How to further appreciate rum


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Paul B avatar image
Paul B 🇺🇸 | 472 ratings Author Posted 9 Mar '22

With all of the hell going on in Ukraine, I began searching for vodkas from there. Kozak and Nemiroff were not available anywhere near where I live. Then I got an email from Total Wine showing that they had two other brands in stock. Khor is made from corn and Kruto is made from wheat. I drove over there yesterday afternoon to pick up one of each (and to replenish favorite rums that I was running low on). As soon as one walks in, a great big display is shown for Khor and some of the profits go towards the humanitarian effort to help Ukraine. As if I needed any other excuse to drink!

Many of the TW reviews for Khor raved about the taste and stated that no hang over came from it. Well, between both brands, I drank about six ounces on the rocks last night while listening to music from a gypsy punk band from Ukraine. The taste was almost like water and boring as could be. This morning, I woke up with a mild headache and a few trips to the royal porcelain throne. So much for having no hang over and tasting great. I have had quite a few rums taste much better and with no penalty at all. And as we all know, if one wants to drink a rum that tastes like vodka, then there is always Bacardi Superior.

This foray into vodka has REALLY made me appreciate my rum collection, now with 30 of my easily available favorites.

ST
statoul (TASTING CLUB) 🇺🇸 | 1 rating Replied 10 Mar '22

 

I was able to find Nemiroff and Khor (made in Ukraine) at the Total Wine near me.  I have not tasted either but like you I felt compelled to support Ukraine business.  I am not a Vodka drinker but I now have it in my collection for guests... and while entertaining guests any bottle with a story adds to the enjoyment of the drink.   I also buy Tito's American Vodka.  Cheers.

Andy avatar image
Andy (PREMIUM) 🇺🇸 | 142 ratings Replied 10 Mar '22

Paul B avatar image
Paul B 🇺🇸 | 472 ratings Author Replied 10 Mar '22

Awesome article Andy! The spirit of the Ukranian people is an inspiration for all of us in the free world!

Stefan Persson avatar image
Stefan Persson (PREMIUM) 🇸🇪 | 507 ratings Replied 10 Mar '22

I bought some t-shirts to support them.

Half of the costs goes directly to Ukraine.

Paul B avatar image
Paul B 🇺🇸 | 472 ratings Author Replied 10 Mar '22

Stefan:

You are always doing the right thing and we all appreciate it!

In a Discussion with Andy, it included a link to an article about how a craft brewer changed their product to Molotov coktails. Now distillers are doing it too!!!  Long forgotten cheap weapons that can wipe out tanks!!!  SHEER BRILLIANCE!!!  And the outcome is now predictable!

And where you live, these cocktail productions should begin ASAP! God bless Sweden and all surrounding possible targets!!!!

Now enjoying a very small snifter of JM Rhum XO from Martinique.  Gosh, I wish that I was back there!

 

DB avatar image
DB 🇺🇸 | 69 ratings Replied 16 May '22

I don't know if it was company-wide, probably, but my local TWM ditched Russian-made vodka shortly after the war broke out. Beluga, Russian Standard, and a few of the ones bottled for TWM (Spirits Direct). I don't even know if they were all really made in Russia, or if some of them just sounded too Russian? Hmmm.... but they did highlight at least one from Ukraine. I can't recall which one it was. I do wonder what they did with all of the Russian stuff? Probably just warehoused waiting for the war to be over....

bar la moura avatar image
bar la moura 🇭🇷 | 168 ratings Replied 9 Jun '22

Russian Standard it is made in russia and it s really high quality (made from winter grain,

distilled 4 times, water from the lake ladoga...), here in croatia an

importer have really good price for it, we use it as the basic vodka in our bar,

so war started in february, in march i bought 240 one liter bottles because who knows

if it will be available in summer, so for this season we will (probably)

have enough vodka for cocktails ... before we used absolut that is much more expensive

but not better ...

DB avatar image
DB 🇺🇸 | 69 ratings Replied 9 Jun '22

I've never actually tried any real Russian vodka (knowingly anyway...). I don't really know what is popular in bars here in the USA, I've not been to an actual bar for decades. But from what I know about local sales, Ketel One, Grey Goose, and Tito's are probably the top "higher end" consumer brands. Higher-end of ocurse, subjective! Smirnoff, Absolut, Ciroc - probably best in sales by volume. I actually like Sobieski for most mixing though...really inexpensive for the performance.

bar la moura avatar image
bar la moura 🇭🇷 | 168 ratings Replied 9 Jun '22

we use (other than russian standard) also grey goose, beluga, belvedere and ciroc as high enders

but i have to say that maybe you pay more because of their good marketing strategy,

because russian standard is 4 times distilled, top quality water used ... it s not inferior to other brands

we sell but it cost 1 third, oh ciroc was chosen just for his particularity, is derived from grapes and this

is rare ... after saying this i have to say that vodka is appreciated only for her neutrality, it s 

not a meditation sipping spirit and i don t appreciate it so much, same as for gin ...

gin is very in last years, it sells a lot (gin & tonic) and geeks spend a lot for expensive G&T

for me is a steal, i have many bottles that cost as a solid rum or single malt, stuff aged years

and years, while gin is made usually on neutral spirit, various aromas added and no aged, 

why the hell a bottle of gin costs like a single malt or a rum i ask myself...

but we must meet customer wishes so ...