Mister Hand

I have similar glasses that I use when I'm not drinking straight from the bottle with a straw.

http://www.internetwines.com/rws20510.html Haven't found it around me.

I've visited five or six different stores around my area but haven't been able to find it. I did find Zaya, but haven't picked it up yet. They had it on the top shelf, costing about $45.

I actually found Pyrat XO in a local store. It was side-by-side with Barbancourt 15 for around the same price (low $30s). I went with the Barbancourt. Next time I'll grab the Pyrat.

It's ironic you mention that about the taste of MG XO, because when I tried it the first thing that came to mind was how 'whiskey-like' the taste was. I've seen the Gosling Black Seal around in a number of local stores so I'll be able to pick that up. I very much liked the Estate Diamond I tried the other night as well. I found the taste less 'sharp' (if that's the term) than the XO. I have relatives in Canada so perhaps those Cuban rums will be available up there. I haven't heard of chilling them. I do tend to enjoy drinks cold, but read somewhere that the cold doesn't release the full flavour. I'll be sure to first try them neat before adding water or ice. It was a delicious fetuccini with diced chicken, gorgonzola, roasted red peppers, in a white wine and garlic sauce. They served my rum in a snifter which was the first time I'd tried it like that. I thought it made the aroma more concentrated. I quite liked it.

Thanks so much for the replies. Tonight I was out visiting my daughter at college and went to a very nice restaurant which I was pleased to see had more than just CM and Bacardi. I tried the Mount Gay Eclipse and rather liked it. Was delicious before and during the pasta.

I've been lurking on the board for a while now getting great information from the folks here. After not seeing the questions I had asked specifically I figured I'd sign up and ask them myself. I was a long-time beer drinker since it was less expensive than the hard stuff for a college student to afford and you normally knew exactly what you were getting. A few years back a weekly poker game started up and I found that beer wasn't cutting it anymore. The issue was less the taste and more the after-effects; one or two I was ready for a nap. Mixed drinks didn't have the same effect. The LIT being my favorite. Eventually mixing it with so many ingredients became a pain. I also thought that I was short-changing myself by not actually tasting any of the individual ingredients. The first rum I tried was plain ol' Captain Morgan, which I've come to understand is the tap water of rum world, not too surprising I guess since it's so ubiquitous. Bacardi 'Superior' was also available but neither was particularly good without Coke in it. I wanted something I could drink neat or on the rocks. After reading the recommendations found here I was able to track down some Mount Gay Extra Old, which I will keep at the poker haven. I cracked it open and tried it for the first time last night. In anticipation of Super Bowl parties this weekend I found another liquor store that carried Cruzan Estate Diamond (which I'm enjoying as I type this). I did have a few question though; when drinking the Extra Old I immediately realized it was much more 'potent' than the CM and Bacardi I had been drinking (the guy next to me told me he was getting a contact high from my glass). I was afraid that adding water would take away from the flavour but I eventually added some ice to it. Do most of you enjoy drinking yours neat or do you add water or ice to it? If you do add to it do you feel you're diluting the flavour or are you tasting it as it was intended by doing that? Also, if you are drinking it on the rocks, do you worry about any taste the ice might impart to it as it melts? And how often do you enjoy a glass? That's about it. Thanks for reading!