Trendy mod rum bottle designs

I've been eyeing that leather clad bottle of Orinoco Brazilian Rum at my local BevMO and have been wondering whether I should take the $40 plunge. Any one been impressed?

I'm a sucker for a good looking bottle and recently had a pretty good experience with 10 Cane, which comes with an almost equally impressive bottle design. Actually worth the $30, it's great as a base for a premium rum punch. Plus any rum with a cork ups the pirate factor big time.

Speaking of pirates, Pyrat XO has a formidable design, buddha medallion, ribbon, and all, but what is contained within is a bit too chemically aromatic for my taste. Its almost appealing at first, but then that flavor sticks with you for hours. You can count on Pyrat's producer Patron for an overrated product everytime. As far as Patron's "premium" tequilas go, you're better off with Corzo, not only for its superior flavor, but also the fact that it is housed in the sexiest damn bottle on any shelf, period. Put that one in a strategic location and just see how many comments you get (plus requests for a sample).

Favorite bottle designs anyone?

4 COPAS TEQUILA bottles are handpainted masterpieces!!!

and the tequila!!!

buen sabor!!!

sw

I'm partial to the square design and raised lettering on the St. James line. The stuff inside is pretty good too.

I agree with you on Pyrat XO. It's the Juicy Fruit of rums.

St. James's design is not "trendy" though. It's been in that same bottle for decades.

On 2007-04-19 14:53, mattesq wrote:
Speaking of pirates, Pyrat XO has a formidable design, buddha medallion, ribbon, and all, but what is contained within is a bit too chemically aromatic for my taste. Its almost appealing at first, but then that flavor sticks with you for hours. You can count on Pyrat's producer Patron for an overrated product everytime.

I was under the impression that Patron acquired the Pyrat label. Before Patron acquired them, the XO used to be around $90 a bottle. I personally like the Pyrat XO, but hey that's just me. And when I can find it at a local BevMo for under $20, then even better. But yeah, I'm not a fan of any of the Patron Tequila products (isn't Patron owned by the Paul Mitchell hair product company?).

As for favorite bottles, it seems like most of my favorite rums, like the Santa Teresa 1796 and the Murray McDavid rums come in regular plain ol' boring bottles. That Sea Wynde rum comes in kind of a cool looking old timey style bottle though.

How can you not like this bottle?

Just dont keep it close to the pancakes or you may mistake it for Mrs. Butter-worth's :o

SLAMMING THE PyRat X0--OK if you get these products for under $17 are they THEN OK? I agree as a sipping rum, forget it--its heartburn CITY for those but they mix pretty well and are certainly a BIT better than say Bacardi low end & Capt. Morgan/Cruzan etc.--I am defending mainly because I have 2.5 BOTTLES of this stuff and I thought it was alright--but DEFINITELY not worth over $20. Whats the latest good stuff at BevMo? because i JUST FOUND one in Chandler AZ--HOORAY!!

On 2007-04-20 09:26, bb moondog wrote:
they mix pretty well and are certainly a BIT better than say Bacardi low end & Capt. Morgan/Cruzan etc.--

Hey! Don't be stickin' Cruzan in with Bacardi & The Captain. :P For mixing, I like Cruzan quite a bit. (And for the record, I am in complete agreement with you on the Pyrat...)

Yeah, to each their own on the rums. People are definitely divided on they Pyrat XO - either they love it, or they hate it. Former Trader Vic's and Forbidden Island bartender Jim Schumacke thought Pyrat was one of the best rums he'd ever had. And he's the best bartender I've ever known.

And yeah, I have to agree with Haole'akamai on not categorizing Cruzan, which is a great well rum, with Craptain Morgan and Blacardi. Those are just bad.

Anyways, back onto the subject. I guess that for the most part, the fancy bottle is a marketing gimmick, like for those new Tommy Bahama aftershave rums.

.....bought the mini of the amber Tommy Bahama and two words apply:

ROT
GUT

sorry any who pay top dollar for this SWILL need their taste buds examined--STORE BRAND rum comes to mind when dealing with this product

As for fancy bottle designs being a "gimmick", sure, any packaging of rums is designed to appeal to a certain demographic to drive sales. Clean modern design happens to be a gimmick that appeals to me in particular, since my bar is an important part of my decor. Of course I don't advocate an "image is everything" philopsohy. When the design is combined with a quality liquor, that's a home run in my book. I mentioned 10 Cane and Corzo as positive examples, and Pyrat as a negative (although there are clearly opinions on both sides of that one). The jury is still out on Oronoco for the time being.

As for Tommy Bahama, I agree on the namesake rums. Not so good. I do applaud them for their cafes, in particular the drinks served in them. They offer an extensive rum selection (so you don't have to drink theirs), and many of their drinks allow you to mix and match from the list. Rum focused drink menus are rare, particularly for a chain such as this. The mojitos there are a personal favorite of mine, and are served with a stick of sugar cane as a swizzle, which is a nice touch. They offer a relaxed Carribean island vibe, and often employ live steel drummers. The food is decent as well although the dinner is heavily overpriced, so stick with the lunch. I've been to several and must say that the Scottsdale, Arizona location is a favorite.

On 2007-04-23 10:40, mattesq wrote:
The jury is still out on Oronoco for the time being.

Although I haven't tried it, when I was down in Southern California for the Tiki Farm Yard Sale party, I stopped by Hi Time Wine in Costa Mesa on my way home, to pick up some rums that are hard to find in the SF Bay Area. I had a chance to talk story with the rum guy there, and asked him about a few of their higher end rums. As we were going through the various selections on the shelf, he pointed out the Oronoco as being one of those gimmicky rums and a huge disappointment for him. His recommendation was to avoid it. This guy was very knowledgeable about his rum stock, and had definitely tasted everything in the store, and then some. So I highly valued his opinion. Based on his findings I'd look for something else.

Oh, and by the way, the guy at Hi Time Wines doesn't like the Pyrat XO either! :blush:

Interesting, since I really like Oronoco. On the whole, it's a bit hot, so I don't have it as a sipping rum, but I like its mixing qualities. I use it in The Luvahs Bonbon.

[NOTE TO SELF: get drink recipes from Martiki....]

On 2007-04-25 10:47, Haole'akamai wrote:
[NOTE TO SELF: get drink recipes from Martiki....]

Note to Haole'akamai: Share Martiki's drink recipes with ME. (Hint: I'll be at FI on June 3, so have your notebook ready.)

:D

I found a small 50mL bottle of Orinoco at high times. I always sip before I use it for anything else. I seem to remember that it's good, and smooth, but nothing else specific comes to mind. I've got to check my rum passport.
If you want pirate factor in a rum bottle, then grab either a bottle of D'Aristi (usually about $20-30) or a bottle of Myers Legend ($40). I find that the Myers Legend is a little overpriced for the contents. It isn't really any better than regular Myers, and is about double the cost.
I find that the Pyrat XO rum is a little too sugary or something. I can take a shot of it, but I wouldn't sip it all night. I definitely like it in mixed drinks. I've become especially fond of using it as a float, and the bottle does look pretty cool.

Bingo on the D'Aristi bottle! It's sexy with that neck (it has a handle, too, yes?) - Cap'n Jack Sparrow's choice, I'm sure.

Fun thing about rum. There's so much to try everyone should be able to find a favorite.

For me sipping wise, its Ron Zacapa Centenario 23 yr

FI has a few new sexy bottles on the shelf from Rhum Clement. The XO and one other. Haven't tried the insides yet (cha-ching$)

On 2007-04-26 15:42, TofuJoe wrote:
FI has a few new sexy bottles on the shelf from Rhum Clement. The XO and one other. Haven't tried the insides yet (cha-ching$)

The VSOP is pretty darned good, but almost as much as the Ron Z 23. For an extra few bucks I'd go with the RZ.

Then again, it is a different style of rum (agricole really) completely. It's worth a try, but I'd have a hard time saying it's worth the money when compared to the price of the RZ. (Cost me $36, btw.)

Damn, almost every rum isn't worth the money when comparing to the Ron Zacapa 23yr. How do they DO it?