OK, I have done many wines - am no expert, but no neophyte.

Like my Single Malts Scotch and Irish Whiskey - know what I can afford, and know what I like.

Plenty of decent small batch Bourbans out there.

Enjoy a good Cognac &/or Aragnac.

Never thought of rums as anything other than a mixer. Usually bought the cheap ones, since when you mix it, you can't really taste the nuances anyway.

Now, I have been exposed to good rums - sipping rums -- and have a few questions.

Why do the really good Whiskeys run $50 and more, and the great rums start at about $25 and you can get award winners for $35 or less?

Is it just me, or do good rums taste best warmer, like a Cognac?

Peace of the Lord be with you.
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I find the rums I sip are better at room temp....chilling just makes them cold and warming changes the taste :-)
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Is that the Trini Zaya or the Guatemala Zaya?
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Depends on the rum. The sweet rums like Zaya, Zacapa, etc. I like at room temperature. Too cold and the sweetness overpowers the flavors.

I'm partial to a more 'dry' style usually (Ron del Barrilito is my favorite), and I think they benefit from being slightly chilled, just a small ice chip or two. I figure it's using cold to help smooth out the alcohol instead of sugar.

I've heard others say that a few drops of water can 'open up' a glass of rum, but I haven't noticed that.
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I love the El Dorado 12 and 15 yrs old, the Mount Gay Extra Old
Would love to try the Ron Zacapa and Pyrat XO, but not available up north :-(
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its Trini........hard to find the Guate
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Where are you at? They have Zacapa everywhere in Chicago.
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Isn't the Guatemala one history now?
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yes it is but some mom & pop places might still have some on the shelves
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Not the ones I looked at when we were down there, unfortunately. :-) It's like a drug, really. LOL Just glad I have some left, but I want MORE. LOL :-)
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I hope these don't suck or I'm gonna be pissed

Image
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They do. Nasty stuff. But all is not lost. I'll take them off your hand for $10 a bottle and use them for mixers. Just let me know when you want me to stop by.


:-)


Ron
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You are gonna dig it, Dan. :-)
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LMK how they compare to the Zacapa 23. :-)
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Lol mike, we talked about this.. I've never had hte 23.. I normally drank the 15, but it was between the XO and 23 and I could only get one so I went with the XO.. I'll try to pick up some 23 if I go to the city because I can't buy it anywhere near me (damn state controlled liquor).. I did have some 15 afterwards and there is a HUGE difference in terms of how smooth and complex the XO is
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Regarding the 23 vs the XO, I find the XO to be a little less sweet, and a little more smooth and complex, as Dan implies.
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how much did it cost ya a bottle?
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Has anyone else tried Renegade Rum? Difficult to find, and quite expensive as rum goes, but well worth the purchase if you come across a bottle. My wife bought me a bottle of the 1995 Panama Don Jose from their 2008 release last year for Valentine's Day, such an amazingly beautiful rum. Even she, who never sips spirits because she can't get past the alcohol on the nose, enjoys this one neat in a snifter. We've since bought 2 more bottle for ourselves and 2 for her father.

Much more "scotchy" than most rums, however you'd expect that given that these are rums that are matured and aged by Bruichladdich in Scotland in the whisky tradition. Adding the different cask maturation stages gives a very different flavour profile to most rums.
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I know we did, Dan, but I have forgotten about it all. :-)

Thanks Tom!
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Quebec, Canada
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