Kristian

Matusalem was a good rum in its day, but after their factories relocated the taste of the 15 solera changed also. It is no longer the same as it used to be. Fortunately, I still have a bottle of the old batch in my collection (don't know if I ever dare to open it, though).

If the Grand Reserve Barbados or the Barbados 1991 is the same one for which I have a review on my rum pages (http://www.uta.fi/~kamale/rum/index-en.html), I must say that I did not find it too attractive. The taste was too mellow and characterless to leave something to reminisce about... Here's a pic of the bottle:

I used to access many of the other forums, but nowadays, as I'm preparing my doctoral dissertation, I have only time to pop into this Ministry of Rum forum now and then to see what's happening. Unfortunately, this means that I have also had very little time to update my rum reviews at my rum pages, but I've promised myself to work on it in the near future!

Thanks for all your tips! I'm sure I'll find my way to the Vancouver shop sooner or later. I need a bottle of rum cream liqueur for my wife to enjoy while I enjoy my rums and it seems that there is only one brand available in B.C. and that's not to be seen here in Richmond...

Unfortunately, I could not choose my new home based on the availability of rums... Thank you for the links, J_Ozzy! I had not yet found those. It seems that there are indeed some gaps in the selection (where's Cockspur VSOR!?), but I can find some brands that I haven't tried yet, so I guess I'll be alright living here!

Since my trip to San Diego in the spring, I've not written too much on this forum, 'cause I've been arranging our move to the Vancouver area for a year. The change from Finland to Richmond, B.C., was not at all as big and shocking a change as I would have imagined. I did have to leave my rum collection behind, though, and thus far the only rum that I've purchased here is Appleton V/X. Anyone know any good stores to find rum in the Richmond (or nearby) area? I'm sure the selection has to be better than in Finland...

Cannot provide a comparison, but I had a chance to taste the Olde Brigand 10-year old in Barbados and I liked it well enough. It was very smooth and nice, but I cannot say more because I tasted it (both times) right after a spicy dinner... Keep them both, I say! :)

Good idea, Markus! Now, a bunch of questions from a first-timer: Any idea which internet shop to use? How long will it take for them to deliver the order (meaning how much before my trip should I place the order)? And, do the hotels keep the goods safe if they arrive before I do? Do I need a full address (i.e. a room number) or will the hotel address and my name suffice? Khoiberg: We'll probably visit Tijuana as well (as part of some group trip), so I'll see if I can fit in a bit of rum searching. Thanks for the tip!

Once again, I'm going to visit the good old U.S. and this time San Diego. And, as usual, I'm turning to this forum to inquire about liquor stores with a good selection of rums that I should visit during my stay. I will be staying near the centre (close to some conference hotels), but I can always take a taxi if the better stores are located (as they seem to do in the U.S.) outside the centre of the city. Please, share your knowledge!

Coorection to my earlier post. I don't know why I liked Doorly's XO the best back then - no it tastes too sherrylike to my tastes. The best rum at the moment, that I've got my hands to, is Cockspur VSOR.

As far as I can remember: Cockspur VSOR Ron Matusalem Gran Reserva 15 Solera Havana Club Anejo Reserva Kaniche Guadeloupe Clement's Rhum Vieux and some kitchen rums for baking and cooking, of course (made a wonderful rum'ndate cake for Christmas... actually, four of them with slightly different rums...)

Ok, I'm back from the honeymoon and I have to say we had wonderful time in Barbados! Lots of sunlight! (compared to the three hours per day that we get in southern Finland right now - if the cloud covering happens to let it through, which it doesn't at the moment) But to rums: We did the Mount Gay tour which was a nice one with the lunch included (fried flying fish there! Great!). The tour was a nice one, although it offered few surprises. Lot's of commotion about their extra old both at the tour and everywhere else I asked. Everyone seemed to consider it the best the island had to offer. It was my first time tasting the extra old at the end of the tour and I must say that it was not the best I had on the island, although it was quite nice. The long aftertaste was a bit too spicy for me. The rum that me and my wife (yes, even she!) consumed the most was Cockspur's VSOR. We both had several drinks of the rum every day and we both liked it very much. It was a well balanced rum and superior to the Mount Gay's Extra Old. I also had a chance to try out Old Brigand's 10-year-old, but it was at both times after a hefty dinner at Water's Edge (Christ Church) restaurant. I'll have to find a chance to try it again at some point, without spices to throw off my delicate palate () since it seemed very promising. In addition to rums we did some touring around the island and lots of swimming in the ocean and lots of reading and relaxing...

It is actually us Finns who do most of the hopping to Estonia for alcohol. For Norwegians, it is a bit too far, and Swedes prefer Denmark, but we Finns get to Tallinn in 15 minutes by helicopter from Helsinki if we are in real hurry...

Thank you, John, for your tips! We'll be sure to rent a car and explore a little of the sights and all! Off topic: Actually Ulla (used to go as Brija here) and I are married already (since 9th of August), but we had to postpone our honeymoon for my busy work schedule. (Wedding pics at: Wedding pics. Text is in Finnish, but pictures speak in many tongues...)

Thanks for your tips, Ed and ctgm! I'll see if I can find some of those brands in the stores. It is my intention to make rum part of our every day at the island... (well, at least as a medicine against foreign bacteria...)

We're going to Barbados for our honeymoon next month and although I have promised not to make too big a fuss about rums when we are there, I'd still like to get some tips on where I can get the best rums and which distillery I should visit (if I can). Our hotel is located at the southern shore (don't have the exact location yet). Does anyone have any good tips?

I lost my trust in Tastings.com when I saw their 92 rating for Rhum Negrita. They seem to have deleted it from their tasting notes now, however... Doorly's XO is quite high in the charts, I note... One of my favoutires, that one, but it's not completely 'rum' in my opinion. The cherry finish is a bit strong...

Given the limited selection of rums that I've had a chance to sip, I've thus far liked Doorly's XO the best. It was a great mix of some of the better qualities of Ron Matusalem Gran Reserva 15 Solera and Cruzan Single Barrel. Still, I've got a long way to go to get a chance to sip some other great rums mentioned here...

Ah, I visited Binny's in Chicago last week. I ended up taking a taxi there and back. I have to say that the drivers were from very different planets... The first one gave a informative tour of the city and its buildings while taking the straightest route to the store (tried to drop us at some sports store at first, before realising that I was after the liquor store). The driver who got us back made the route even straighter by trying to fly the taxi while the radio wailed at top volume... Still, I got the rums and the bottles were still intact when we reached the hotel... And about Binny's: A great store with a nice selection of fine rums. A veritable heaven compared to the stores in Finland. Had some trouble at the check-out because of some strange law that all members of the group, seemingly under 40 years old, should have had their IDs with them... Luckily, we were able to talk our way out of it and I got my rums... Sadly, we did not have a chance to visit Sam's as well...

Ah, the confenrence is over and done with and I'm back in Finland (and suffering from a hard case of jet lag, so excuse me for the typos and certain jumpiness of this message). I ended up at Binny's on the third day (last Tuesday) and bought two rums to bring back home (instead of the three that I originally planned for). Now these two rums are awaiting for the day when I'll be able to open one of them. I guess the first possible chance is my own birthday on the 12th of May... Ah, and before I collapse on my keyboard, I have to remember to mention the names of the rums: Doorley's XO and El Dorado Special Reserve. The criteria for the choice was the rather on-the-spot realisation that the bottles looked kinda cool... Well, I had to leave many great rums behind, but will get back to acquiring them on my next trip overseas. One must leave something for the next time...

Is that pedestrian's ten minutes or cab driver's ten minutes? If pedestrian's I'll prolly have a go at both of those stores. This is priving to be a good spring... I just got a fresh bottle of Havana Club Anejo Reserva and the thought of browsing through dozens of brands in Sam's and Binneys... BTW: Any hope of finding good rum selections at either Sheraton or Hyatt?

Thank you Ed and guajolote! I'll definitely catch the CTA to get to the stores. And thank you also for the tip on restaurants; perhaps I'll be able to make a group trip out of it by promising my friends good food if they'll accompany me...

The invitation is most appreciated! I will look onto prospective bars and report back to you, when I know something more...

Mika: Ron Matusalem 15 yo is still available, as is Havana Club 7 yo, in Finland. They are both on the special order list, however, so not every retail store will have them on the shelf. For example, in Hameenlinna, they are not available in the store in the centre of the city, but they can both be found at the retail store near to the great supermarkets just outside the centre. Just ask for 'the special order folder' that should be present at every retail store (Alko, that is, since they've got the monopoly in Finland). Unfortunately, I've yet to encounter any good rums in Hameenlinna bars... And taking the train to go to bars in Helsinki to have a taste would be quite.. eh.. an unconventional idea on how to spend a night.

Darn, I was counting on my feet to get me there... As I've never been to the Windy City before, any tips on which bus or other transportation method I shoult take to get to the stores from the Sheraton or Hyatt hotels? Are the taxis expensive/trustworthy for tourists?