Post #781475 by PalmtreePat on Sun, Nov 12, 2017 9:45 AM

After many, many daiquiris (and a jalapeno cheeseburger) I've completed my first round of taste testing in search of the perfect sub for Bacardi 1909. The results were...surprising.

Full disclosure: each rum was tasted straight first, side by side with a pour of Bacardi 1909, from a glencairn glass for maximum pretension. For the daiquiri test I made them according to the improved recipe in POTC, using limes I "liberated" from the neighbors tree as they were needed to ensure that lackluster fruit didn't drag any drinks down.

Havana Club 3 was the most interesting entry. Tasted alone, side by side with the 1909, it's a very different beast. Heavier than just about any other aged white I've had, with enough hogo to it that one of my tasters likened it to a Jamaican rum. Yet when mixed in a daiquiri, it lightens up considerably, with lots of citrus flavors and an after-taste that is very close to the chocolate-ish flavor on the 1909's finish. The only thing HC3 misses is the super dry, crisp aroma 1909 imparts to the drink, which may in part be a product of the 1909 being higher ABV than anything else on the board. Recommended if you can get it.

Plantation 3 Star, Flor de Cana 4 Extra Seco, and Brugal Especial all came in roughly the same bracket for being close, but not quite perfect analogs to 1909. 3 Star is the closest in overall flavor, both by itself and in a daiquiri, but again, it smells sweeter rather than dry and isn't quite as assertive. Bone-dry Brugal I found came closest to 1909 in aroma, and in a daiquiri brought plenty of citrus flavor (orange in particular) but was missing some of the brown sugary and vanilla flavors on the finish. FDC hews closer to 3 Star than Brugal, and the daiquiri I made with it was, for lack of a better word, "darker" in flavor than the other two.

And the big shocker: Cana Brava came in dead last. With the closest ABV to Bacardi 1909 (86 to the BC's 89), a full 3 years of age on it, and a Cuban rum master at the helm, I went into this expecting it to smear the competition. And it didn't. Tasted side by side with the 1909, both straight and mixed, it was noticeably lacking in both flavor and aroma, far more than the slight difference in concentration can account for. We actually went back and did blind tastings to make sure we weren't biasing it into oblivion, and it still missed the mark. Afterwards I tested CB against the HC3, presumably its closest relative, and it fell short again. Nor could it best any of the other rums. Despite being a higher proof than all of them, it still came dangerously close to tasting like vodka in comparison, and, barring that I might have just gotten a bad bottle, I think I know why. When we took the Hampden Estate rum tour our guide explained the different ABVs they distill to for different products: the 80s is their mark for rum, while 90% and higher is for vodka. Cana Brava's website states that they distill to 92-94%. Now I don't know what proof the rest of these get distilled to, and I'm sure that CB doesn't get re-distilled over and over again like a true vodka would be, but it certainly tastes like the 86 Co has gone too far in its efforts to produce a smooth, dry spirit and lost alot of flavor. Given that Cana Brava often costs at least $5 more than any of these other rums, I honestly can't say I'll be buying it again in the future.

Final results: Havana Club 3 still reigns supreme, both for tasty daiquiris in general and specifically as an analog to the elusive Bacardi 1909. Plantation, Flor De Cana, and Brugal are all fine daiquiri rums and each is similar in its own way to 1909. Cana Brava is...limp.

This has been a fun experiment, but I'm just getting started. I still need to give El Dorado 3, Royal Standard, Selvarey, Cruzan Diamond, and Cartavio their fair shake. I may also go the Kohala Bay route and start blending different white rums together to replicate the flavor profile I'm after. Diplomatico just released an aged white at 47% ABV, which could strengthen a blend and help it cut through more in a mixed drink.