New rum drinker wanting recommendations

There is so much quality advice on the site, but you have to help us. First, srtart with your taste preferences, is it sweet, medium sweet, medium, medium dry or dry. Then price point, with from/to range. With the answers, the team will be able to guide you in the right direction, with some excellent choices.

My price range is in the 25 to 50 range, Maybe a bit more if need be, and I don’t really know the differences in taste so I can’t really say, but when mixing with coke and with the lesser brands I have always preferred spiced rums

Just to start, to keep it simple and not over complicate, I would suggest you try. Spiced - Chairman's Reserve Spiced Sweet - Plantation XO Anniversary Medium - El Pasadero del Oro Gran Reserva Dry - Clement XO Have no doubt, the site's aficionados will add excellent selections to these starters

I was where you're at and was a huge Captain fan and would just sit there and drink it with ice. Even private stock, however when I jump to zacapa it blew me away and now Captain tastes bitter. But now I keep trying different ones and again I keep going back to the zacapa 23

Welcome. There are first some openers like Zacapa 23, Plantation XO, Diplomatico Reserva Exclusiva. People get into the rum world through these rums. They are sweet, mild, nice. Most of them are sweetened, some of them contains glycerine or vanilla. There are people who hate this openers and they will advice you to try some natural rum. Something like, Mount Gay XO (Barbados), Appleton 12 (Jamaica), Barcelo Imperial (Dom.Rep), Angostura 1919 (Trinidad), Dictador 20 (Columbia). After trying all of these rums, you get curious. You will try some expensive things like Caroni, single cask bottlings from independent bottlers like CDI, Kill Devil, Rum Nation from different Countries. I started with some samples. It is cheaper and you can try a lot more rums. My opener was Pampero Aniversario, after that Zacapa 23, a lot of samples and so on.

It’s not hard to find good rum if you don’t care about the price. Most rum is good or very good if you are willing to pay over 100€. But to find (very) good rum at a low price isn’t that easy. I have therefore created a list of rum which I think is good or very good at a reasonable price. About Spanish and British styled rum I have limited the cost to 40€/bottle at European online shops. When it comes to Agricole I must raise it to 60€. Spanish style: 1. Ron Zafra 21 (40€) - Superb 2. Santa Teresa 1796 (40€) - Very good 3. Ron Botran 1893 (27€) - Good 4. Others that’s good in the price segment: Havana Club Maestros (36€), Malecon Rare Proof 13yo (37€). British style: 1. English Harbour 5yo (19€) - Superb and the most pricewhorty of all rum I have tasted. 2. R.L. Seales (33€) - Wonderful rum in a wonderful bottle. 3. El Dorado 15yo (35€) - Very good, a reference rum. 4. Others that’s good in the price segment: Chairman’s Reserve (20€), Appleton Rare Blend 12yo (22€), Smith & Cross Trad. Jamaican Rum (23€), El Dorado 12yo (26€), Captain Bligh XO (32€), Doorly’s 12yo (35€), Sixty Six 12yo (37€)& English Harbour Cask Finish (39€). Agricole: 1. Saint James 12yo (58€) - Superb. 2. Montebello 10yo (57€) - Very good. 3. J.M XO (50€) - Maybe the best Agricole to taste if you want to taste Agricole for the first time and to a very competitive price. 4. Others that’s good in the price segment: Dillon 12yo (39€), Barbancourt 15yo (40€), Damoiseau XO (45€), J. Bally 12yo (57€), ReimonenQ Cuvee Prestige (59€), HSE XO (59€) & La Mauny XO (60€).

Saludos Oznaldo! Forgive me for reposting something I wrote in another thread... just my personal tastes but hopefully you will find it useful —- salud! —-greetings and welcome to the wonderful world of rum. I have a could of recommendations from my perspective that could give you a taste for a variety of rums and styles, without breaking the bank.. hope you enjoy: Jamaican Rum- Appleton 12... Appleton was what first got me into rum (it was the VO or VSOP)... you get that complex pot still flavor that you learn to love from Jamaican rum. Latin American style— Santa Teresa 1796. One of my go to rums. Dry, clean, interesting ... probably the closest that you will get to a true solera rum (I think)... French Agricole—- I am really just getting into these just now, but I really liked them. Made from cane juice vs molasses or cane syrup ... I have had Rhum JM and Clement both VSOP and white and really enjoy. Haitian ... Barbacourt 15 or 8 ... I love this rum ... it’s a mix of all of those styles to some degree... just try it, brother... and if you don’t like it, the next drink is on me. I’m no expert on rum, but I do love the drink and know what i like. Hopefully this will get you started without maxing out your credit card! Salud hermano!

Definitely try Blue Mauritius Gold, it blew me away a year ago when I used to drink shots of cpt. Morgan with coke :)

Santa Teresa 1796 Sip with ice. Delightful.

Oznaldo If you want to delve into “Real Rum” (by that I mean unadulterated Rum) I would suggest Mount Gay XO, Mount Gay Master Select, any Doorly’s product and Havana Club Seleccion de Maestro. Other good choices would Include Flor de Cana 18, Santa Teresa 1796 and The Real McCoy 12 or 5 yr.