Ed Hamilton

Congratulations on a great find. First the rum in that bottle is drinkable, distilled spirits don't degrade in the bottle but at the same time they don't get better as is the case of some wines. Since the bottle is only half full, some air has been introduced into the bottle so the alcohol will have oxidized some and the flavor will be flatter than when it was originally bottled. Although I am not familiar with the distiller, I would expect that rum to be slightly dry, with hints of vanilla and oak. We all look forward to hearing more about your inheritance.

You vodka lovers might want to go to FestUSA's VodkaFest at Metrazur in NY's Grand Central Station on October 27 (they're doing RumFest on the 20th at the same place). Seem to have a LOT of vodkas for you to do that taste test against: Charbay (The Spirit Journal ranks as 3rd best spirit in the WORLD) Boru (it's citrus gets 5 stars) Argent Jewel of Russia (and their infusion vodkas) Blue Ice (from the US...new product) Orange V (what a flavor) Vox and Vox Raspberry (Robert Plokin raves about it www.barmedia.com) Pearl (among the top 100 spirits in the world) Magadanskaya (AKA Maggy.....gets 5 stars Smirnoff and their flavors and new packaging STON--for those who love Estonian Vodka Potocki and a host of others...............let your taste buds delight! FestUSA Home Page

The Spirit of the Caribbean Rum Fest has nothing to do with Tim Forsythe and the old Caribbean Week magazine or the Rum Fest in New Foundland. There is information at Spirit of the Caribbean

Fresh mint, like most fresh herbs and spices, really brings this drink alive. There are as many different mojitos as there are bartenders. I've only had a couple that I wouldn't go back for a second one.

Coruba is very dark colored rum, not aged a long time, I have yet been able to get an age statement though I was once told that the color was due to aging and not caramel. Sorry!! It's used in things like planter's punches. Not bad, if you like that kind of rum.

There are a number of additives that are photoreactive and the blender is simply covering his assets. I have found a bottle of dark rum that became clear after a few weeks in the tropical sun, which is probably equivalent to months of northern sun.

To shed a little light on Tastings selection of rums. All the rums tasted were submitted by the distillers, they don't buy rum and then test them the way the rest of us do. The results are published in a number of magazines they pay for the ratings. I use these ratings as a rough guide but the important thing to note is what are the spirits being tasted against. The number ratings are subjective according to the judges. And I'm confident that these and other ratings will be more valuable as more rums are submitted by the distillers in the future. It is easy to point to ratings and berate them, believe me this a tough job, but someone has to do it.

You are right, ctgm, about where to shop, the grocery stores have the best prices and often beat the duty free shops. The Mount Gay tour takes you through the bottling area but not the distillery. The laws in Barbados prohibit rum being bottled where it is distilled. That way Customs can keep track of what is being produced and botted. On the south coast Four Square is the recontructed site of an old sugar mill and the home of Doorly's, one of the Bajan standards on every bar. The five year old is nice rum. Four Square also blends and bottles Old Brigand. The Harbour Policeman bottle that you'll see in the shops is a nice bottle but the rum isn't the finest quality. Don't miss Cockspur VSOR, Very Special Old Rum, their finest. Mount Gay's Extra Old seems to taste better to me in the islands than the bottles I get in the states. You'll have to decide for yourself. While you are in Barbados you'll have to try sea moss and ESAF, a local white rum that isn't bad when mixed with juice or the sweet milk-based sea moss. This is really good with a platter of fried flying fish. Don't miss the fish fry every friday on Oistins beach on the sw coast. Four Square has the most modern distillery in the islands and recovers most of the distillery waste making their rum some of the most environmentally friendly in the industry.

Down Under Bundy is sold in a premixed can as Rum and Coke. Something that the Coca Cola company in the states doesn't seem to be interested in since they don't want the repercussions of responsible drinking affecting their established market.

It looks like there is a long way to go for the rum bars of today to catch up with the popularity of the drink more than half a century ago. Interesting that many of the names are still producing and bottling under different names such as Siegerts from Trinidad, which is now Angostura.

Here is the confirmed list for Rum Fest USA Oct 20, 2003 at Grand Central Station. Bacardi 8 Bacardi Light Beachcomber Brinley Gold Caribaya (several flavors) Todhunter (Cruzan, all their flavors and several others--14 in all) Doorly's XO English Harbor: 5 Year Old, 1981 Vintage, Nutpower Foursquare Inner Circle Matusalem Porfidio Pyrat Rhum Barbancourt Ron Abuelo Ron Rico (5 flavors) Ron Zacapa Sea Wynde & BRNIR Whalers And there will be more as the date approaches. Better late than never!

I guess you have to be Aussie to appreciate Bundy. Down under they mix it with Coke and bottle it as rum and coke in cans. I don't drink Coke so I tried it with ginger ale when it was the only rum in the bar and with lime it was drinkable but the punch recipe from ctgm sounds better. It just goes to show that people drink what they are used to, but even some of my Aussie friends can't drink Bundy once they start drinking Caribbean rums. And Inner Circle is now imported by Spirit of Hartford.

I have to agree that I was surprised myself at some of the ratings. But there are a lot of variables, not the least of which is the rum supplied for the tasting. Like all ratings, I tend to use these as general guides and not definitive statements of quality. And a note about Don Lorenzo, it is my understanding that there was a trademark problem and Don Lorenzo is no longer imported to the US from the Bahamas.

Tastings.com just updated their rum reviews and posted the information on their site. I'm sure some of you will be disappointed to see some of your favorite rums aren't reviewed but at the same time there may be other reviews that send you to the store, or save you a trip. Tasting.com Rum Reviews

I agree that Zaya is good rum, that is blended by the same people that distill and blend Ron Zacapa Centenario and Montecristo.

Callwood doesn't export any of his rum, he hardly makes enough to satisfy Tortola. Pusser's rum was never 100% British Virgin Islands rum, it is a blend of rums from Guyana, Trinidad, Barbados and Jamaica. As for the similiarity in style between the rums from the BVI and the USVI is explained that except for Callwood's most of the rums labeled for the BVI were made in St Croix. Cadenheads buys rum from distilleries, ages it and then bottles it under their own label. Hope this helps.

I recently was introduced to Porfidio Rum, though I haven't tasted it yet. Unlike other rums this one is made from sugar cane juice pressed without any additional water. Then it is distilled in a pot still and aged in ceramic flagons for five years. Ron Porfidio Website I have corresponed with the distiller and look forward to tasting this rum at the Rum Fest in New York in October.

I recently opened a bottle of the Private Stock that had been in the locker for a few months and was terribly disappointed. In fact, I couldn't drink it, I expected a lot more from a rum that is labeled Private Stock, but thend if I hadn't tried it, I wouldn't know.

With the increase popularity of rum and the number of rum labels that have enjoyed success in the past, look for several new labels in the coming year which have Cuban, or Dominican Republic origins, though Madison Ave prefers the Cuban slant. Though some of these will definitely be overpriced clones, you will find the occasional offering that will exceed your expectations.

I know this may sound like a stretch but I drink Bacardi Anejo on occasion.

I'll also be at John Hansell's WhiskyFest. Here's some of the information on that: America's largest and most influential whisky festival and will be held at the Marriott Marquis in Times Square on Tuesday, October 21, 2003 from 6:30 to 10:00 pm. Attendees can enjoy more than 200 whiskies from Scotland, Ireland, and the U.S., thirteen of the most entertaining distillery managers and master blenders giving seminars in adjacent rooms, a Scottish crystal nosing glass that is yours to keep, a wonderful gift bag and a gourmet buffet all evening. There is also top quality rums, wonderful beer and other spirits. Tickets are $95 and can be ordered by calling 1-800-610-MALT or ordered online at Malt Advocate Website

When you look at the Barbancourt rums, try the five star, it's eight years old and in my opinion a much smoother rum than the more expensive fifteen year old. Also from Cruzan don't overlook the Estate Diamond at less than half the price of the Single Barrel it has more flavor and isn't as light bodied.

For simplicity it's hard to beat Ginger Ale and rum with a slice of lime over ice. I drink a lot of rums that aren't really sipping quality this way. But there are differences in ginger ales so check around and find one that isn't too sweet. Ginger Ale makes a good mixer for white or dark rums.

Rumfest USA will be held in New York October 20th, 2003. For more information go to the Rum Fest USA website

I hate to bring this up but on a recent trip to the DR, I learned that the Anejo brand of Brugal differs between what is shipped to the states and what is sold in the DR. If you are going that way be prepared to enjoy a much better rum. I was told that they will address the problem but in the mean time we have something to look forward to. Brugal has about 75% of the local market in the DR.