LunaSea

Ron Zacapa Centenario 23 y/o remains my favorite rum without paying over $50. But Pyrat Cask 1623 makes me put away all other rums until the very last drop has been savored. I'll have to look for the Zacapa 25 y/o and give it a try. At $200/bottle it's still $40 cheaper than Pyrat Cask 1623 in Miami.

Sounds to me like he wants his Ron Zacapa so he can go out and buy some appropriate barware.

I once watched two guys in a convenience store open a bottle of beer (screw-off cap), glug as much as they could without being seen, and then put it back in the cooler. Maybe that's one reason. Or maybe it's just cheaper to use pressed-on caps.

My wife returned from Anguilla and brought me a bottle of Pyrat Cask 1623. Don't know why they're calling it Cask 1623 and not Cask 23 like before, but it still tastes the same. Same price from the factory too: $180/bottle. Anyway, I just thought I'd make some of you folks jealous!

Susan in FL....sorry I forgot to wish you a happy anniversary. It was 1 year yesterday when you started this thread!!!

Welcome Davydd Are you getting your Boddington's on tap or in the bright yellow 4-pack cans? Try Tetley Ale too, either tap or 4-pack cans. Another good 'un. Cheers.

Oh well, it's probably just a plot to make me go back to Maine! Might be worth it though, if I remember the beer correctly. I do recall that it went really well with Maine lobster and little neck clams! Actually, I'm certain the shipping from state-to-state thing is all about money. TAXES!!!

A number of years ago I went with my wife to Portland, ME and found myself sitting in a pub drinking Sunday River Lager almost the entire time we were there. I thought it was a very nice beer but would like to refresh my memory. Does anyone know of a place that can ship Sunday River Lager or Sunday River Alt to Florida?

Rum. Key West. What were the chances?

I'm having to type this with one hand so I don't have to put down my second bottle of Weihenstephaner Hefeweissbier Dark (glad I typed that before I go fetch me another one!!!). It's a nice dark beer from "The World's Oldest Brewery" in Friesing, Germany...is that pronounced "Freezing Germany?" Hey Tad, why don't you tell the folks about that 11.4% alcohol beer you brought over recently...you know, that night we got stupid!!!

Mad Mac, I too recently bought a bottle of Gosling's Old Rum, but haven't figured out if I like it or not. You've inspired me to go give it another try. The best rum in the price range you mentioned, in my not so humble opinion, is Ron Zacapa Centenario 23 y/o, and Diplomatico. Hope you can find them up there in the frozen tundra.

Pyrat XO was my rum of choice for quite some time, until I tried Ron Zacapa Centenario 23 y/o. I'm still very partial to Diplomatico too though. But then my wife bought me a bottle of Pyrat Cask 23 when she was working in Anguilla (Jason, Anguilla is in the West Indies, not the East Indies) and I've never been the same since. I'm now on my 5th bottle of Pyrat Cask 23 and liking every sip of it. Every EXPENSIVE sip of it, I might add. I've tried the Pistol, and the 2 flavored varieties of it are pretty gross. In between sipping Cask 23 I still dip into my Ron Zacapa and Diplomatico, but seldom Pyrat XO anymore. I'm still trying to figure out the Gosling Family Reserve Old Rum that I bought. Can't decide if I like it or not.

I much prefer Ron Zacapa Centenario 23 y/o over Santa Teresa 1796, but both are good sipping rums. A real sleeper out there, and one that seldom gets mentioned, is Diplomatico, an exceptionally fine sipping rum from Venezuela that is under $50. It's my wife's favorite sipping rum, period. You guys should all pool your money and buy a bottle of Pyrat Cask 23 for your sipping contest! You can thank me later!

I'll bet if you perused some books on rum you'd find some pictures of labels on old bottles of rum. When I used to hunt for old bottles, I found a late 1800s bottle with raised glass letters that say Bluthenthal & Bickart "B & B" Fine Old Whiskey on it. The bottle has a pinkish tint and I found it in the mangrove swamps of Key Largo in the Florida Keys. Although I cherish the bottle, I can't help but wonder who guzzled the contents in it way back then. I found another bottle very close to it that also has raised glass letters that read...Glover's Imperial Mange Medicine!!!

I've never tasted a Bacardi that I liked yet, so maybe there IS hope! Never had a Havana Club that I was thrilled about either, although the 15 y/o was getting there. And my neighbor who went to Cuba on a scientific mission brought back a bottle of Havana Club 25 y/o, but he hasn't opened it yet. The good news is that I discovered a bottle of Mount Gay Extra Old Barbados rum that I'd forgotten I had. Doesn't say how old it actually is, although it does say that it's "The world's best rum." HA!!! But I'll try it manana anyway and post a report.

Okay, I've tried it twice now and the jury is still out whether I like it or not. It does have a dry, smokey oak flavor that runs through the finish, like Ed pointed out. I'll give it another whirl in a couple of days and report back.

Evangelos...I think it is, indeed, synonymous with Pyrat Cask 23. One site that I checked mentioned that Pyrat Cask 1623 is aged in oak barrels for 40 years, which is what Pyrat Cask 23 is also. My wife is going back down to Anguilla later this month and will be purchasing me another (my 5th!!!) bottle of Pyrat Cask 23. I'll have her also inquire about the 1623 and see what they say.

Hello All, Yesterday I went to a local liquor store in South Miami and purchased a bottle of Gosling's Family Reserve Old Rum for $70. Have any of you sipped any of this before? I haven't opened the bottle yet but will later today. Here's what it says on the label: "Gosling's Family Reserve Old Rum has been a secret for generations enjoyed only by members of the family. Old Rum is created from the incomparable Bermuda blend that makes up the smooth, full flavor of Gosling's Black Seal Rum. The rum is left resting in the oak barrels where it is aged until it has acquired a luscious, well-balanced complexity, resuling in the finest of sipping rums. This rich, elegant Old Rum is created for the enjoyment of those who appreciate the finer things in life." Jeez, if it wasn't so early in the morning I'd try it right now!!!!

Every so often you can find Pyrat XO in a gift box that comes with a pair of frosted glasses that say "Pyrat Rum" on them. They seem sort of fitting.

Okay, I cracked the secret code! And all it took was sipping some Pyrat Cask 23 rum straight from the bottle, squinting my eyes, and then sipping more rum...NEAT!!!

"Relaxing quaffability".....I like that!!! The 3 brews of Trappist Monk Chimay Ales that reside in my beer fridge right now are 7%, 8%, and 9% alcohol, and my favorite is the 9% (blue label).

Had 2 large bottles of Chimay Cing Cents last night while I watched bats winging around in the sky over my property. I must learn to quit doing that on weekdays when I have to work the next day!!

I made the terrible mistake of ordering a shot of Meyer's Dark Rum at a bar once, only because it was the best rum on the shelf (so you can well imagine what else they had!) and the only reason I finished the glass was because it cost $10 a shot (I was on South Beach in Miami). So I made two mistakes, going to South Beach, and ordering Meyer's straight! Mixed, however, it can make an interesting and refreshing beverage. It does tend to turn orange juice into a godawful color though!

Okay, I will admit to mixing rum with coke, but that was way back when I was a high school teenager and I was trying to get my date drunk...for reasons that now elude me!!! Do I get to be a club member now? What's the secret handshake? Hey DERF, here's a better quote than "If a tree falls in the forest, and there's nobody around to hear it, does it make a noise?" ...."If a man is out in a forest talking, and there's not a woman around to hear him, is he still wrong?"

I think that of all the rums listed on this thread, Pyrat Cask 23 is the one that is the least-tasted, if for no other reason besides its price than because it's not very readily available. Here in the Miami area there are but a scant few liquor stores who can special order it. Like I mentioned before, it's $239 a bottle here, but it's still a pricey $180 a bottle direct from the Anguilla factory, and $200 a bottle in stores elsewhere on Anguilla. I feel blessed in that I've now finished my 4th bottle (3 from Anguilla, one from Miami). And my wife is expected to go back to Anguilla on a consulting job soon. Life is good!!! By the way, I prefer Ron Zacapa Centenario 23 y/o and Diplomatico over Pyrat XO (Planter's Gold). But they're all darned tasty.