Ed Hamilton

As for best prices, I like to buy rum at the distilleries but it's a good idea to check supermarkets, KMart in the Virgin Islands, or other consumer outlets. They do the biggest business and are generally very competitive. I avoid duty free, at almost any cost. There are a few deals around but you always do better in town. Duty free shops usually pay ridiculous rents in airports and other expensive tourist centers.

Hope this helps, take Highway #5 from Bayamón toward Cataño and get off at Kilo 1.6. On the west side of the highway look for the signs and the trees that are part of the hacienda. The public is welcome Monday through Friday from 8:00 to 11:45 and from 13:00 to 16:45. You can call 787-785-3490 Definitely worth the trouble.

Glad to hear 1824 is getting some distribution. $50 is less than they were selling that rum for last year. This rum is a real departure for Angostura, much more complex flavor than the other rums from this distillery which generally bottles very light rums. I thought some of the spice flavors seemed a little artifical and out of character but it is good rum.

Welcome to the world of Bally. Since 1924, the distinctive square bottle has been recognized for quality. But before you lay down $800 for a bottle of rhum, believe that a bottle of 1924 J Bally hasn't been aging since 1924. I can't tell you how long that rum was aged but I can tell since, and probably before, 1993, J Bally rhum vieux was aged six years in oak barrels and then bottled. So when you buy a bottle of 1889 J Bally, you are probably getting a six year old rhum at a premium price. When I'm ready to spend a wad on some Martinique I'll head back to the island and save some money as well as have a great time on a beautiful island.

Barrilito is certainly worth looking for the the operation shouldn't be missed but it should be pointed out that this isn't a distillery, they buy alcohol from Bacardi and then blend and age their rums at their facility. One of the secrets of the success of both of these blends is that the rum is blended and then aged at very near the bottled strength so the taste and flavor isn't diluted prior to bottling. As for other PR rums a bottle of Palo Viejo is also a standard among local rum drinkers. A light, clean, clear rum.

I can only urge you to try the Varadero Rums, I doubt you will be disappointed. Unfortunately, I only have some empty bottles here.

Just last week I got an email that Sam's in Chicago had a supply of Ron Zacapa. The new importer/distributor is gearing up and there are at least some bottles of this fine rum available. Hey, if it was easy everyone would be doing it.

Matusalem rums are exported to St Maarten and some other islands. Matusalem Miami would have a very hard time stopping trade in the Caribbean especially when the rum doesn't have to go through the freest country in the world.

Rene, Good to hear you are progressing, I would start with contacting the importers of the rums that are available in your area. Importers have the most to gain by exposing their rums in such a tasting. Good Luck.

At the time of the American Revolution there were over 40 distilleries in the Boston area alone, Philadelphia was home to more than a dozen. The molasses act, 1774, was one of the reasons that the colonists brought arms against unfair taxation. The Boston tea party wasn't nearly as much about tea as it was the molasses that was so important to the economy of the new colonies. George Washington ordered a barrel of the finest aged Barbados rum for his inaguaration party.

There are a couple of retailers in Germany that have sent rum to the states but you do risk loosing your purchase in US Customs. Another way to enjoy Cuban rum is to buy it in the Caribbean and enjoy it there. The last thing that any of us want to do is to condone violating US Customs laws even if we don't agree with the obviously politically motivated regulations.

There are two Ron Matusalems presently being bottled. The Cuban version is being distilled and bottled in Cuba. The other is imported distilled and blended in the Bahamas and sold in the states. The Cuban Matusalem is available in some of the Caribbean islands but not in the US.

You've got it in a nutshell. There is no standard, only national laws like in the US where the age can only be the youngest rum. But who's kidding. It is possible to gauge a rum by drinking it, the younger rums just won't hold up. Unfortunately there is very little or no enforcement in the Caribbean of age certification except in the French islands where rhum vieux has to be at least three years old. The age statement debate is one of the reasons we haven't seen ages on labels until the last few years.

Yes, what a shame that someone was so senseless when they designed the label. I know rhum is expensive in Finland so I would try to find a couple of people who wanted to share a bottle. Like Jason said it isn't bad rhum but the label is just a little misleading, no very misleading.

Interesting that no one has designated a rum glass but the glass I use is shown on my website. Actually I used to make glasses by cutting off the bottom 3 and a half inches of a rum bottle. It takes some time to polish the edge but it is about the right size and weight not to slice around on the deck of a boat. Brandy sniffers are fine but I prefer something without a stem just to keep the center of gravity lower.

Unfortunately I will NOT be able to attend, as noted in promotional materials, due to revised financial priorities set by the promoter immediately before the show. I sincerely regret that I will not be able to attend but look forward to meeting you in the future. At least it is warm in Grenada and the sun is shining.

I don't have an exact date but rum and coca cola gained popularity from a song sung in Trinidad during world war II. To this day Coca Cola will not market their product in association with rum, since they want a much broader base that isn't subject to the politics of being associated with alcohol. I believe it was Morey Amsterdam who heard the song in Trinidad and then sang it in the states where it immediately became popular.

I agree with your comments after the first sip, but after a couple of bottles, I prefer to drink the 2 star and keep the 3 star for special occasions. I find this to be the case with a lot of rums.

There will be rum tasting Nov 16th at the Arcadian Court, 8th floor, in the Hudson’s Bay building at 401 Bay Street. The event will be open to the public and will feature seminars on the history, production, blending and tasting of this classic spirit. As soon as there is a contact for more information I will post it on my site and here.

In a nutshell, but to me it doesn't matter where it came from as much as do I like it? To answer that question I often ask myself, Would I buy another bottle? Cheers.

Eric has it in a nutshell. Pernod bought the Havana Club name from the Cuban government a few years ago and sells it around the world, except in the US. Bacardi filed for and got a trademark in the US for Havana Club. If you buy Havana Club in the US, it certainly didn't come from Cuba. This is a lot like the Matusalem situation, I for one like the Matusalem made in the Bahamas, but I buy Cuban Matusalem in the islands. At the heart of the dispute is the claim of being Cuban rum. Some, like Matusalem and Bacardi, which got started in Cuba before Castro, claim that their rum is the same as Cuban rum no matter where they make it. I couldn't disagree more. The distillation equipment and yeast make a big difference, just as Bacardi about their specially guarded yeast. Another difference has to be the molasses, and then the aging conditions are different between Cuba and the Bahamas, barrels and ventilation to name just two of the variables. My take on this is that this battle will continue for as long as the attorneys are getting paid which will be a very long time. In the mean time, they'll have to charge the consumer for their efforts.

91 from Trinidad will be much lighter than 83 from Jamaica. These are rums that are bought from the distilleries and then private bottled. There are a number of these around and because they are small runs they are all but impossible to keep track off.

Southern Wine and Spirits is located in Miami but also operates in California and in several other markets. I don't expect all of the problems experienced in the past to just go away since the US market is a lot different from what the distillery is used to dealing with but like good rum, patience is rewarded.

There have been problems in Nicaragua but if it was easy to get it would probably be gone by now. The best things are worth waiting for. The good news is that problems at the distillery are being worked out and Southern Wine and Spirits is now the importer. first shipments are going to Florida, then California. Look for it next in NY and Chicago.

I've seen the 15 year old in St Martin on the French side of the island. It used to also be available, sometimes, in Carriacou, just north of Grenada and at a small store near the market in Grenada.