Rum - what's your favourite(s) ?

[TheOutdrinkerest]

Any kind of flavored Rum that's strong is good to me, but my absolute favorite is 267 Infusions - Mango Rum (with real pieces of Mango in the bottle)

[Call me Jane]

Rum gives me headaches usually. I only have one bottle in my stash, which I bought because I wanted to make a rum cream cake for a party. It's Cruzan SB and I am happy with it.

[dramtastic]

English Harbour 5YO. Right up there with some of the best scotches I've had.

[Yello to Mello]

I bought a Havana Barrel Proof today, I remember liking it a lot more than the El Dorados. Frodo, what are the other good rums at the LC at that pricepoint? There doesnt seem to be that many anymore. I know, I know its better for people to bring it back when they vacay south.

[Frodo]

Hi Y2M:

The one I would think of as the best value in your general price point would be Mount Gay Extra Old @ $40 followed by Cruzan Single Barrel if they have any left. That is usually around $30 I think. I would also recommend a Dominican rum called Brugal - best get the extra veijo version that goes for $30 when it comes in. There's another Dominican rum that I'm thinking of at $40 that is here right now. A light oaky perfumy number that is really easy to appretiate.

One other thing. The El Dorado 12 & 15 are rather unbalanced IMHO - too sweet. But the 21yr @ $100 is a balanced and complex dram from the few samplers I've had. I would say it's almost worth the coin (I'd pick it up if it ever sold for $80) but not poor value at $100.

Bacardi 8 @ $33 isn't a bad choice but it lacks complexity. I think they use alot of new bourbon casks in the wood policy as I find vanilla to be the dominant flavour without a lot of pot-still molasses flavours to balance things out.

[Yello to Mello]

Thanks Frodo, I agree that the El Dorado 12 and 15 are unbalanced...I havent had the oppertunity to try the 21. I was considering getting the Mount Gay at one time.

[Yello to Mello]

There's another Dominican rum that I'm thinking of at $40 that is here right now. A light oaky perfumy number that is really easy to appretiate.

The Ron Barcelo that was released yesterday? $49.95.

[Frodo]

There's another Dominican rum that I'm thinking of at $40 that is here right now. A light oaky perfumy number that is really easy to appretiate.

The Ron Barcelo that was released yesterday? $49.95.

Actually I was thinking of Ron Matusalem 15yr. REALLY hard to argue with this unless one likes the heavier pot-still rums from Jamaica or the El Dorado style. The Matusalem is mostly collum-still rum aged in bourbon casks, but the flavours (although light) are so easy to appretiate...

[Iain M]

I have many but to name a few;

El dorado (always on top)
Ron Matuselum
Ron Millionario
Peruano
Ron Zacapa

Yeah I like them sweet !

Other;s would be

Goslings
Seales
Ron barcelo (possibly in the right mood)
Mount Gilboa
Mount Gay XO

[malt_boy]

I take it 'Ron' is the whisky equivalent of 'Glen' ?

[Mark C]

A current favourite is Foursquare Single Cask. 1998 I think it was. Also recently tried a couple of Diplomatico rums which were delicious.

[Mr Tattie Heid]

I take it 'Ron' is the whisky equivalent of 'Glen' ?

Strange as it may seem, ron is apparently Spanish for rum.

[Aidan]

I don't know much about rum, but I seem to have a bottle of Pyrat Rum Cask 1623, which is supposed to be very good.

[Yello to Mello]

Thanks Frodo, I agree that the El Dorado 12 and 15 are unbalanced...I havent had the oppertunity to try the 21. I was considering getting the Mount Gay at one time.

.....and 1 year later the opportunity has arrived with a sample. If the sample is that good, I might buy.

[bebdo]

I've gone through a bottle of El Dorado 12 recently and quite enjoyed it - it is on the sweeter side as stated but there I times when that's what I've wanted! Also had the sample pack of the El Dorado (12, 15 & 21) and my impression was that the 15 and 21 are quite similar and the 21 doesn't justify the $100 price.
Picked up the Mount Gay extra old recently and I like it. More on the lines of the El Dorado 15 than 12 (i.e., all the caramel, vanilla notes but have the syrupy sweetness.

[Wave]

Along with a healthy single malt collection I have modest Rum collection too. Some of my favorites include Flor de Caña 7 & 12yo (Nicaragua) Mount Gay Extra Old (Barbados), Pyrat Xo Reserve (Anguilla, British West Indies) and Ron Zacapa 23 Black Label (Guatemala).


Cheers!

[bpbleus]

I developed a bit of a sweet tooth over the summer and, accordingly, picked up a few rums. A couple of observations from this rum know-nothing:

1) Rum websites are difficult to interpret for a novice with a malt background. As with any reviewer, one has first to calibrate a reviewer's tasting palette and rating scheme to one's own tasting universe, which is usually easily done by comparing the notes of a couple of known expressions. But that doesn't work too well here. Not only is the number of shared experiences rather limited, pirates simply ain't no anoraks. Pirates put top rums in cocktails, may the good Lord have mercy with them. To me that seals the verdict: walk the gangplank in the open seas and become subject to the marine foodchain. It sits deep. Even a long-term (part-time) convert like Ralfy can't resist to play tricks with notable spirits.

2) Some rums are very sweet. Plain sugar - not sweet flavors - that is. It seems sugars are added. It is impossible to get this sweetness from the barrel. I couldn't find any info on that. Is sugar the E150 in Rumland?

3) The El Dorado 15 seems to be the Lagavulin 16 in Rumland. Heavy, full bodied, intensely flavored and everybody's darling, yet also commercial into the core of its being. Beautiful finish, I must add.

4) Oddly, higher strength rums tend to be less interesting from a sipping perspective. It seems higher strength rums are designed for cocktails; the high strength keeps a respectable ABV of a cocktail.

[Yello to Mello]

I dont like ED15 that much.

One surprisingly good rum I had was Bacardi 8. Of course rum aficionados are quick to bash Bacardi. I had 2 samples of them expecting them to be bad but I was quite surprised.

[dramtastic]

Maybe cuz the basic Bacardi Blanco works best as a mixer, not drunk straight. In the role of a mixer, Cuba Libre for starters, it is quite proficient.

[The Third Dram]

The El Dorado 15 seems to be the Lagavulin 16 in Rumland. Heavy, full bodied, intensely flavored and everybody's darling, yet also commercial into the core of its being. Beautiful finish, I must add.

For me, hard to beat at its price point. It does lean decidedly to the sweeter flavour spectrum as far as Rums go, but that's OK as far as I'm concerned.

P.S. I also happen to appreciate quite a few of the lighter, less sweet and more spirity Rums (such as many of those from Cuba and Venezuela)... The 1992 Old Reserve Plantation Rum from C. Ferrand, with its delicate, somewhat floral complexity and very bright tropical frutiness has provided much pleasure.

[dramtastic]

There really isn't a heap of choice when it comes to rums compared to whisky. What is there, about a couple of hundred rums to choose from not including the really cheap stuff that no one sells in the west and out of those maybe 20-30 that rate highly. Makes it easy pick a small but good selection and at least in my neck of the all the best rums are cheaper to buy than the best whiskys.
Even the brands themselves usually only have a small range. Mount Gay for instance around 4 to choose from.
As far as reviews for rums go, and I've read a lot of them, it's almost always the usual suspect that get the high scores.
Ron Zacapa
Zaya
Flor de Cana
Mount Gay
El Dorado
Appleton Estate
maybe a couple of others

[athlete cured]

my bottle of Barbancourt 8yr didn't last very long. delicious stuff, and a steal under $20.

[TheOutdrinkerest]

My favorite rum was the 267 Infusions - Mango that they used to sell. I can't find it in any local stores anymore, but I have been able to locate it online for order at about $26.00 or so. It was GREAT... all I can say. I can't remember how many, but there were a few flavors. Mango, pineapple, cranberry, onion, and some others. I don't know if all were rum though, but I know the mango was at least. Anyways, this is what it looked like.

[Frodo]

My new fave is the Zacapa XO but I really want to try a Barbincort one of these days...

[MacDeffe]

I don't really fancy rum, but recently in a bar I spotted a bottle AD Rattray which was a rum, not a whisky!

Caroni 13yo 46%. AD Rattray

I quite liked this. It wasn't as sweet as other rums, and the reason I liked this is probably because it reminded me more of whisky than rums normally do. The spicy wood influence was remarkable compared to other rums where the sweetness is dominating me

Steffen