Consolidated "Favorite Rum and Rum Recommendations" thread
#47
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: Snooky
Posts: 2,508
I smuggled back a couple bottles of Havana Club 18 from SE Asia last year. It was always the pinnacle in my mind. We tasted it more than a few times at my bar and compared it to the ones I previously mentioned. The HC finished near the bottom of the pack. I just didn't have the complexity or elegance of the others. We were all quite surprised.
#48
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: Central Texas
Programs: Many, slipping beneath the horizon
Posts: 9,859
I smuggled back a couple bottles of Havana Club 18 from SE Asia last year. It was always the pinnacle in my mind. We tasted it more than a few times at my bar and compared it to the ones I previously mentioned. The HC finished near the bottom of the pack. I just didn't have the complexity or elegance of the others. We were all quite surprised.
Not much of a rum drinker except in "cocktails" in which the other ingredients would mask even the most distinguished of brands, I occasionally buy a bottle of Barbancourt premium aged rum from Haiti (as much because a friend here is related to the family as any other reason) to enjoy. The best reasons for rum are the almost countless styles and tastes available, although I'm convinced that the "over-proofs", that handful of 151 bottlings are little better than flavored "Everclear", when it comes to enjoyment. I'm fond of the heavier "Navy" type rums, but the absolute worst rum I've encountered was a dark (as Black Sambuca) Cruzan, apparently cut with burnt sugar and molasses.
But then, how would I know, raised close to Mexico, source of the even then infamous Ron Batey, the equivalent of $ .50 a bottle in Mexican bottle shops in my youth? I haven't seen a bottle in years and suspect that the distillery (Cordoba or Orizaba, VC?) has become defunct or has been absorbed by Domeq or another cartel.
#52
Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: United Arab Emirates & Arizona, USA
Programs: UA MM/1P, EK Au, QR, TK, Marriott Life Ti, Hilton Dia, IC Dia, Hyatt Glob, Accor Pt, Shangri-La
Posts: 4,525
+1 If you like a sweet one, this is outstanding. Only a couple of dollars per bottle in India; never seen it in the U.S., though I didn't look widely.
I have tried many high-priced ones, and keep coming back to Mount Gay as my favorite.
Havana Club? I don't get that one; both the light and dark taste like gasoline, though I guess I haven't tried the 18-year-old.
I have tried many high-priced ones, and keep coming back to Mount Gay as my favorite.
Havana Club? I don't get that one; both the light and dark taste like gasoline, though I guess I haven't tried the 18-year-old.
#56
Join Date: Feb 2008
Posts: 1,154
While in Barbados, we had a number of people recommend English Harbour 5 year rum as the best to get there. Haven't actually sampled it yet myself, since I don't drink a ton of rum (given the currently open bottles, the 5 year rum might age another 5 years before I get to it ).
#57
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: Snooky
Posts: 2,508
While in Barbados, we had a number of people recommend English Harbour 5 year rum as the best to get there. Haven't actually sampled it yet myself, since I don't drink a ton of rum (given the currently open bottles, the 5 year rum might age another 5 years before I get to it ).
#59
In memoriam
Join Date: Mar 2000
Location: IAD, BOS, PVD
Programs: UA, US, AS, Marriott, Radisson, Hilton
Posts: 7,203
Never been a great fan of Havana Club products, though a glass of
anejo I had recently was better than average. I have always had a
soft spot for the older Appleton products, though I suspect that
the V/X is not quite what it used to be.
anejo I had recently was better than average. I have always had a
soft spot for the older Appleton products, though I suspect that
the V/X is not quite what it used to be.
#60
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: NYC
Programs: AA LT G (1MM);DL G, UA GM
Posts: 2,028
This inspired me to take a snort of the HC I smuggled back a couple of months ago, the last few ounces of a bottle I bought in Paris a year or two ago, simply because I could. Not nearly as interesting as the El Dorado 15 year Anejo. I'll keep it for recipes that call for white rum.