Real McCoy Single Blended 5-Year

The bourbon aging really imparts some serious whiskey undertones and a dry boozy bite that I don’t usually seek in my rum.
The complex spiced flavor is overshadowed by the bourbon bite when used as a sipper.
As a mixer in simply cocktails where the rum is well highlighted, it does pretty well. The bite is balanced out nicely and the complexity of the flavors presses through. As a mixer, this is pretty good.

But, as this price point, I expect some smoothness and sipability. This rum has a youthful rawness that makes it less desirable. This rum isn’t bad per se, but there are some better rums for the price.

This review maybe influenced by the fact that the Vegas selection of rum is appalling ... Even in the mirage at a place called the rhumabar it's pretty standard selection
.. however back to the rum .. decent no's e on it of a dry rum that has hints of smokiness but not too overpowering ..

Attended a tasting seminar for The Real McCoy at Cardiff Rum Festival on the weekend. Was incredibly well presented telling us of the provenance of the name being of Bill McCoy and rum running schooners.

This is smoky oaky rum that is a perfect pairing partner for cocktails of all types I wouldn't personally drink this as a sipper but it's a decent rum there are better sippers out there for the price

I wasn't impressed with this. I has it as part of a tasting with many other rums and found this about the worst of the batch. I don't mind dry rums, but this was quite bitter and the oakiness couldn't save it from that. Doorly's is much better.

Ce rhum ne dégage pas beaucoup de goût et de complexité. Il est très doux et pour moi fini avec en rhum and coke. Il n est pas mauvais mais pas wow.

This is one of three dry rums that I picked up on my recent trip to the Emerald Coast of Florida. It was also the least appealing of all three, but still made it to my initial rating of 7.

This rum was the only available vintage where I bought it, but I was hoping to find the 12 year old. Since this was my very first rum from R.L. Seale, I just had to try it. This proves that rums do not need additives to be enjoyable. For bourbon drinkers who claim to be allergic to gluten, this rum is your answer! (By the way, a nurse friend of mine told me that the current fear of gluten is all a hoax and maybe only 1% are truly allergic and that businesses are taking advantages of fears from fruitcakes who are not even allergic). At any rate, this rum tastes like a mixture of a tiny bit of natural sweetness with charred oak bourbon barrels.

Unfortunately, I bought it along with a bottle of Ron Medellin 8 Year, another good dry rum from Columbia. No contest since the Ron Medellin wins hands down for smoothness. Since both the Real McCoy and the Ron Medellin are very hard for me to get again while Dictador 12 is easily available for only $8 more with many more flavors than this Real McCoy 5, I will stick with Dicatador 12 from Columbia as my go to rum for being both dry and naturally sweet.

Update April 27, 2018: My recent find of Porteno from Columbia caused me to test this one again. So I compared it to my ultimate best buy that also happens to have no added sugar. At the time of the test, both were rated as a 7. The Don Q Anejo tastes like rum. This Real McCoy tastes like bourbon barrels. No contest and the Don Q Anejo is half the price. I had no choice except to dock this Real McCoy by two points down to a rating of 5 because it does not belong in the same class as Don Q Anejo. Why must we settle for overly sugared or overly wooded? Don Q has already figured this out at a fraction of the cost of this one by Richard Seale. If I wanted to drink bourbon, I certainly would, which is what this rum tastes like. Seale has a lot of rum drinkers fooled into buying bourbon that started out with sugar cane instead of corn, but not this puppy! By the way, my rating of 5 means that I will never buy this one again.

Update August 7, 2021: I found a Limited Edition Single Barrel version of this rum chosen by the store owner today for only $29 US. This is a bargain for sure, especially at 92 proof. No point in adding another review to reflect this different proof and being from a single barrel. I simply upgraded from a 5 to a 6. Compared to the 12 year Single Barrel, the difference is subtle, but I upgraded that one to an 8 because it could easily compete with most of the Foursquare ECS rums at a fraction of the cost.

Medium Amber colour. Strong alcohol nose ,even after resting for ten minutes, good balanced flavour with very good finish. With ice added, it brings out the cask smell and mellows the alcohol. I easily sipped this and enjoyed it. I could only imagine how good a mixer this could be. I wish the 12 year was available, more cask time would make this great.

This is light on the nose and goes down easy. I poured it neat, and it had a light but intoxicating aroma with hints of the molasses and barrel aging and a very subtle sweetness like banana. You have to be careful to not inhale too deeply to try to find more, as you'll just get more of the vapor and burn your nose. Step away, and come back to enjoy the light bouquet.

The first sip is smooth, and leaves you wanting more. It has a subtle oakiness that fills your mouth with flavor, but doesn't hit you over the head with it. It leaves behind a subtle sweetness that could make for a good crossover rum for enthusiasts who enjoy sweeter rums (like Diplomatico), but want to be able to enjoy something without the additives. It's not nearly as sweet as a Diplomatico or a Zaya, but that hint is nice.

Big, Bodacious, Bajan. I’m a doctor, not a rum runner.

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