Dark Jamaican: Myers vs Coruba - Tiki Drinks and Food

R RumScrummager Member Ft. Lauderdale Joined: Aug 19, 2016 Posts: 29	R RumScrummager Posted posted on Mon, Nov 7, 2016 8:28 PM Myers's Vs. Coruba? This is a tough one. As with 90% of discussions on Tiki Central, most boil down to two directives: taste and economics. With the aforementioned juxtaposition, we get one product on each end of the divide. However, there are a few other variables at play here: MYERS'S: While Myers's may be the preferred 'choice,' it is prohibitively expensive and is out of most people's economic reach (generally speaking). Myers's is (unfortunately) associated with the perfunctoriness of Tiki; Disney use Myers's in pretty much every drink they make (even before they got creative and added Coruba to the mix) and most tourist or cruise ship concepts routinely reach for it whenever any dark mixing rum is required. Furthermore, Myers's (like Negrita and Stroh 80, both culturally significant dark rums) is often used as a cooking ingredient in both sweet and savory recipes; the image of an 80-year-old grandma churning out rum cake at 5 o'clock in the islands isn't exactly sexy. CORUBA: While many people (including Tikiphiles, Disney executives, and bar owners alike) are realizing Coruba's superior versatility, and insanely attractive bottom line, is still remains hard to find. Blame Campari. Coruba offers a more versatile taste than Myers's, which as many have pointed out, has a more 'one-trick pony' profile to it. While both are very good rums, Coruba has the unique distinction of pretty much going with almost any mixer or cocktail associated with dark or gold rum and is, in that sense, ideal for nearly all rum-based cocktails. Remember, perception shapes reality. Myers's (in terms of marketing and brand awareness) is still living in the past. Yes, you can bulk-buy it at Costco and your grandma calls for it by name, but that's not good enough. Coruba, which has a very poor market cap (7.7%) needs renewed interest from Campari, accompanied by a sexy ad campaign, to breathe life into the old marque. In an age where rum has stepped out of it's shadow of being a harsh, rough brew designated to the likes of scoundrels and rouges, to the more elegant, contemplated, stand-alone sipper, Jamaican rums in particular, which have historically been used exclusively for mixing, have a tough job to prove themselves in an all new super-duper-hyper-premium market. Appleton, in my opinion, is an on-the-fence rum; it is between a Myers's and a Coruba (both in taste and economics) and competes in a category that it should match more closely in appearance. BTW - with regards to a few people's comments and concerns about Appleton rums being gold in nature versus other 'darker' rums in the same category - there's a pointed reason for this: Appleton rums were originally blended as a substitute for whisky, which was in short supply during the world wars, which is why it is noticeably lighter in taste and color to most other rums.

Myers's Vs. Coruba? This is a tough one.

As with 90% of discussions on Tiki Central, most boil down to two directives: taste and economics. With the aforementioned juxtaposition, we get one product on each end of the divide. However, there are a few other variables at play here:

MYERS'S:

While Myers's may be the preferred 'choice,' it is prohibitively expensive and is out of most people's economic reach (generally speaking).
Myers's is (unfortunately) associated with the perfunctoriness of Tiki; Disney use Myers's in pretty much every drink they make (even before they got creative and added Coruba to the mix) and most tourist or cruise ship concepts routinely reach for it whenever any dark mixing rum is required. Furthermore, Myers's (like Negrita and Stroh 80, both culturally significant dark rums) is often used as a cooking ingredient in both sweet and savory recipes; the image of an 80-year-old grandma churning out rum cake at 5 o'clock in the islands isn't exactly sexy.

CORUBA:

While many people (including Tikiphiles, Disney executives, and bar owners alike) are realizing Coruba's superior versatility, and insanely attractive bottom line, is still remains hard to find. Blame Campari.
Coruba offers a more versatile taste than Myers's, which as many have pointed out, has a more 'one-trick pony' profile to it. While both are very good rums, Coruba has the unique distinction of pretty much going with almost any mixer or cocktail associated with dark or gold rum and is, in that sense, ideal for nearly all rum-based cocktails.

Remember, perception shapes reality. Myers's (in terms of marketing and brand awareness) is still living in the past. Yes, you can bulk-buy it at Costco and your grandma calls for it by name, but that's not good enough. Coruba, which has a very poor market cap (7.7%) needs renewed interest from Campari, accompanied by a sexy ad campaign, to breathe life into the old marque.

In an age where rum has stepped out of it's shadow of being a harsh, rough brew designated to the likes of scoundrels and rouges, to the more elegant, contemplated, stand-alone sipper, Jamaican rums in particular, which have historically been used exclusively for mixing, have a tough job to prove themselves in an all new super-duper-hyper-premium market.

Appleton, in my opinion, is an on-the-fence rum; it is between a Myers's and a Coruba (both in taste and economics) and competes in a category that it should match more closely in appearance. BTW - with regards to a few people's comments and concerns about Appleton rums being gold in nature versus other 'darker' rums in the same category - there's a pointed reason for this: Appleton rums were originally blended as a substitute for whisky, which was in short supply during the world wars, which is why it is noticeably lighter in taste and color to most other rums.

Post #770089 by RumScrummager on Mon, Nov 7, 2016 8:28 PM