St James rums

Can someone tell me the difference between St. James Hors D'Age and St. James Extra Old? I have always bought Hors D'Age and am quite fond of it, but I haven't been able to find any info on Extra Old. Which is aged longer? Any other differences? If someone has both, can they describe the taste difference? Confusing the issue for me is that some stores sell Extra Old at a higher cost than Hors D'Age and some stores completely reverse that.

I just picked up my four bottles of Hors D'Age today which I had to 'Special Order' from the local Crown Liquors. That is the ONLY Saint James they can get for me - the Extra Old isn't available. However, in every case in which I've checked on Saint James rums online, the Hors D'Age has always been more expensive.
I don't know how old Hors D'Age is . . . it doesn't say on the bottle it only says "A blend of very old rums matured in small oak casks. Each rum lends it's own particular character to the blend, achieving the rich complexity characteristic of fine spirits" - As far as I'm concerned, that pretty much says it all.

Because I'm such a 'Valued Customer' and usually buy 4 bottles at a time . . . they only charge me $30.99 a bottle for the Saint James (750ml) . . . and only $13.99 for the Appleton Estate VX (750ml) that I buy at the same time. And that's what goes in to my $100 Mai Tai!

GH

I found this on a web site:

Rhum Saint James Royal Ambre – This, the youngest in the Rhum Saint James line, the winner of the 1995 Gold Medal in the World Spirit Championships, and rated “Best Buy” in the July, 1995 and December, 1996 issues of Wine Enthusiast Magazine. Another spirit critic describes this as “the nearest thing to cognac”. Rhum Saint James Royal Ambre is at its most impressive when served, straight up, in a snifter. This enables the drinker to discover its complexity and aromatics. As for mixing, this is the rum to use when making the famous Punch Martinique, a blend of rum with a dash of sugar and lime juice.

Rhum Saint James Extra Old. This grade, which is a blend of the cellar master’s older rums, is an excellent introduction to the complexity and aromatics of aged rums. Rated "Very Good" by Wine Enthusiast Magazine, April, 2001 and Spirit Journal, 1999.

Rhum Saint James Hors d’Age – “If this is not the best rum you have ever tasted, I’ll drink yours!” said one critic. This dark rum, comprised of selected, exceptionally old, aged rums, is the culmination of the master blender’s art at Plantations Saint James. Spirit Journal, rates Hors d’Age as a strong buy – 4 Stars – followed by Wine Enthusiast Magazine, superb (90-95 rating), “Best Buy”, April, 2001.

I think they don't have actual age in years on the label because they are blends of different ages.

I use Hors D'Age in my Mai Tais as well. It's the best of the three!

Thanks Jab. That's just the thing I was looking for (but couldn't find).

GH - The only place I've found Hors D'Age locally sells it for $36, which is high. Although he did tell me he could take off a few bucks. Online, I've always ordered it from Wine And Liquor Depot and their price is $21.59 for Hors D'Age, an excellent buy, but you have to factor in shipping which gets much cheaper per bottle when you order more. They sell Extra Old for $31.99, which is what confused me. I have a feeling they have their prices swapped, but ssshhhhhh.... I don't want to tell them!

Hi All,
I received two bottles of St. James Hors D'Age today. The label was slightly different on each,
and the strengths were 43o and 45o, the 45o strength bottle was clearly a darker color, when held next to each other this was very obvious. Maybe the glass is tinted slightly darker on the 45o bottle, which is the only bottle labeled 'Produce of France'.
I think someone explained in a thread way back something explaining this, but I've been searching with no luck, so if anyone can help I would be welcome to find out what makes them different.
Thanks.

[ Edited by: squad 701 2007-06-20 14:11 ]

In regards to rhum st. james aged hors d'age, is it true that this rum will no longer be produced?

On 2009-07-18 17:06, telescopes wrote:
In regards to rhum st. james aged hors d'age, is it true that this rum will no longer be produced?

Don't know about produced, but imported, yes.

On 2009-07-18 17:06, telescopes wrote:
In regards to rhum st. james aged hors d'age, is it true that this rum will no longer be produced?

Don't know about produced, but imported, yes.

No more Hors d'Age? Dang, that's no bueno. Good thing I found a liquor store selling the stuff at $35 each. I'm stocking up.

I'm a big fan of a couple of drinks that require Martinique agricole rum. Specifically, Donga Punch and Three Dots and a Dash. Extra Old works really well in the former, but not so much in the latter. However, I recently bought a bottle of Old New Orleans amber, which goes for $20-$27. It makes a fine substitute for Extra Old in the Donga Punch.

When will the St. James stop being imported? I need to know so I can perhaps stock up now.

About 6-9 months ago... Maybe... Get the old stock while you can.

Anybody know WHY?

On 2009-08-17 18:52, GentleHangman wrote:
Anybody know WHY?

Heard that the importer gave up the product and no new importer has jumped in to fill the void.