I am being drawn...

[NulloModo]

The dark side of Rum, that is.

Bourbon is my spirit of choice, but I enjoy a nice Rum from time to time. I have sampled Bacardi Light Rum (my father's standby), Captain Morgan, Bacardi 151, Appleton Estates, and Gosling's Black Seal.

The only ones that I truly enjoyed drinking was Gosling's Black Seal, and I truly loved that rum. I could drink Captain Morgan if nothing else were availible, but I wouldn't choose to. The Bacardis simply tasted bland and too alcoholy, not enough flavour.

Now, Goslings seems to be a fairly value-priced rum, which I am fine with, as if I can get away with spending less money, I am fine with doing this. However, is there something similar to Goslings that is even better out there? I am willing to spend money for a better product, but I don't want to blow a lot of money on a rum with a flavor I find distasteful, and this only be able to use it in mixers. I plan to drink my purchase neat or on the rocks. Thanks for any recommendations you can make.

[Jason Perlow]

Goslings is a unique product in that it is really the only "black" rum that is on the market -- although its blackness is largely added as a coloring not for taste. Its not a bad rum at all but I would not regard it as a premium product per se, its primarily a cocktail mixer.

I myself prefer more aged rums -- sometimes the darkness comes from aging and the barrels used, sometimes not, most frequently from caramel color, as in the case with Goslings, which uses an ungodly amount of it. The darkness of a rum is not an indicator of its quality or its age.

[herbacidal]

What about Myers Dark Rum?

Truthfully, I don't like rum myself, so I don't know anything about it, but I would be interested in the perception and background of it.

Quality, target demo, history, the whole shebang.

I have some expectations, based on what & where I've seen it, etc., but let's see if they hold true.

[andiesenji]

I myself prefer more aged rums -- sometimes the darkness comes from aging and the barrels used, sometimes not, most frequently from caramel color, as in the case with Goslings, which uses an ungodly amount of it. The darkness of a rum is not an indicator of its quality or its age.

I have an unopened bottle of Hudson Bay 151 proof rum that I purchased in 1970.

My son-in-law has requested that I will it to him...

I don't drink alcohol but do use it in cooking.

I purchased this with the idea that it would go into dried fruit that would macerate in liquor and eventually become part of a Jamaican black cake.

However, we had some remodeling done and I packed the bottle away along with a bunch of my books in some trunks and this bottle did not come to light again until 4 years ago when I decided to catalog my books.

Imagine my surprise when I found this pristine bottle, now almost 30 years older than when it went into the trunk. The seal is intact and the wax overcap has apparently kept it from evaporating as the level is still within an inck of the cork.

I don't even know if the company is still in existance.

Edited June 2, 2004 by andiesenji (log)

[Jason Perlow]

Rum, like any cask aged spirit, does not age after its been bottled, though. Once its out of the cask, its flavor is frozen in time.

[Jason Perlow]

What about Myers Dark Rum?

Also colored with lots of caramel.

[NulloModo]

Interesting. It isn't the color that draws me in as much as the flavor. Gosling's seems to have a sweeter flavor than many other rums I've tried. However, as far as I know a rum can not contain sugar or sweetener and still be called a rum (wouldn't that make it a liqueor?) so I was assuming it had something to do with the distallation or what the starting product was that resulted in the unique taste.

[johnnyd]

I have an unopened bottle of Hudson Bay 151 proof rum that I purchased in 1970.

My son-in-law has requested that I will it to him...

Owing to it's extreme age, and as a precautionary measure, I think it should be sent directly to the eGullet team clubhouse for immediate testing, thus sparing you or your dear son-in-law any ill effects....

[Mickeman]

I could recomed that you try some rhum agricole from Martinique that has the A.O.C. label (http://www.rumstore.com/aoc.htm) since one of the A.O.C. rules is no coloring.

Try one of the Millesime bottlings from the Trois Rivières destillery.

The have in general been stored for six years an have a deep amber color.

[Ed Hamilton]

As someone who has spent years in the French West Indies, I have to comment on the Rumstore website concerning rhum agricole and the AOC certification.

French rhums can and do contain some coloring for consistency. I applaud the efforts of those that want to educate the public about rum, but sometimes, bad information is worse than no information.

[Mickeman]

Hi Ed!

Do you mean that the A.O.C. rules allow for some coloring concerning consistency, or that some destilleries use coloring regardless of the rules and use the A.O.C. label anyway?

PS

Sorry if I was misinformed, but I have found the A.O.C. rule about no coloring on different webpages as well as in some books.

/M

[andiesenji]

The dark side of Rum, that is.

Thanks for any recommendations you can make.

Check out the three pages of rums on this site:

http://www.internetwines.com/spirits-rum.html

[Bolivar Petit Corona]

When you wrap your lips around some CUBAN rum, you'll be truly drawn toward the darkside.

[pogophiles]

When you wrap your lips around some CUBAN rum, you'll be truly drawn toward the darkside.

[ereadp]

in the quest for Brugal Anejo in LA

i have been craving and searching that sweet dark rum form the dominican republic called Brugal Anejo and or Extra Viejo in Los Angeles for a long time! has anyone seen it for sale anywhere near southern california? i will truly appreciate any input and help on tracking my favorite dominican sugar cane concoction!

[Jason Perlow]

in the quest for Brugal Anejo in LA

i have been craving and searching that sweet dark rum form the dominican republic called Brugal Anejo and or Extra Viejo in Los Angeles for a long time! has anyone seen it for sale anywhere near southern california?  i will truly appreciate any input and help on tracking my favorite dominican sugar cane concoction!

It must have some distribution issues in LA. In the NY area, as well as in Florida, Brugal Anejo is pretty easy to get, considering the large Dominican population here.

[Jason Perlow]

When you wrap your lips around some CUBAN rum, you'll be truly drawn toward the darkside.

Maybe the older stuff. But I'm not really impressed with what Cuba is churning out these days. Havana Club is not the rum it used to be and Matusalem Anejo Superior is gone forever. If you compare HC7 from say 3 to 5 years ago with a bottle from a recent bottling, they aren't the same rums. Cuban rum is wildly inconsistent now. I truly hope to see Democracy restored in that nation so at least some serious enterprising company can restore the quality levels seen in the past.

[Ed Hamilton]

There is a lot going on in this thread so I'm going to start a new thread for the AOC issues.

As for Brugal, there is Anejo and Extra Viejo, which you'll find in the DR. But Extra Viejo isn't imported to the US. Sorry about that. The US Anejo blend is good, but if your travels ever take you to the Caribbean look for the Extra Viejo you won't regret it.

As for distribution in your area, take a look at my website and you should be able to find the US importer for Brugal. Look at the rum locator on the front page.

[andiesenji]

in the quest for Brugal Anejo in LA

i have been craving and searching that sweet dark rum form the dominican republic called Brugal Anejo and or Extra Viejo in Los Angeles for a long time! has anyone seen it for sale anywhere near southern california? i will truly appreciate any input and help on tracking my favorite dominican sugar cane concoction!

Or, you can order it here:

http://www.internetwines.com/mh461484.html

[Bolivar Petit Corona]

While still prefer HC7 or Varadero 7, Brugal Rums are a very good substitute, as well as Flor De Caña ® Rums.

[mbanu]

Interesting.  However, as far as I know a rum can not contain sugar or sweetener and still be called a rum (wouldn't that make it a liqueor?) so I was assuming it had something to do with the distallation or what the starting product was that resulted in the unique taste.

←

Adding honey to rum as a "smoothing agent" is supposedly rather common, even in top-shelf rums.

On the subject of additives in spirits, I found <a href="http://homedistiller.org/aging.htm"> this page</a> to be very educational.

[KOK]

The dark side of Rum, that is. 

Bourbon is my spirit of choice, but I enjoy a nice Rum from time to time.  I have sampled Bacardi Light Rum (my father's standby), Captain Morgan, Bacardi 151, Appleton Estates, and Gosling's Black Seal.

The only ones that  I truly enjoyed drinking was Gosling's Black Seal, and I truly loved that rum.  I could drink Captain Morgan if nothing else were availible, but I wouldn't choose to.  The Bacardis simply tasted bland and too alcoholy, not enough flavour. 

Now, Goslings seems to be a fairly value-priced rum, which I am fine with, as if I can get away with spending less money, I am fine with doing this.  However, is there something similar to Goslings that is even better out there?  I am willing to spend money for a better product, but I don't want to blow a lot of money on a rum with a flavor I find distasteful, and this only be able to use it in mixers.  I plan to drink my purchase neat or on the rocks.  Thanks for any recommendations you can make.

←

Sort of similar (while still different) is Cruzan Blackstrap Navy rum. It has a big mollassas taste and mixes well with Coke or juice. It is fairly inexpensive so if you give it a try and don't like it, you aren't out much cash.

I especially like the Gosling in a Dark & Stormy, and it's the tops if you also have Barritt's Ginger Beer from Bermuda like the Gosling's.

Thnaks,

K

[Ed Hamilton]

Sherry isn't an uncommon additive to rums, but I don't have personal experience of any of the commercial distillers using honey as a additive. Sugar cane syrup is not uncommon, especially in spiced rums.

[Rene]

I could recomed that you try some rhum agricole from Martinique that has the A.O.C. label (http://www.rumstore.com/aoc.htm) since one of the A.O.C. rules is no coloring.

←

On this Rumstore/AOC site there is no mentioning of "no coloring".

On www.webpages.com You can find the rules for AOC (in French and English). Just click "Rhum Agricole" on the left en click "AOC Martinique" on the right.

Coloring is not an issue for the French.

[mikef]

I just returned from the Bahamas where I tried some Appleton Dark (which I haven't seen before and it isn't even listed on the Appleton website). It is almost as dark as Goslings with lots of flavor, I enjoyed it, and it was reasonably priced ($10.25/liter)