getting started

[Ed Hamilton]

Last night I was asked by someone who isn't familiar with the pleasures of rum what he should try. I had to admit that I couldn't give a lot of suggestions because I didn't know what was available. I did tell my new friend that I'd take a look around and let him know.

We are fortunate to be in Chicago where there are a lot of rums to choose from, but even if you can't get all of these rums I hope you will be able to find at least a few of them.

Read the label, look for rums bottled by the distillery. There are a lot of what I call 'private label' rums out there and some of them are damn good but as a rule I look for what is bottled at the distillery. Quite honestly there isn't much good rum distilled and bottled in the US so most of the good rums are imported, at least from the Virgin Islands or Puerto Rico.

First, here are a few suggestions for someone who drinks and appreciates good whisky's, calvados, etc.

There are a few really good white rums but those in the following list should be mixed with a little water or a glass of water on the side. If you only drink rum and Coke, try again and you might find that there are a lot of rums that don't benefit by the addition of Coke.

Barcelo Gran Anejo

Barcelo Emperador premium

Barrillito ** or ***

Barbancourt *** or *****

I don't recommend the 15 year old and at twice the price of the five star it is way over rated.

Mount Gay Extra Old Barbados Rum

Cruzan Estate Diamond, the Cruzan Single Barrel is good but a little dry for my taste although there is word that they are working on a new single barrel that's a little heavier.

Bacardi Anejo Sams has the Anejo from Mexico, the bottle and label are different from what is usually available in the US. Bacardi has seven distilleries around the world.

Flor de Cana 5 or 7 year old from Nicaragua

Pampero Anniversario, down to $26.99 plus tax in Chicago I'd recommend having a bottle of this rum around.

Botran Anejo

There are others but this is a good start. Most of these are premium rums but if you're looking for a good whisky, for example, you don't start with the cheapest bottle of whisky you can find. But even at $30 for the most expensive of these rums, they are still one of the best spirits values on the market today.

[guajolote]

Thanks Ed (I was the one who asked last night). I'm going to Binnies tomorrow and I'll pick one of these up. I'll report back too.

[Aurora]

Ed - this is a good beginner guide.

Can we start with any of these, or is there a particular one that you would recommend?

[Ed Hamilton]

I'd recommend any of these rums to start and I should add that all of these rums are priced according to quality. Some are better values than others but all are bottled by the distilleries. In other words none of these rums are over priced martketing ploys in fancy bottles with half of the price of the bottle going to an inflated advertising budget.

If you enjoy fine cognacs then you probably won't be satisfied with the cheapest of these rums but you have to admit that you don't get a very good bottle of other spirits for less than $15, at least not outside the Caribbean.

But this is not the definitive list by any means. There are a lot of other good rums, especially if you are mixing it with ginger ale, juice or just tonic, ice and lime.

[KNorthrup]

1. I ended up with a free bottle of Sea Wynde. How does it rate and how is it best (alone, with coke, etc)?

2. Which brands are best with ginger ale and lime?

3. I now also have a bottle of Kelly's Jamaica Ginger Beer Syrup. Any recipes?

Thanks!

[Ed Hamilton]

I drink Sea Wynde neat with a glass of ice water on the side but I have to admit that I have a bottle and I'm not drinking much of it.

Ginger Ale and lime are great for what I call general market rums. Although I like to use Brugal or Barcelo white rum with ginger ale and lime. These white rums are aged and have a nice citrus flavor of their own. Cruzan light and dark are also good with ginger ale and lime. If you drink rum and coke, I don't, try whatever rum you're used to drinking with ginger ale and lime. Some ginger ales are too sweet so sometimes I add a lot of lime.

With Jamaican ginger beer syrup, I'd dilute it as per the directions on the bottle and add some Gosling's Black Seal rum. For more information take a look at the Gosling's Black Sealthread. Gosling's is quite different compared to, say, Myers's rum.

[guajolote]

I bought a bottle of the Cruzan Estate Diamond ($19) and it was an eye-opener. I chose this one of Ed's recommendations because I had toured the Cruzan distellery while on spring break vacation in St. Croix. This has to be one of the best values in spirits going. I would compare the quality to a $40 cognac or $30 Spanish brandy.

Can't wait to try some more. Thnaks Ed.