Rum reviews with like minded friends


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Jimmy Cliff avatar image
Jimmy Cliff (PREMIUM) 🇺🇸 | 495 ratings Author Posted 15 Aug '21

Enjoying good rums along with all you like minded friends, I have had several tasting parties with local friends. We have done around the world night, many different countries, top shelf rums over $100, Ron Abuelo night starting with, Anjeo, 7, 12, 2 oak,  port finish, sherry finish, and Napoleon finish, Four square night... I'm looking for ideas maybe 12 year old rums $40-50 Appleton, Eldorado, Abuelo, anyone have some other 12 year olds to add to the list? I have thought of special finish night rums finished in port casks, or other options.

I enjoy sharing my hobby / passion with others, so any thoughts are welcome. 

Paul B avatar image
Paul B 🇺🇸 | 472 ratings Replied 19 Aug '21

Jimmy:

Since you liked JM Rhum XO, I can wholeheartedly recommend JM Rhum 10 Year from 2008. I just bought my fourth bottle yesterday for $110 from Total Wine. It is worth about twice the price of their excellent XO.

As for Clement, their Homere is a very unique and super smooth agricole at about $93 US. I have several of those bottles stashed away.. It is also one of the few rums whereby the rum inside is even better than the gorgeous bottle. Keep those empty bottles for filling them up with cheap rums to serve to the chronic moochers! I also shy away from all other Clement rhums.

As for Dictador rums, if you were not all that impressed with their 20 Year solera, then save your money and don't try their XO Insolent. The company stores their coffee beans in those barrels, which are also used to age aguardientes. The combination of these two flavors in the barrels is why you probably don't care for their rums. They also do not add sugar. One either loves them or hates them.

Only after Foursquare ECS Shibboleth was recently released did that one finally replace my top two rums rated as a 10, which are both from Dictador. The Shibboleth also does not fit the standard profile for Foursquare ECS, which is probably why I love it.

Jimmy Cliff avatar image
Jimmy Cliff (PREMIUM) 🇺🇸 | 495 ratings Author Replied 19 Aug '21

Also someone tell me about Dictator, I had several bottles of fake tasting maple syrup from them and completely wrote them off like, A.H Rise, and sweet Zacapa Solara. Do they actually have a great rum worth trying?
Jimmy Cliff avatar image
Jimmy Cliff (PREMIUM) 🇺🇸 | 495 ratings Author Replied 19 Aug '21

So your posts had me count and I have over 50 bottles of open rum. I put them in three categories. 1. Rums I don’t really fully care for or appreciate too much 2. Rums that seem very special Old Caroni’s, Appleton Joy & 30, Plantation Extreme’s, Rhumb Runner’s and Holmes Cay, Zafra 30, Santiago De Cuba Treasure chest… 3. Rums I am drinking from weekly usually 5-6 bottles many of my regular go too’s. Right now I’m having a night cap of Blackwells Jamaican 007 that is a nice smooth easy drinking rum that surprised me. I’m only slightly over 300 rums and short of drinking mediocre shit rums to rate more, I occasionally find something good and attainable. Only have tried a few JM, and Clement’s so if anyone has a recommendation for a great one let me know, I see there are several highly rated ones out there
Paul B avatar image
Paul B 🇺🇸 | 472 ratings Replied 17 Aug '21

Rene:

After trying 418 different rums in nearly 4 years, I think that I have tried enough and don't need to order any. In the US, it illegal to use the US Mail to ship spirits anywhere. In my state, one cannot even use UPS or Fed Ex to ship spirits in or out of here.

And wouldn't you know it, the fairly new arrival of Shibboleth has now become my new number one rum because of no damn bourbon notes. I went through great efforts to get my second bottle that was found within my own state. No telling when I will find another one.

Rene Rum avatar image
Rene Rum (PREMIUM) 🇨🇭 | 547 ratings Replied 17 Aug '21

Jimmy:

I heard about the dilemma of ordering spirits in the US, it's very sad for Paul B and all others in the same position. Here in Switzerland, the rum variety in a bar is the same boring thing.

kudzey:

I host around 10 people and after usually the bottles are emptier then full. The rest I enjoy to drink alone with a nice cigar or on weekly meetings with my guys. At the moment opened bottles 48 of 88 (includes 10 bottles mix rum)

vomi1011 avatar image
vomi1011 🇩🇪 | 403 ratings Replied 17 Aug '21

You can take samples from the opened bottles and share or sell them. I had 100 opened bottles, now I'm at around 50.
KU
kudzey 🇵🇱 | 38 ratings Replied 17 Aug '21

Do you, guys, manage to empty all the bottles? In my case I host 5-10 people parties and everyone gets some 20 ml of each rum. After the party I have so many opened bottles and I usually have no idea what to do with those. I happen to ignore my old opened bottles and start new ones because I want to try new tastes.
Jimmy Cliff avatar image
Jimmy Cliff (PREMIUM) 🇺🇸 | 495 ratings Author Replied 17 Aug '21

Great to hear from some of you rum brothers from across the pond. We have very different availability of rums in US, even in different states reading some of Paul B posts. In Florida we are somewhat fortunate I have been able to source and ship rums from other states and even the UK through Rum Auctioneer and also Rum Ratings club. Rum has not been the go to spirit in Us it’s been Bourbon, Tequila, Scotch and whisky. Most bars here you will find Captain Morgan, Malibu, Bacardi white, if you lucky a Zacapa or regular Mt Gay. If it wasn’t for Total Wines Concierge offerings it’s hard to find a Foursquare. Still waiting on my 2 bottles of Shibboleth, and 2009. I had to ship Detente and Redoutable in from out state. I spent many of my youthful years surfing in the West Indies and Caribbean and developed a taste for agricoles and other West Indies rums. Great to hear some other good options to look for. I found the website Wine-Searcher that finds rums around the world that often will ship to Florida.
Rene Rum avatar image
Rene Rum (PREMIUM) 🇨🇭 | 547 ratings Replied 16 Aug '21

Hey Jimmy, sounds like rum-soulmates. ;-)

I do the same thing every year with my friends in my back yard, bonfire included. I start with a blind tasting (always Thai rum so far). Then we go through the styles, start with Agricoles for aperitif, then Soleras for dessert and English-style for the rest of the night.

For example, Thema special finish: Mekong, J.M Calvados, Bonpland Blanc, Pancho Villa, Bonpland Rouge, Renegade Guyana 2001, Arcane Flamboyance was last year. Black edition the year bevor: Sang Som, Andersrum, Clement by night, Barcelio Onix, Cashcane black, Zacapa Negro, A.H. Riise black edition, Pusser's black label. This year, very soon the next rum round is going on with some rarities. I'm not saying anything yet.

12-year rum: Cockspur, Doorly's, Real McCoy, Arcane Extraroma....

@ kudzey, yea, tasting the same distillery, great input.

Jimmy Cliff avatar image
Jimmy Cliff (PREMIUM) 🇺🇸 | 495 ratings Author Replied 16 Aug '21

Kudzey, thanks for the reply I like that idea, so much rum and so little time.
KU
kudzey 🇵🇱 | 38 ratings Replied 15 Aug '21

I usually do a all-Carribean trips at tasting parties (my friends are not so advanced). On your place, I would do a tasting season of different rums from one country, like Jamaica, Barbados or Guyana. If you have funds, you can try to compare particular rum marks. It's also nice to focus on one distillery, there your can find differences at finishes etc. Try the SBS bottlings or other IBs from one distillery. For example, buy Hampden from Kill Devil, Transcontinental and Hampden itself for a test. I know it's a controversial brand but a Dictator trip can also be interesting.