Markus Lewalski

I saw it here http://www.zigarren-krueger.de/oxid.php/si...Edmundo-Dantes/ here http://www.cigarworld.de/shopdata/shop.php...rtikel=70005601 (altough both shops belong to the same owner) here http://www.fub-weine.de/product_info.php/products_id/9349 or here http://www.zigarren-herzog.com/cgi-bin/he_...l?DB=Spirituose Maybe there are even more shops. Just google a bit... Markus

Rene, I assume you are talking about the 25 yo Ron Edmundo Dantes? How is it compared to other old Cuban rums (HC 15 or Santiago de Cuba Extra Anejo) or other rums in the same category? I'm also thinking of buying this rum but at +/-200 EUR I hesitate a bit. IMHO the very old Cuban rums (like many other rums >20 yo) are very smooth but they loose their typical character. One exception is the 25 yo El Dorado which is the best rum I have ever tried so far. Bye Markus

As I am not a big fan of Brugal rums my opinion might not help you very much. However, I tried the Extra Viejo, Siglo de Oro und the Unico. The Unico is more a Liquor than a rum and therefore it is very(!!!) sweet. But it still has this typical Brugal taste that you can also find in the Siglo de Oro (and a bit in the Extra Viejo). I would suggest to first try the Siglo de Oro and if you like it and if you like sweet rums than I would give it a try. I only tried one sip and sold the bottle afterwards. For me this "rum" was undrinkable... Markus

Hi there, below is a press release from Pernod-Ricard, who distribute Havana Club in Europe: Quote "LAUNCH OF HAVANA CLUB CUBAN BARREL PROOF December 2004 Havana Club Cuban Barrel Proof is an innovative concept, inaugurating a brand new category in the fast-growing world of super premium rums... Havana Club Cuban Barrel Proof is an innovative concept, inaugurating a brand new category in the fast-growing world of super premium rums. Hand crafted by Cuba's renowned Maestro Ronero Don José Navarro, this 45° rum is aged in almost centennial oak casks and then it is given an oaky "finish" in specially selected younger casks. Bottled straight from the cask, it combines a tannic and oaky personality with the traditional roundness and smoothness of Havana Club aged rums. It has been awarded a Gold Medal, rated as an exceptional product with 92 pts, by the International Review of Spirits 2004 of the famous Beverage Testing Institute in Chicago. Havana Club Cuban Barrel Proof is exclusively available in Travel Retail. Tasting notes according to Maestro Ronero Don José Navarro : Aspect: Havana Club Cuban Barrel Proof distinguishes itself by a warm amber hue, with a deep red glow. Aroma: A light nose of caramel, toasted pecan and spice aromas which reveals more robust origins with tobacco aromas and the presence of wood character. Taste: A round and buoyant entry leads to a complex, flavourful, full-bodied palate of dark caramel, cocoa, coffee, sweet tobacco and brown spices. The pleasant smoky oak and spice finish blends with caramelized fruits to give the experience a remarkable balance." Unqoute Although it is supposed to be sold only in Duty Free shops I already found a German online shop which sells is for 42 EUR http://www.weinquelle.com/ I ordered a bottle and I am very curious how it tastes as I am a big fan of Cuban rums and I love HC Anejo Reserva, HC 7 and HC 15. Bye Markus

Koelner Rum Kontor ships to Sweden (upon request). Just send them an email. But note that they are on holiday from 8 Febr until 5 Mar. Futhermore I can recommand the following shops: http://www.weinquelle.com http://www.spirituosen-superbillig.de (they ship to Sweden for EUR 19,50) For further shipping details also just send them an email or simply call them. By Markus

I tried the Liberacion 15 and Malecon 25 (not 15). The Liberacion in far away from the other 15 yo Cuban rums. IMHO it lacks the typical Cuban taste. The Malecon (25) has also nothing to do with Cuba taste. The Varadero 15 is good but not as good as the HC 15. The best buy is IMHO the Santiago de Cuba extra anejo (15 yo, even though the label says >20 years). It is 85 EUR but at least as good as the HC 15 (available here http://www.spirituosen-superbillig.de ), it is only half the price and the taste is very, very close to the HC 15. They also carry the normal Santoago de Cuba anejo but here I prefer the HC 7 or HC Anejo Reserva (and do not care about the fact that they claim it is the "real Matusalem", this is bullshit) Even though the Santiago might be too expensive. I'd prefer one bottle Santiago 15 instead of 3 bottles Liberacion 15. I'ts worth it and you won't be disappointed (if you like the HC 15). Markus

Hi, watch this... http://cgi.ebay.de/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewIt...7104283936&rd=1 Bye Markus

Hi John, I wouldn't expect too much from these rum finished Whiskies. It remains a whisky. I have a bottle of the Glenfiddich Havana Reserve (21 yo Glenfiddich finished also in rum casks). It's not bad at all but it's really hard to find out any rum flavours in this whisky. And there are many rum finished whiskies out there and from what I heard from whisky drinkers the rum is often not even noticeable. So if you like whisky it might be worth a try (even though 10 years is quite young for a whisky). But if you expect a fully rum flavoured whisky forget it. Cheers Markus

Hi John, I have no Information about Malteco rum (not even heard about it). But I can tell you something about the Malecon 25 yo. I got a sample of it and I have to say that I really liked it! It has a special taste that is a bit different from other rums. It full-bodied and very aromatic (spice). It really convinced me so that I added it to my collection. For +/-60 EUR definitely worth a try! Cheers Markus

Hi, By looking in some (German) shops I found the following rums as miniatures El Dorado (12+15 yo) Flor de Cana (different age) Lambs Navy Rum Sea Wynde Cacique 500 Matusalem Gran Reserva Several Cuban Rums (Havana Club, Varadero, ...; but might be difficult to get in the US, though ) Mount Gay Eclipse So there is a decent choice of good rums. But I have no clue where to get them in the US... Markus

Hi, There is only one answer to your question: Ron Zacapa Centenario!!! It comes from the same destillery, has more or less the same aromas but it is even better than Zaya (but also slightly more expensive). I would consider the Zaya as the "little brother" of Zacapa. If he likes Zaya he will love Zacapa. Bye Markus

Hi, My favorite is by far the El Dorado 25 yo. Extremely smooth with complex aromas. Not quite as heavy as the 15 yo but more balanced. Really great stuff!!!!! After this I'd go for the Pyrat Cask 23. Much more intense and complex than the Pyrat XO. But you have to like this heavy orange aroma, which is even stronger than the XO. After getting used to it I really like it now. The third place goes to Zacapa XO which is even (slightly) better than the regular Zacapa. Bye Markus

Nice article. It shows again the attitude of the Bacardi Family with regard to Cuba. (Hasn't there been a similar dispute with the Matusalem brand?) For those who understand German I have link about the wheelings and dealings of the Bacardi Clan: http://www.kuba-info.org/tipps/wissenswert...a63193330c4e401 (b.t.w., a few months ago a saw a report on TV with more or less the same content) It seems that Bacardi is really scared about an important competitor on the international rum market. And by comparing the quality of HC and Bacardi they are scared with good reason... As long as HC 3 retails at more or less the same price as the regular white Bacardi and the HC 7 retails at the same price as the Bacardi 8 I don't see any reason to buy Bacardi. I'm only sorry for our American rum lovers that they don't have direct access to the best rums in the world. But as long as the embargo continues and Bacardi keeps fighting for that there is more HC for the rest of the world (and for me). If the US market is open for Cuban rums I fear that the quality will deteriorate and prices will go up as Cuba won't be able to satisfy the demand of the biggest rum market in the world. So keep at it, Bacardi! Viva Cuba Markus

Hi Kristian, For me it was also the first time but I had no problems at all. As I normally order in Germany I only know two online shops: http://www.samswine.com and http://www.hitimewine.net There should be much more and maybe our American users can help here. My order from California to Florida took around one week (ground shipping) but it depends of course on the distance. So an order two weeks before your arrival should be sufficient (if the shop has everything on stock). If you want to let it be sent to a hotel I would contact the hotel in advance to check how this can be handled the best way. I don't think that a room number is necessary. Maybe it can be sent to the attention of the person you phoned with. But shipping to a hotel with a lot of staff might be a bit more difficult than my case where I had a private address and this person was informed about everything. There is no risk of loss or so. But some German internet shops also ship to Finland for a reasonable shipping rate (if you order not only one or two bottles). As Finland is part of the EU there are nearly no limitations (like at the arrival at the airport where officially only 1 Litre of liquor is allowed per person) and there are no further taxes or other duties. Might be even easier than the way described above. I only did it that way because the Pyrat XO is +/- 115 EUR in Germany and the Zaya is only available in the US. Greetings Markus

Hi Kristian, Just a suggestion: If you have an address in the US (friend, hotel etc.) just order by internet and let it be sent to this address. That's at least what I did. I have a colleague who goes to Florida next week. I ordered two weeks ago at Hitimewine (some good special offers, e.g. Barbancourt 15 yo 26.98, Pyrat XO 29,98, Zacapa 29,98 etc.) and they sent it to a friend of my colleague. She picks it up there and brings it back to Germany. So you have a huge choice, you get what you want, you have low shipping rates and no costs for taxis and waste of time with shops that carry only 20 or so rums. Bye Markus

As I can hardly wait after having puchased a new bottle my collection of open bottles is quite impressive: Appleton Estate 21 J Bacardi Facundo Bacardi 8 años Reserva Superior Barbancourt Reserve du Domaine 15 J Barceló Imperial Bermudez Aniversario Botran Solera 1893 Brugal Siglo de Oro Cacique Antiguo Milenium El Dorado Special Reserve 15J El Dorado Special Reserve 21J El Dorado Special Reserve 25 J Millennium English Harbour X.O. Havana Carribean Rum Aniversario añejo 12 años Havana Club Añejo 7 años Havana Club Gran Reserva 15 J J.M. Rhum Vieux 1992 Matusalem Añejo 15 años (Cuba) Matusalem Gran Reserva Mount Gay Extra Old Nation Single Domain Guyana Pampero Aniversario Plantation Venezuela 1992 Vintage Old Reserve Pyrat Cask 23 Santa Teresa 1796 Antiguo de Solera Santiago de Cuba Añejo Santiago de Cuba Extra Añejo Sea Wynde Varadero Añejo 15 años Gran Reserva Zacapa Centenario Zacapa Centenario X.O. And there are still some bottles left that I did't open yet... Variety makes life mor interesting, doesn't it? Greetings from Luxembourg Markus

I own and have tried the 12 yo, 15 yo, 21 yo and 25 yo Personally, I like the 25 yo most. For me it's the best rum I've ever tried (by far better than the strange Pyrat Cask 23)!!! - and I tried more than 50 rums in my life! The 15 yo is already a really great rum, but in my opinion is has a present alcohol taste. The 25 yo is far smoother, more complex and intense and even slightly sweeter than the 15 yo. It's really what you would expect by aging the 15 yo for another 10 years. The 21 yo is a bit different. It has also the typical Demerara taste from the 15 yo and it's nearly as smooth as the 25 yo but is has also a very present vanilla note. A bit like the 15 yo mixed with Matusalem Gran Reserva 15 yo (the one from Florida/DomRep and not the Cuban one, of course). I prefer the 15 yo, though. Even though I had a special offer for the 21 yo (60 EUR) I went for two bottles of the 25 yo (180 EUR a bottle). The problem is that the 25 yo becomes more and more rare. They only produced a limited quantity for the millennium and therefore it becomes more and more difficult to get. I was lucky enough to get the last 2 bottles from my dealer. And this was -as far as I know- one of the last two dealers in Germany who still had some in stock. If you are lucky enough to get some, do everything you can to get it. It is worth it and the chance will be over soon!!! Greetings from Luxembourg Markus

Hi Rum Fans, Finally I offered myself a bottle of Pyrat Cask 23 "rum" and I really don't know what to think about it! Is this rum??? My first impression was that this is a blend of Cointreau/Curaçao and Ron Zacapa. This "rum" has such a strong bitter orange/orange peel taste that this cannot be pure rum. I don't know what kind of casks they use at Anguilla Distilleries. Maybe they aged some kind of bitter orange liqueur in the casks and left half of it in the cask before filling it with rum but I am 110 % convinced that such a taste cannot be obtained by ageing "normal" rum in "normal" casks. I am curious to hear your opinion about that. (I assume that the taste of Pyrat XO and Cask 23 is not that different as both "rums" are supposed to be a blend of the same rums but only in different proportions) Markus

Hi fresco, It´s good stuff but the price seems to bee a bit high. Usually you get already the 15 yo for that price and this one is far better than the 12 yo. Here in Germany you get the 12 yo in nearly every liquor store for 20-25 EUR. 95 out of 100??? And what about the 15 yo, 21 yo or even the 25 yo? If this one gets 95, the 15 yo should get at least 110 As you can see there are some older rums in the El Dorado range. It´s a good rum but not worth a big hype. Markus

Dear experts, It took quite a while but now both the Pyrat XO and the Cask 23 are available in Germany. As far as I know in the US the price is 30-40 Dollars for the XO and 250-300 Dollars for the Cask 23. Here in Germany it is 100 Euros vs. 270 Euros. So the XO is far more expensive than it should be. Has anyone of you ever tried both rums so that he can tell me wether it is worth to spend the money on the Cask 23? And what are the differences in taste between these rums? I heard that both are more or less the same rums but the Cask 23 is supposed to contain more older rums. Thanks in advance for your help and advise. Markus

Hi Scott, Give the El Dorado 15 yo a try!!! It´s definitely worth it!!!!! Almost everyone who tried it loved it. I´m sure that is within the Top 5 of most of the people here. It´s smooth, sweet and has very complex aromas. Really great stuff!!! Greetings from Luxembourg Markus

Here is a link where you can get the 1949 Lamb´s: http://www.koelnerrumkontor.de/onlineshop/shop.html Go to "Rum aus Melasse" (may take some time) and you´ll find it. But be prepared to pay EUR 431,30!!! Greetings from Luxembourg Markus

Hi, Things are going well in Brussels (but I will change my job and will move to Luxemburg in 4 weeks). Actually I only tried the Floridan Mat. and not yet the Dominican one. But I was told that the difference should not be very great (if anyone knows better please correct me). I'm still researching about Cuban Mat. vs. American/Dominican Mat. But as far as I know the brands have nothing to do with each other. The founder's family left Cuba some decades ago and produced Matusalem in the US. At the same time, Cuba still produced the original Cuban Matusalem. I also heard about some disputes over the brand name and maybe this was the reason why Cuba gave up the production of Cuban Mutusalem some years ago and nowadays you unfortunately only get the 'fake' one. But as I already mentioned: I'm not very sure of the last because I heard it only from other sources and it was always said that exact and detailed information are really hard to get. Maybe this is one of the reasons why Cuban Mat. is a real myth. However, anyone I talked to and who knows bot rums confirmed that the Cuban Mat. is by far (!!!) another class than the American one. Greetings from Brussels Markus

Hi ctgm, these are two completely different rums that have nothing at all in common. From Matusalem you get the 'original' from Cuba (Matusalem Anejo Superior and Matusalem Anejo 15 anos) and the 'fake' formerly from Florida and now from Dom. Rep. (Matusalem Clasico and Matusalem Gran Reserva 15 yo.) The real Cuban ones are really hard to get and they are not produced any more. But you are not the only one who is mixing up these rums. It's one of the classic mistakes you hear again and again Greetings from Brussels Markus

Hi Rene, you lucky guy, As far as I know Cuba has several disilleries. But in Santiagio de Cuba you should definitely find something. Maybe you can investigate a bit because the famous real Cuban Matusalem comes/came from Santiago de Cuba. However, it seems, it is no longer produced for some years, but no confirmed information is available. Maybe you can find out more by asking at several distilleries. Have fun and bring back as much rum as possible (I highly recommend Relicario 7 yo) Greetings from Brussels Markus