Soren Nielsen

I've never heard of it I'm afraid, but you might wanna try asking the experts @ ministryofrum.com forum. Otherwise crack it open already and let us know how it goes

After digging around a bit I found the following: Temperature when measuring abv is standardized (but varies in EU and US of course) Reading this page you can see that in beer production, they measure the change in specific gravity caused by fermentation and use that as a basis for calculating abv. Since it is based on percentage of alcohol by mass I guess it is unaffected by molecular changes as result of mixing? It also seems that a variance of 1-2% is allowed, depending on product.

Intesting point! In my view: Given 956ml of a liquid made from 500ml water and 500ml ethanol, which decreased in volume when mixed. I assume that this decrease is caused by dissolving of ethanol molecules. No alcohol (or water) disappears when mixing, it just becomes tighter packed. Additionally, assuming perfect distillation, you could still seperate the mixture to 500ml water and 500ml ethanol. Thus, the mixture remains 50% abv. Keeping the fact that the mixture decreases in volume in mind, a statement like "this mixture contains 500ml of water" is misleading. It was made with 500ml of water, but that's not the same. Volume also varies with temperature (different variations for alcohol and water), adding more to the confusion. If anyone knows of a generally accepted standard for measuring abv in spirits I'd like to know too!

Very well. As I am sure you know, I was referring to when cocktails became popular - during US prohibition where the American Bar had substantial influence. Regardless, it's not a book I'd recommend.

On my shelf are: The Craft of the Cocktail by Dale DeGroff The Savoy Cocktail Book Cocktails of the Ritz Paris by Colin Field The Craft of the Cocktail is a comprehensive book and worth having. The Savoy Cocktail Book I bought because of the key role played the Savoy Hotel in the early cocktail days. A classic book but it rarely leaves the shelf. Cocktails of the Ritz Paris deserves special mention. Not only are the recipes great, but the book has a lot of charming stories about how these drinks were conceived and about the bar and its customers. A real gem with a unique atmosphere!

Here's a link to the cask strength, from a German webshop: http://www.spirituosen-superbillig.com/s01...&pp=aa&bnr=1729 They don't have much information about it though.

By the way, I've been looking all over Paris for La Favorite with no luck. When talking to importers, it is quite clear that the reason is primarily that (Danish) importers somehow regard French rhums as an unattractive niche in the sense that * No consumer demand exists (may be true for DK) * French rhums are second grade quality / not real rum (I'm guessing you don't agree) It is obvious that the awareness of French rhum needs to be increased. Ed, get to Europe and spread the word The only french rhums available here are the Clement Rhum Vieux (which I love) and, upon special request, the Clement Agricole Blanc 40% (which I have only managed to drink one glass of). On a sidenote: Is the Clement Rhum Agricole Blanc 40% a typical rhum agricole? If so, I'm thoroughly disappointed. It's the only one I've been able to get my hands on.

The Ministry of Rum glasses of course http://store.yahoo.com/rhumsite/rumglasses.html

Hello, As far as adding ice or water - it really depends on my mood. Adding water doesn't dilute the flavor (unless you overdo it) but on the contrary often brings out additional flavors. Especially stuff like Rhum Barbancourt really benefits from a little ice or water. Some people claim that using ice is bad since your taste buds are less effective on cold drinks. This may be true to some extent but I am not that religious about rum drinking so if it's hot out I often use ice. The only sin in rum drinking is mixing with coke so go right ahead and use ice. For the most part you should try your rums both neat and on the rocks and enjoy the differences. As far as quantity goes I usually enjoy a few classes with friends two days a week, amounting to a bottle or so a month. I currently enjoy Havana Club Cuban Barrel Proof, Plantation rum Barbados and a Barbancourt 8-year.

Sounds very interesting. Their relatively new Barrel Proof is a recommendable effort. Any experiences with this rum would be appreciated. Although one would certainly appreciate more details in their press releases..

This is a very good rum. I bought a bottle of this from a German online store about a week ago. It is well worth the 45 euros for a litre. A sweet, balanced rum with a bit more robustness than the usual HC stuff. Definately a must try for HC fans! Oh, and I also got a bottle of Barbancourt 8-year (0.7L) for 21 euros which I consider a bargain, at least in this region of the world. Merry Christmas to everyone

Look for Barbancourt 5-star Reserve Speciale as well, it's an amazing sipping rum IMHO. May be harder to find though due to the unrest in Haiti (at least that is the case in Europe). I recently attended a rum tasting event where the first thing served was Capt. Morgan Spiced & Coke. I almost walked out! - glad I didnt though as some pretty good rums followed (without Coke ofc)

Yes, they removed the bast fiber that used to cover the entire bottle. Looks much better now in my opinion.

Hi, I have only tried the centenario and the 1796 from your list, I also think they are very good. I guess everyone loves Ron Zacapa, but in my opinion it's perhaps just a tad too sweet.. The (cheaper) Ron Botran from the same distiller is also pretty good. You should definately try the Barbancourt Reserve Speciale from Haiti. Other favorites include Clement Rhum Vieux, Cruzan Single Barrel and in the cheaper end, the Barbados Plantation rum. I'm not sure they can match the highly appraised Pyrat Cask 23 though. I live in Denmark where high end rums are hard to find and pretty darn expensive. You said in another post that you could buy Ron Zacapa for 40$ in the States, here in DK it carries an 80$ price tag .

Sea Wynde, blended by whisky guru Jim Murray, has received quite a bit of hype but is also near the top of my list of bad rums. It is designed to mimic the taste of the original British Navy Rum, a job it probably does well but I guess the original wasn't that good in the first place - apart from the obvious historical and symbolic value. The Sea Wynde 2nd edition is a tad sweeter and lighter in color.