Oh yeah I should have clarified that by neat I guess I didn't mean in the strict sense. Overproofs on their own are a bit much, so water is a good option. Good to know it plays with soda water, not all rums do, imo....

If you don't have time to visit a distillery (oliveryoliver.com) then I suggest you drop by several local bodegas that's where I usually find some gems (a lot of garbage as well, well mostly garbage, but the gems are in there...sometimes) just grab a taxi/uber and tell him to take you shopping pretty woman style...

Rum Meme: it's Christmas need to ration my rum budget...

Dang! 39gpl!? That just seems astonishing. Just curious - but who is the current record holder for added sugar, anybody know?...

I had it over ice. I'll have to try it neat next time. Thanks for letting me know....

I did not think that Cuba allowed the use of additives. What is the source citing sugar added? I don't have solid facts, but I am curious. Anything that can be shared is appreciated....

As a general I believe that it's a good idea to publish the dosage of sugar, cause I believe that that's fair for the consumers. Capt Jimbo has a site where he publish the dosage, but many of the results published there are rather old and many of the tests has been made before the EU regulation that says that a rum can at maximum have 20gpl of sugar to be labeled rum inside the EU. So therefore h...

Hello PantherMike.  It is rare for rums or Cachaca to really increase in value after only 20+ years. The Morado Do Vento really gets a lot of positive reviews on taste. Not sure what your end game is here but if you are thinking that a 20+  year or even 30+ year Cachaca is going to bring in anything as far as price goes I think you will be very disappointed. Pop the cork and enjoy unless you are l...

The funny thing is the "rich" is what simple syrup was. At some point it changed to 1:1 and the standard 2:1 became "rich". 2:1 simple is the same amount of sugar and water you'd have in the old way of preparing an old fashioned with a sugar cube and a little water to dissolve it....

@Sektionchef depends on how stressful my week was lol. Nah just kidding I only use one.  Nutshell: diplomatico white: a bit too sweet plantation 3 star: a bit too strong (note i like overproofs neat, just don't like strong rum in cocktails) selva rey white: is just right (its a panamanian don pancho white-labeled which makes sense as to why it's so good) -------- below my mai tai recipe  whic...

Never had a Flor de Cana I thought was great. The 25 year huge expensive mistake. I stop at 12 year. ...

I think you should go for at least ABV 50%.My favorites is: Montebello ReimonenQ Pere Labat Rhum J.M...

I know with coffee you should use spring water, not distilled because of the acidic pH and lack of minerals which can make coffee taste flat or even bitter.  Also, if there is copper piping in the coffee maker, it can leech some out, which isn't good for you. Good spring water can make coffee taste better and smoother.  On the down side, what spring water you use will alter the flavor. For rum t...

Usually if I'm doing a few tastings back to back, I'll rinse out my glass with some  water then just drink the water from the glass. Cleanses my palate and allows me to use the same glass and saves me some dishes....

Nice sippers and not that expensive? 1 Doorly's XO 2 Chairman's Reserve Forgotten Casks 3 Lots of people say the Appleton low-mid tier offerings are both nice quality and cheap, but i haven't tried any, especially not the rebranded ones...

b_rnb Have a look at Capn Jimbo's Rum Project - the usual URL wasn't working today for some reason but it is http://rumproject.com/rumforum/viewtopic.php?t=1683 They list added sugar test results for hundreds of rums. It's worth bearing in mind though that, if you live in Europe, EU legislation changed a couple of years ago regarding how much sugar you could add and still call it rum, meaning m...

Solera, can be produced forever, as long as the manufacturer does not shorten the aging to increase the quantity. Of a single cask rum, there is always only one barrel, which turns out so or so. So if you drink Solera, you can certainly enjoy it for 10 years before the recipe is changed at some point. I have already drunk Pampero Anniversario from 89 and 92, compared with the current bottlings, th...

Whos tried Devils Bridge Spiced Rum?...

I have several Glencairn glasses that I only use for side-by-side taste testings to help adjust my rankings within a rating. For everyday drinking enjoyment, I use a smaller version of the brandy snifter. At it's widest point, it is 3.5 inches wide and holds 3 ounces when filled to that point as usual. If I am not in the mood for drinking neat, then I can always add water or ice cubes, since there...

RIP!...

The single barrel aged for 5yrs is good but it seems to need more time to age. While drinking this my first opinion was that this rum is going to just keep getting better! This is noticeable in the reserve. I believe this is aged 7 years. This one's my favorite. It's just spot on. You can tell these guys know what they're doing and expect their lineup to just get better as time goes. I'm not a fan...

If anyone is rating rum mixed with anything but 1 cube of ice they're going to hang from the yardarm. Arrrgh! 🏴‍☠️...

the 30 is a treat.  oak forward, but smoother and silky.  tons of flavor without being so hot.  I have the other bottle up for sale.  I just can't drink them both. ...

If you like Jamaican white rums and funk, Hampden Rum Fire takes Smith & Cross and cranks that up a few notches.  For something rather different, I rate Diplomatico Planas - it's aged 7 years then charcoal filtered to make it clear. Like Probitas, it's 47% but I would say tastier. Cocktails wise, my go to are Hurricaines! Ideally with Haitian Clairin, but Wray & Nephew does fine too....

@vomi1011 thanks for the reply.  The reason my expression is generic is because the smell I'm trying to describe isn't like anything else I'm familiar with outside of the rum world, so I can't compare it to anything else. your comment about musty is probably the closest to what I'm trying to describe, but since I live in soCal with very low humidity I don't encounter musty very often to be sure i...

Oh yeah I should have clarified that by neat I guess I didn't mean in the strict sense. Overproofs on their own are a bit much, so water is a good option. Good to know it plays with soda water, not all rums do, imo....

If you don't have time to visit a distillery (oliveryoliver.com) then I suggest you drop by several local bodegas that's where I usually find some gems (a lot of garbage as well, well mostly garbage, but the gems are in there...sometimes) just grab a taxi/uber and tell him to take you shopping pretty woman style...

Rum Meme: it's Christmas need to ration my rum budget...

Dang! 39gpl!? That just seems astonishing. Just curious - but who is the current record holder for added sugar, anybody know?...

I had it over ice. I'll have to try it neat next time. Thanks for letting me know....

I did not think that Cuba allowed the use of additives. What is the source citing sugar added? I don't have solid facts, but I am curious. Anything that can be shared is appreciated....

As a general I believe that it's a good idea to publish the dosage of sugar, cause I believe that that's fair for the consumers. Capt Jimbo has a site where he publish the dosage, but many of the results published there are rather old and many of the tests has been made before the EU regulation that says that a rum can at maximum have 20gpl of sugar to be labeled rum inside the EU. So therefore h...

Hello PantherMike.  It is rare for rums or Cachaca to really increase in value after only 20+ years. The Morado Do Vento really gets a lot of positive reviews on taste. Not sure what your end game is here but if you are thinking that a 20+  year or even 30+ year Cachaca is going to bring in anything as far as price goes I think you will be very disappointed. Pop the cork and enjoy unless you are l...

The funny thing is the "rich" is what simple syrup was. At some point it changed to 1:1 and the standard 2:1 became "rich". 2:1 simple is the same amount of sugar and water you'd have in the old way of preparing an old fashioned with a sugar cube and a little water to dissolve it....

@Sektionchef depends on how stressful my week was lol. Nah just kidding I only use one.  Nutshell: diplomatico white: a bit too sweet plantation 3 star: a bit too strong (note i like overproofs neat, just don't like strong rum in cocktails) selva rey white: is just right (its a panamanian don pancho white-labeled which makes sense as to why it's so good) -------- below my mai tai recipe  whic...

Never had a Flor de Cana I thought was great. The 25 year huge expensive mistake. I stop at 12 year. ...

I think you should go for at least ABV 50%.My favorites is: Montebello ReimonenQ Pere Labat Rhum J.M...

I know with coffee you should use spring water, not distilled because of the acidic pH and lack of minerals which can make coffee taste flat or even bitter.  Also, if there is copper piping in the coffee maker, it can leech some out, which isn't good for you. Good spring water can make coffee taste better and smoother.  On the down side, what spring water you use will alter the flavor. For rum t...

Usually if I'm doing a few tastings back to back, I'll rinse out my glass with some  water then just drink the water from the glass. Cleanses my palate and allows me to use the same glass and saves me some dishes....

Nice sippers and not that expensive? 1 Doorly's XO 2 Chairman's Reserve Forgotten Casks 3 Lots of people say the Appleton low-mid tier offerings are both nice quality and cheap, but i haven't tried any, especially not the rebranded ones...

b_rnb Have a look at Capn Jimbo's Rum Project - the usual URL wasn't working today for some reason but it is http://rumproject.com/rumforum/viewtopic.php?t=1683 They list added sugar test results for hundreds of rums. It's worth bearing in mind though that, if you live in Europe, EU legislation changed a couple of years ago regarding how much sugar you could add and still call it rum, meaning m...

Solera, can be produced forever, as long as the manufacturer does not shorten the aging to increase the quantity. Of a single cask rum, there is always only one barrel, which turns out so or so. So if you drink Solera, you can certainly enjoy it for 10 years before the recipe is changed at some point. I have already drunk Pampero Anniversario from 89 and 92, compared with the current bottlings, th...

Whos tried Devils Bridge Spiced Rum?...

I have several Glencairn glasses that I only use for side-by-side taste testings to help adjust my rankings within a rating. For everyday drinking enjoyment, I use a smaller version of the brandy snifter. At it's widest point, it is 3.5 inches wide and holds 3 ounces when filled to that point as usual. If I am not in the mood for drinking neat, then I can always add water or ice cubes, since there...

RIP!...

The single barrel aged for 5yrs is good but it seems to need more time to age. While drinking this my first opinion was that this rum is going to just keep getting better! This is noticeable in the reserve. I believe this is aged 7 years. This one's my favorite. It's just spot on. You can tell these guys know what they're doing and expect their lineup to just get better as time goes. I'm not a fan...

If anyone is rating rum mixed with anything but 1 cube of ice they're going to hang from the yardarm. Arrrgh! 🏴‍☠️...

the 30 is a treat.  oak forward, but smoother and silky.  tons of flavor without being so hot.  I have the other bottle up for sale.  I just can't drink them both. ...

If you like Jamaican white rums and funk, Hampden Rum Fire takes Smith & Cross and cranks that up a few notches.  For something rather different, I rate Diplomatico Planas - it's aged 7 years then charcoal filtered to make it clear. Like Probitas, it's 47% but I would say tastier. Cocktails wise, my go to are Hurricaines! Ideally with Haitian Clairin, but Wray & Nephew does fine too....

@vomi1011 thanks for the reply.  The reason my expression is generic is because the smell I'm trying to describe isn't like anything else I'm familiar with outside of the rum world, so I can't compare it to anything else. your comment about musty is probably the closest to what I'm trying to describe, but since I live in soCal with very low humidity I don't encounter musty very often to be sure i...