Blind taste test

So this all started because my wife poured me a glass of rum. She was laughing at how many bottles I’m accumulating and wondered if I could A) name them all and B) tell the difference in a blind taste test.

Now I’m no expert as I’ve only been enthusiastic about rum for just over a year but I figured they were all quite unique so I wouldn’t have any trouble. She poured me a glass and gave it me. I only have around 12 bottles open right now and could tell from the smell it was an El Dorado. I forgot I had the 12 year so was trying to pin it as the 15 or 21. It ended up being the 12 so I failed on both accounts haha.

To my credit, I then made a list of all my rums from memory and didn’t miss one so I felt pretty good about that. And now it’s become a game that she grabs a random rum and I’ll identify it (which I’ve been 100% right so far).

So my question is the same to everyone here. Can you name all the rums in your collection, and do you think you could identify them in a blind taste test? Obviously this will vary in difficulty given how many rums you currently own.

Cheers!

I have about 20 bottles open. I'm confident I could identify about 12 of them blind. I have a number of single column bourbon barrel aged bottlings that are similar enough that I might have trouble differentiating them blind. Fortunately, all are delicious.

I can't name them all, because I have more than 100 bottles. I would fail also in a blind tasting, because there are rums with the same profile. But maybe most of the common rums are not a problem. Had a New Yarmouth 1994 yesterday with the same profile as Monymusk EMB.Side by side I could tell a difference but give me just one and I would struggle.

I have more than 150 different rum bottles in my private rum bar and can probably not distinguish those with a similar profile, especially if someone only takes 5-6 bottles without me knowing what I has to choose between. Two years ago, I had the privilege of taking part in a blind test held by the independent Rum Ambassador, Mr Ian Burell, during a rum cruise on the Baltic Sea. On that test I got seven poured glasses and I knew which varieties it was but not which one was in each glass and I happened to be the only participant to get it all right. It wasn’t actually that difficult cause there are quite big differences between them except for the Havana Club 7yo and the Abuelo 12yo which both are multiple column distilled, but I felt anyway quite satisfied and realized that I had some control.Picture: The rum included in Mr Ian Burell’s blind test.

Blind taste test Stefan Persson user image

I love blind testing. Many years ago my wife bought me 10 nice bottles of rum for Christmas, many of which I had never tried before. I was getting ready for tasting and she had the idea for her and my children pour 10 separate unknown samples. The 10 bottles were on display and to everyone’s shock I nailed all 10 correct. It’s kind of tough because if you get one wrong then you’ve gotten two wrong.

I am pretty sure I could recognize all of my rebuys but I am also pretty sure that i cannot pick out all of the rums I have tasted before. Some of them I could as they have a rather unique profile but some are too bland or interchangeable to remember correctly.

Great, the most of you blind tester done well !!! About 90 bottles in my bar, nearly 40 are opened (included a handful mix rums). I think it's possible for me to name the most of it, but blind taste ??? Probably I could guess the origin country, but lots of them have a very similar profile and so it would be hard. It gets better if you know what could it be in the glass.

I sometimes do blind tests. I am by no means a specialist. Generally, results are close and I am able to point out my favourites easily. Very confindent for Pusser's (Guyana), Appleton 12, Smith and Cross. Also sure I would easily discover Wray and Nephew, even in mixed drinks. It is another matter with the South American continental "premium" rums. I did mistake Centenario 20 for a brandy (I was sure it would be Osborne's Magno) and I have trouble telling apart bourbon and some of the more "green" Agricoles in blind tastings. Interestingly, I find it easier to tell rums apart than whiskies and bourbons. Especially for bourbons, I find that the basic profile is very close with most of them. For whiskies it depends on the style, but still close. Rums often seem to have more unique flavour profiles. Or I might be totally wrong and it is all due to my collection of whiskies being more numerous than the rums (although that is changing at the moment).

Yes, so the general consensus is most rums can be pinned to at least the region or distillery. That was my general feeling as well. Very cool to hear the different experiences from everyone. Thanks for the responses! - Jimmy Cliff: your wife’s idea of a Christmas present is pretty damn awesome! Cheers!

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