DiningBuzz! - Which Rum to buy?

Trying to figure out which one might be better:

Barboncourt Rhum 10 Years

English Harbour 10 Years

Pyrat XO Reserve

Gosling Family Reserve Rum

Trying to figure out which one might be better:

Barboncourt Rhum 10 Years

English Harbour 10 Years

Pyrat XO Reserve

Gosling Family Reserve Rum

I don't know much about rum, except that it's hard to find anything outside of the Caribe that's anywhere near as good as what they keep for themselves.

I believe all Gosling's is dark spiced rum, if that helps. (I'm a Dark n' Stormy aficionado)

I already thought about buying quite some stuff when travelling there.
I guess the import taxes will make it a very expensive adventure.

Rum, like most any other food or liquor is a matter of personal taste. You need to find a store willing to pour some of each for a side by side. And then tell us all where that wonderful market is located :D

Which rum I may love, you may hate, and the other way around. There's a good review of many different types of rums on this page if you have not seen them

http://scottesrum.com/

Well, a place to try (pay) quite few is in LA

http://213nightlife.com/canarumbar

Here in Germany, I doubt that there is a store willing to have bottles open for "free" tasting.
That said there is one company which ships 0,4cl bottles at around € 7 to 12
for tasting purposes.

These are all what I would consider sipping rums, things you would drink with some ice and not necessarily with any additive (cola, soda water, etc).

Is that what you plan ? If not, I would not spend the extra money. And Gosling is dark, sweet rum. It is not a spiced rum (think Captain Morgan). Some people dont like dark rums because they are too sweet. Example: You drink a white Barcardi and Coke with a lime, but in most instances you would not serve a lime with a dark rum and coke. The lime would counteract the sweetness and the intended flavor.

As for the particular rums you listed, I have had the Gosling and Pyrat. Either are fine choices (buy the Gosling if the price difference is not a concern).

If you just want a fine, drinkable rum, the regular Gosling Black Seal is a superb value. I also drink a lot of Myers which is a dark sweet rum (also available in a white rum). If you have not noticed, I drink a lot of rum in general :)

Cheers.

Error

Yes, I like to have it (the liquor, wine, champagne etc.) pure. No additives needed.

I would like to have really tasty rum; for me that`s sweet, fruity, fine with spicy touches.

Ron Zacapa XO (or 23)

Ron Zacapa XO (or 23)

That is a fantastic rum, but certainly the 23 is a lot more than the other rums listed here. Zacapa and Diplomatico Reserva Exclusiva are my usual sipping rums of choice. I prefer something a bit older and more complex than the 10yr rums.

Of those mentioned by the OP, I'd say the Pyrat rum is objectively the highest quality, but everyone has their own tastes.

Flor de Cana 15 year.

Ron Zacapa XO (or 23)

23 year old is the best rum in the world. Utterly divine stuff.

So much so I must have a glass now. :)

Pyrat XO. If money is no object Pyrat Cask 23....Yum!

Thank you all for the input!

I have decided and ordered:

Diplomatico Reserva Exclusiva

Flor de Cana Centenario 12 Years
and

Pyrat XO

Flor de Cana gets my vote... but I agree, its up to your taste :)

Which rum is best from the popular ones you can pick up at airport duty-free stores? Bacardi, Myers, Captain Morgan?

XM Royal is my favorite rum, it's from Guyana and very tasty ^

Which rum is best from the popular ones you can pick up at airport duty-free stores? Bacardi, Myers, Captain Morgan?

Just my opinion, but I don't think it really matters when you're choosing from this bunch. None of them are "sipping" rums, so all are apt to be mixed with something else. For my money, I'd go with the Bacardi, but only because I have more use for it than the Myers dark or the Captain Morgan spiced.

Thanks, do you generally prefer to go for the clear rum?

Take your spiced rum and use it in a simple highball like a rum and fruit juice of your choice or make yourself a rum punch.

Thanks, do you generally prefer to go for the clear rum?

I do, but only because I find it more versatile.

XM Royal is my favorite rum, it's from Guyana and very tasty ^

I like the El Dorado 12 y.o. from Guyana. ^

Having recieved my order I had a fun time testing those different bottles:

Diplomatico Reserva Exclusiva (Euro 33,49 incl. 19% VAT)
Very dark, a very balanced mild taste, hard to believe it has 40% alcohol in it as the taste of it is almost non-existant

Flor de Cana Centenario 12 Years (Euro 21,70 incl. 19%VAT)
Quite dark, not so fruitful and tasty as expected but still good, definitly taste the alcohol
and

Pyrat XO (euro 35,49 incl. 19%VAT)
The aroma is very orangy, the alcohol is quite present. Not as balanced as expected. Still very tasty.

Overall I would say that the 1st one is the Diplomatico by means of a balanced taste. But also it is 3rd in regards to recognizing it as a rum, for this to be the case it is too mild. (That bottle was emptied very fast with great joy!)
2nd is the Pyrat XO as its taste is too much in a single (oranges) direction. With the alcohol being quite present there was more respect to it and it will last longer...
3rd is The Flor de Cana, a quite decent rum with a nice taste to it. Also works well for aromatic cocktails.

Now I am curious how to get the really good stuff which those islands keep for themselves.

I've been a Myers's fan for, like, forever, and one time in an airline lounge I discovered Appleton Estate, which isn't half bad either. You can probably get it in a halfway decent DFS.

Honorable mention: Bacardi Limon, 70 proof, tastes like lemonade.

Which rum is best from the popular ones you can pick up at airport duty-free stores? Bacardi, Myers, Captain Morgan?

I quite enjoy Havana Club rum as a mixer (typically rum and coke for me), can be found in most duty free shops in Europe and should be in the same price range.

a new one made for drinking neat/straight - caliche

could also search luxury hotels forum for posts by stimpy (with "rum" in it) he said he tried an interesting one in london

Some airport duty free carries Stroh rum from Austria which is noteworthy as it is 80% alcohol. Made from sugar beets and intended to be mixed with tea (a teaspoon per cup of tea -- hence the high alcohol content). Very different from "drinking" rums and a bargain price.

Then there´s always "the adult rum":

http://www.rondejeremy.com/

Then there´s always "the adult rum":

http://www.rondejeremy.com/

It's actually not bad stuff. He knows the producers quite well.

I had the pleasure of sampling some with the man himself once. Obviously in public in a well lit room!

Having recieved my order I had a fun time testing those different bottles:

Diplomatico Reserva Exclusiva (Euro 33,49 incl. 19% VAT)
Very dark, a very balanced mild taste, hard to believe it has 40% alcohol in it as the taste of it is almost non-existant

That's true - it's also a bit on the sickly side for me, but overall a pretty fantastic rum :)

If you want something with a bit more bite you could try Mount Gilboa - made by the guy who owns the distillery which Mount Gay uses for their premium rums. He likes whiskey himself, so has made a rum with a bit more of a alcoholic taste to it but which is nonetheless really well balanced.

The other brand to consider would be Plantation rum - a real rum by a rum lover.