Kristian

Ah, if you ever get a chance to taste some liqueur chocolates from Panda, they use real rum in their recipes as well, as well as coqnac and other spirits. I must say that I love these... http://www.panda.fi/engl/likoori.php

Uh, I was afraid that they might have suffered greatly in the Katrina event. I actually thought about them when I saw the newscasts from N.O. at the time. I really hope that they get back on their feet, but I suspect they were set back almost to what they were when they first began...

As far as I know, the same concern applies to rum. At least Ron Matusalem rums changed considerably when they changed their production site a few years ago.

Uh, in Finland (just across the bay), we also have a government controlled alcohol monopoly, but our selection of rum is worse that the one you list up there. Perhaps I should visit your beautiful country more often... BTW: How do you find the Angostura 1919? We just got it in our selections and I ordered a bottle to try, but haven't had an occasion to open it yet...

Standardising the requirements for rum, in the way they are for coqnac and whisky, is relatively hard because there are so many different countries producing rum, with different legislative systems. In my opinion, premium rums should, indeed, be well aged rums (minimum of 6-8 years for molasses-based, minimum of 4-5 years for cane juice -based), aged in small patches and blended only with the same age or older rums. But trying to get all the producers united behind a single system will be hard. The point is to get them to see the benefits of such regulation.

Worst rum that I have tasted is prolly Captain Morgan, the basic cheap stuff. That was the first rum I tasted straight and it is a wonder that I ever continued to tasting other rums. But, then again, I've always been an insistent b*****d. Other than that, my worst experience must have been the very early patches of NO Rum. I hear that they improved since... But now, given the destruction in NO with Katrina, I'm not sure if they are still producing it or not...

I happen to like certain types of hats - mainly brownish fedoras and safari hats. The one in the pic is one that has seen some punishment, though...

Wow, Ed! There are no words to describe how taken I am by your efforts to bring us info about rums! Thank you!

Uh, it hurts my very soul to read someone mixing coke with rums older than 5 years... 5 years is the max I go to with cooking and mixing, but with me now back in Finland (spent a year in Vancouver), I'll have to settle for younger rums for those purposes as well (prices are steep here).

Is there any way to get to read the rum-specific articles of the Spirit Journal, or do you just have to subscribe to the newsletter and suffer through all the other stuff as well?

This is the home of my rum quests, I do not visit other forums mostly because there aren't many for rum and if there are, they are not as good as this one. But other sites that I visit include the host of the Got Rum? Newsletter (which I haven't had the time to read in a while, unfortunately), and my own site, which I visit in order to remind me how much work I'd still have to do on it...

In Barbados, I'd definitely urge you to try Cockspur VSOR. As Ed has mentioned before, it is a different animal on the island compared to what you get in the states. I still value it over many other rums.

Another thread here at eGullet that might interest rum enthusiasts: Thread Basically, rum enthusiasts are supposed to like driving Vintage MGs. I would not say no to such a car, but I don't think one can generalise such an tendency. Also, in the study that the thread refers to, rum drinkers are combined into the same group with beer drinkers. I think that should also raise a few eyebrows here...

As a blast from the past, I come to this thread merely to advertise good old Finnish cuisine: blood pudding and crispy blood pancakes, both with freshly crushed lingonberries. You cannot find many things to beat those... :) I believe that I once posted the recipes to this forum as well, but it must have been three or so years ago...

I am a fan of Barbadian rums, especially Cockspur VSOR (I'd better say that the version that you get at Barbados, since Ed once mentioned that the US variety is different), but I like Mount Gay Extra Old as well. What I can remember of the Old Brigand 10 year old that I tasted there, it was a great rum as well. But, I also like rums from many other islands. Barbados is merely at the top because that's the island where we had our honeymoon...

It's different? Darn, the only VSOR that I've tasted was the Barbados variety and I had high hopes of catching some more now that I'm on the American continent...

Ah, I was happy to see Cockspur VSOR on your list! I just wish I could find it somewhere in British Columbia... (no this was not the first time I took a look at your list but as I revisited it, I just had to comment on the Cockspur...) (hmm... I was about to write "loot" instead of "look"... I guess it reveals a bit of my feelings towards your collection... )

Sorry, I meant the 15yo. And I agree that the 8yo is the best of them.

Ed, I did what you suggested and I have to say that I find the 5 star Barbancourt to be a bit more palatable than its older brother. I must say that I was expecting the 12yr to have more or less the same characteristics as the 5 star rum, but finer. As it is, the 12yr rum has little resemblance to the 8yr old.

Well, I visited the store today (just got back). I managed to get my hands on the last bottle of Barbancourt 15yr on the shelf, so I'm pretty happy! Also, I must say that this was the friendliest liquor store that I've been to: the clerk with whom I spoke told me that they had had a small office party yesterday night and that they still had some Flor de Cana 12yr left in the back room and asked if I'd like to have a taste of that as well. Well, of course I did! Still, I ended up buying the Barbancourt, although it was pricier (60 CAD vs. 40 CAD), since it was the last bottle... and it is Christmas, afterall!

Thank you so much! The 39th and Cambie are within easy to reach from Richmond, so I'll make sure to drive there before Christmas to see what they've got. Thanks for the tip!

Please tell me where I can find those rums in Vancouver area, preferably Richmond. I've been only able to find Barbancourt 8 and Appleton rums thus far... Knowing that something better is available makes this hard to bear...

In Finland Stroh is on the shelf labelled as something like "Rum-Spirit", which is different from regular "Rum". I've also heard that it is made of sugar beet, just like some Swedish brand that I will never accept as rum. I think it is about time that the rum industry laid down some shared rules on what can be called rum and what cannot...

I think I drink about one drink per week, generally. I may miss a week here and there and make it up by sipping two drinks on a single weekend (Friday and saturday night) as I relax watching TV with my wife. Rum is very much the only alcoholic drink that I drink, except for a one or two glasses of wine now and then (about every other month, I think). During the summer the quantity of rum I absorb may increase, if I have a chance to spend a week or two at our summer place. Then I often sip rum while reading a book as the night darkens outside...

Good news, if they are trying to improve the selection. I was rather dismayed, after moving to Richmond, BC (next to Vancouver) that the selection of rums does not seem that much better compared to that in Finland. I hope they've time to improve the situation before next August, when I'll be relocating back to Finland...