Rum's I like.. and dislike

[DetroitDIY]

Well, I went to our fancy pants grocery store this weekend and I spotted this bottle. Distributed through a local distillery, but actually distilled in St. Catherine, Jamaica. It's definitely heavy with the Jamaican funk. Reminds me of the Smith & Cross, though I'm not tasting side by side and my powers of description are wanting. But a heavy bodied, funky rum it is.

[Corsaire]

The guide told me they were making rum, or more accurately, kleren; a type of rhum agricole that is cheap and abundant in Haiti. An amazing sight at the time, though I just looked through my old photos and can't seem to find the photo I recall taking of it.

It's spelled clairin, over here in Europe Velier markets some from different Haitian producers. Not sure if you can get it in the States.

[Yummyrum]

It took me a while to get used to the unusual taste of Bunderburg Rum known as Bundy.
I’ve always loved it since .

Well Saltbush gave me a sip if his special Bundy . It’s really old , from back in the day when they bottled it at 76.5% abv .

I’ve been waiting for this moment to have a sample of this rare $1000 a bottle drink for a long time .

First I sipped it straight . Man it was painful fire water that tasted horrible . So next I watered down the rest to about 35-40% hoping to enjoy the rest at a comfortable strength.
Alas , it tasted even worse . Not the slightest resemblance to Modern Bundy , not the slightest resemblance to Run in any stretch of the imagination . It was just pure Nasty in a glass .
Thanks Salty , you have satisfied my curiosity . But no thanks .

[DetroitDIY]

It's spelled clairin, over here in Europe Velier markets some from different Haitian producers. Not sure if you can get it in the States.

Yes, I think it's for sale here in the States. I still have a bottle from my travels. It's not something I go to often, so it's still in the cabinet some 18 years later. And yes, I see it called clairin more commonly, guessing that may be the name in proper French. But in Haitian Creole, I see it called Kleren, and the guide I was with spoke it that way, so that's how I know it.

[Zeotropic]

Pyrat is like sugar syrup with a touch of artificial rum flavoring added.

I don't like the rum but the bottle is beautiful.

It will take me a long time to get through so I dumped it in a mason jar so that I can use it for making homemade Vanilla with Sobieski vodka. I am hoping it turns out better than the rum that was in the bottle last.
It may be that I don't like rum. I will have to keep tasting.

[NZChris]

Sampling Old Monk Rum. Apparently, it has had the major share of the rum market until quite recently. Made in India, marketing by word of mouth only. This seven year old is rather nice.

[Windy City]

Here are some of the commercial rums on my bar
The Pilar is good but overly back sweetened
The Havana Club (Cuban) has won every time we do a blind tasting against its Puerto Rican namesake/rival but I consider this a mixing rum
The Zacapa 23 is also overly back sweetened like the Pilar but is a much better base rum
The Kirk and Sweeney 23 is a nice sipper clean and sweet but not overly sweet
The Zacapa XO is truly a very good commercial high end rum not overly sweet but is slightly headsy

[Windy City]

Now that I showed some of my favorite commercial rums on my bar let me show you my real favorites
Hint They are mine.

On the right is my spiced rum.
I age all my rums a minimum of one and a half years.
The spiced rum is aged in new 10 gal Barrel Mill American white oak charred barrels.
I then macerate the rum with 17 fruits and spices. I try to not let any one flavor be dominant but more of a subtle surprise of different flavors to be picked out while sipping.
This rum works out well as a sipper or mixer.

Next is my Black label rum.
It is the same as above less the maceration. I called this rum “aged bourbon style”. It is a very bourbonesque style rum with flavors of oak, clove, pepper, molasses. Makes a great sipper

My next is my Blue label rum (my favorite)
I age this in my used bourbon barrels.
It has heavy caramel and toffee with molasses and oak on the finish

Finally the UD decanter (University of Dayton, where all my money and kids went)
This is my blue label rum that was aged in a ten gal Gibbs barrel I had previously used for a five grain bourbon.
This rum aged for three years and it really shows.
Like the blue label above heavy caramel and toffee but just more. The molasses and oak still come through but the whole package is just Super smooth and complex more than my words can explain.
This rum has me wanting to build a Rik house in the back yard for long term aging and for those that know me personally you know I will

[CoogeeBoy]

I think its time someone stepped into clear up a few things and regrettably, I think it is going to have to be me.

So, at enormous sacrifice to myself, I propose that you send me a sample, preferably a bottle sized sample (unopened) of your favourite rum and I will undertake to do a taste test and report back to you, free, that's right, at no expense to you all except the cost of purchasing your favourite and postage to here in Australia.

In return, I will send a copy of my findings via a post on this website, who knows, maybe even a blog!

Please, don't thank me, I am doing it for the benefit of you all, it is the least I can do to return something to this great community!

[thecroweater]

Yeah good luck with that

[CoogeeBoy]

Yeah good luck with that