Cuban Havana Club  Anejo around it's delicious. 

Also,m surprised there's not more love for Flor de Caña on this thread. 

[Buzzrock 14877]

Rum is great but damn the black stuff gives me a wicked hangover.

[Eggo 3975]

38 minutes ago, Bozo_Casanova said:

I always keep a bottle or two of Cuban Havana Club  Anejo around it's delicious. 

Also,m surprised there's not more love for Flor de Caña on this thread. 

Flor de Caña extra seco white is what I'd buy if I couldn't find Caña Brava around. My FdC 12-year is not super, but I do use it in split base cocktails. 

[hornimal 80]

5 hours ago, Eggo said:

Death & Company's cocktail book alleges that Caña Brava aged white rum is the closest thing you'll going to find to Cuban HC in the US. I haven't tried HC, but I'm on board if the comparison is correct.

ever since I tried a mojito at babe's in playa del carmen they don't taste right to me unless it is made with havana club añejo 3 años.

[Spankytoes 1736]

Real Cuban Havana Club is great.

Si

[Eggo 3975]

Spanky with the big balls.

[Bozo_Casanova 26332]

Si

This guy fucks

[Carl Spackler 3461]

7 hours ago, Bozo_Casanova said:

Also,m surprised there's not more love for Flor de Caña on this thread. 

The only FdeC I've had is the 18 YO Centenario.  While good, I didn't like it as well as some other rums I've had, including the Diplomatico Reserva Exclusiva and Plantation XO.  Did I do it wrong?  Which one should I pick up?

[Eggo 3975]

15 minutes ago, Carl Spackler said:

The only FdeC I've had is the 18 YO Centenario.  While good, I didn't like it as well as some other rums I've had, including the Diplomatico Reserva Exclusiva and Plantation XO.  Did I do it wrong?  Which one should I pick up?

I agree. As mentioned above, I have a 12 YO FdC and tried it as a sipper one night. Ended up dumping half of it down the sink. 

[High Plains Drifter 10984]

11 hours ago, Bozo_Casanova said:

Real Cuban Havana Club is great.

FIL brought me back a bottle of Havana Club from Cuba a few months back. I need to break that open.

 

Anybody have any recs on how to drink it?

[Eggo 3975]

3 minutes ago, High Plains Drifter said:

FIL brought me back a bottle of Havana Club from Cuba a few months back. I need to break that open.

 

Anybody have any recs on how to drink it?

If you don't like to sip it, make a classic daiquiri. 

2oz rum 

1oz lime juice 

.5 oz simple syrup. 

Shake it up with ice and serve straight. Drink. Repeat. 

[Sbbruin 21756]

I booted hard on a bottle of Bacardi in HS.  I literally couldn’t so much as look at rum for 5+ years.

[Onboard 2.0 9083]

On 7/2/2019 at 9:17 AM, Grippe said:

You should try a spiced rum and ginger ale, especially in the summertime.

Oh man that sounds good. I'm a big ginger ale fan never heard of that one.

[Onboard 2.0 9083]

Had Mount Gay and tonic last night, several actually.  

 

Unbelievable !!  The trick is 3 lime wedges and a 50/50 pour .

[Bozo_Casanova 26332]

The only FdeC I've had is the 18 YO Centenario.  While good, I didn't like it as well as some other rums I've had, including the Diplomatico Reserva Exclusiva and Plantation XO.  Did I do it wrong?  Which one should I pick up?

Flor de Cana 7 and 4 are very good mixers for rum cocktails, but your money is better spent on other brands at the higher end.

[Eggo 3975]

On 7/2/2019 at 8:17 AM, Grippe said:

You should try a spiced rum and ginger ale, especially in the summertime.

This is more or less a poor man's dark & stormy, whereas the classic is made with ginger beer rather than ale. Gosling's also put a trademark on the name Dark & Stormy, but it's a good drink with any aged or dark rum. 

Cheers, Grippe! 

[deadshank 24651]

Tall glass

Fill 3/4 with ice cubes

50% Pampero

30% Topo  Chico

20% pineapple juice

Squeeze and plop in a moderately sized orange wedge. 

You will thank or curse me later

[MAROON 445]

2 hours ago, Onboard 2.0 said:

Had Mount Gay and tonic last night, several actually.  

 

Unbelievable !!  The trick is 3 lime wedges and a 50/50 pour .

I do this with Flor de Cana.  This is a great summer drink.

[Whiskyteer 51]

On 7/2/2019 at 8:15 AM, Eggo said:

Tried a cocktail the other night made with Paranubes rum out of Oaxaca. Similar to rhum agricole in that it's made primarily from cane juice. I've read it described as somewhere in the spectrum between rhum agricole and cachaca, and I'm eager to get a bottle and try a simple daiquiri.  

I like Paranubes in a daiquiri.  You should try Probitas too.  A white rum from Foursquare & Hampden blended by Richard  Seale.  Good stuff!