Pyrat XO Reserve

I was nicely surprised by this (Okay, I confess, I originally bought this bottle because I thought it was cute...) intriguing little rum.
At around $50 a bottle it's not exactly "drown in coke" rum, but it's not in the Appleton Estate's Master Blenders territory either, and that's around the $80 mark.
It does though, have a singularity that puts it in a class by itself; It can only be described as something halfway between that syrupy orange/tangerine taste of Grand Marnier and the sharp alcoholic mandarin orange taste of Cointreau.
Add to that a dash of vanilla and, voila, a uniquely different, immensely pleasurable sipping rum.

I had such found memories of this rum back in 1998-2001. However I finally got my hands on a bottle for Christmas this year (2014) and I was disappointed. The rum has changed, much less smooth than I remember. It is still sippable, but I would almost want to throw some ice in.
Still a nice rum.

A decent rum. A little over priced in my neck of the woods.

söt

I try to keep this around as my drinking rum it what I have when I am just wanting a drink or three. Nice Amber color with a smooth finish. Hints of Orange and spice

We all know that Pyrat marketing has been phenomenal, but does the rum live up to the renown? That depends.

Many people depend on this rum to be one of their only stocked rums - and what a shame that would be.

This is a niche rum. Part Bacardi, part Grand Marnier, with an odd rush of overwhelming orange nearly rendering the underlying complexity imperceptible, or worse, irrelevant.

Because of its uniqueness and compatibility with citrus juices, stock it in a deep collection for its wonderful oddness - but certainly don't make this a mainstay until you've stocked Flor de Cana and younger Angosturas for cocktails.

i got a deal on this rum and gave it a try. Not bad but I mostly use it for mixed drinks, not straight up. Decent nose but nothing special.

Does havr a strong orange flavor, not unpleasent, finishes with some heat and altogether a nice experience.

Pleasant and smooth but with definite orange flavor.

Its very good but honestly, if I am going to spend the money, I would rather spend the extra five and get a bottle of Cruzan Single Barrel. I am hoping try the Pyrat Cask 1623 someday.