Bacardi

I know a lot of people better educated in rum than I often rip on Bacardi -- preferring Cruzan, Havana Club, etc. A lot of old tiki drink recipes call for Puerto Rican rum, especially white. And I would guess that 99% of those old drinks that called for Puerto Rican rum were using Bacardi.

So my question is this: Is it that there are simply better rums out there than Bacardi, or has the quality of Bacardi diminished over the years?

And if the response is the latter, exactly how has the quality diminished?

There are way better rums AND the quality of Bacardi rum may have gone down when they moved to Puerto Rico in 1958. So, if the old tiki drink recipes are from before 1958 they are not calling for Bacardi.

I don't like Bacardi because that is the brand name that I associate with puking my brains out in high school. Just thinking about it makes me taste it all over again, not really.
I do have B. gold, light and 151 under the bar but, the gold & light I infuse. I generally use Cruzan for its lack of bad taste (in my mouth) and it is more cost effective.

Here is a simple test, if anyone thinks Bacardi is getting a bad rap:

Buy some Bacardi white, and then buy some other white rum that is more expensive (Cruzan is good for this test, although it may not be more expensive).

Pour a little bit of each into two glasses, and maybe put a piece of ice in each to mellow out the burn. Take a sip of each, and notice how Bacardi light has relatively no taste.

It's not really a hard decision.

Also, many people use Cruzan instead of Puerto Rican rum because Virgin Island rum often has very similar taste notes.

One of my favorite Puerto Rican white rums is Palo Viejo. It is far tastier, and costs less than Bacardi. Another one you can buy for less than Bacardi is Castillo, which is the generic Bacardi. It's the same stuff in a cheaper bottle without the big name.

White Rum does not need to be flavorless. If you can find El Dorado or Appleton White, they have as much flavor as their darker counterparts, and mix very well.

I don't think it is so much the "quality" of Bacardi, as the quality of their politics...

"In this book, investigative journalist Hernando Calvo Ospina brings to light the commercial and political activities of the Bacardi empire to reveal its role in fostering the 40-year long confrontation between the United States and the revolutionary government of Cuba. Through meticulous research, Calvo Ospina reveals how directors and shareholders of the family-owned firm have aggressively worked to undermine the Castro government. He explores how they have been implicated in supporting paramilitary organizations that have carried out terrorists attacks, and reveals their links to the extreme right-wing Cuban-American Foundation that supported Ronald Regan's Contra war in Nicaragua.

"Bacardi: The Hidden War" explains the company's hand in promoting "special interest" legislation against its competitor, Havana Club Rum, which is manufactured in Cuba and promoted by the European company Pernod-Ricard. Calvo Ospina reveals the implications of Bacardi's involvement in this growing dispute that threatens to create a trade war between America and Europe. Exploring the Bacardi empire's links to the CIA, as well as its inside links with the Bush administration, this fascinating and readable account shows how multinational companies act for political as well as economic interests."

...but that might not matter to mixologists as much as the taste --which is the polar opposite to that elixir of Polynesian pop, Demarara rum. Bacardi saw the changing of the tastes in the late 60s from more "rummy", rich tasting liquor to drier, less overt flavors. In the course of their successful campaign to make their brand THE rum that dominates supermarket shelves they have banned most of the smaller labels to specialty stores and diminished the variety of rum styles available out there.

Now I am not denying that the PUBLIC is to blame for this also...but so it is to blame for the disappearance of Tiki style, and Bacardi's effect on the rum market parallels the very devolution of Tiki style.

And so "Bacardi" is like saying "Jimmy Buffet" to a Tikiphile. This is not denying that it can play a roll in certain drinks, and that everybody is entitled to choose their booze.

There is a recent book out on the history of the family and company that has a well-written, more balanced view of the story:

http://www.amazon.com/Bacardi-Long-Fight-Cuba-Biography/dp/067001978X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1232640919&sr=1-1

And here I was all this time thinking it was just because it tasted like crap.

On 2009-01-21 18:16, Mr. NoNaMe wrote:
So, if the old tiki drink recipes are from before 1958 they are not calling for Bacardi.

Actually, I recently read that Bacardi has had a plant in Puerto Rico since the 1930s. It was built so that they wouldn't have to pay tariffs following the end of Prohibition. The company only moved its headquarters after the Cuban revolution. So I think that the Zombie Punch of 1934 which calls for Puerto Rican gold rum was most likely Bacardi -- although I can't say that for sure.

It's my guess that Bacardi, being distilled in the U.S. commonwealth of Puerto Rico and already being a very big company, was easily available in the U.S. and therefore probably fairly inexpensive. I guess what I was getting at from the beginning was whether Bacardi was:
A. At one time a very good rum that has since gone downhill in quality.
B. Always a fairly mediocre rum that was simply inexpensive and easily obtainable.
C. As good as it has always been, but connosieurs of rum prefer to sub Cuban, Virgin Island or another like rum instead.
D. Some combination of the above.
E. Another issue entirely.

I was in Jamaica one time on vacation and the resort offered a day trip to Santiago in Cuba. Was a bad girl and flew there on a Russian Yak plane. Seats were like lawn chairs and we borded up the back of tiny plane. As soon as we took off they came by with cart full of Havana Club and cigars. Was toasted b/4 we even landed. People were very gracious and took us on tour all over the area. Stopped at the Havana Club factory and more free samples came out. I remember (not to much) but I sent myself a post card that took 6 weeks to arrive back in California. It said BEEN HERE - DONE RUM. Bought several bottles and managed to smuggle it home. Back b/4 Bush things were much easier. Sure hope Obama opens Cuba soon so the rum can flow easily over to us again!

On 2009-01-22 09:24, arriano wrote:
I guess what I was getting at from the beginning was whether Bacardi was:
A. At one time a very good rum that has since gone downhill in quality.
B. Always a fairly mediocre rum that was simply inexpensive and easily obtainable.
C. As good as it has always been, but connoisseurs of rum prefer to sub Cuban, Virgin Island or another like rum instead.

If you would have had the dough, you could have found out :) :

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&item=200294927680

And what I was trying to say is that there is no totally objective judgment on what is good or bad in terms of many things, it has to do with purpose (like for rum and Coke, Bacardi is fine), individual preference, and especially, Zeitgeist, the spirit of a times. While in the 70s and 80s the dry, non-rummy taste of Bacardi was THE thing to enjoy, the pendulum is swinging back now, so that REAL rum lovers like us nowadays exclaim "How could anyone ever swallow this swill!" and prefer more aromatic white rums. Tastes change, evolve and devolve. I bet you there were rum connoisseurs in the 70s that wholeheartedly declared white Bacardi to be THE rum...and I don't think ITS taste has changed that much since -- but the taste of the people has.

The only way to find out is ask the opinion of an old rummy who has tried Bacardi since the 50s through today --but how objective/subjective would that opinion be?

Just my 2 cents but since vodka is so popular, I think people naturally go to the rum with no color or flavor as well. Bacardi is great for when you're working up a new recipe. If you can make a good drink with it, then you replace it with something good and and have a GREAT drink.

[ Edited by: pappythesailor 2009-01-22 11:42 ]

Are we not generalising Bacardi a little bit here. Fair enough the white rum is bad compared to most other white rums but it isn't the only spirit they produce.
Oro and the 8YO aren't bad and I have a bottle of Reserva which is one of my favourites.
Bacardi also own the Seven Tiki brand.

Malibu, now there is something to bitch about :)

Actually, I recently read that Bacardi has had a plant in Puerto Rico since the 1930s. It was built so that they wouldn't have to pay tariffs following the end of Prohibition. The company only moved its headquarters after the Cuban revolution.

I would surmise that that is correct as I do not know enough of the history behind Bacardi. I also should have realized that Bacardi would have "left" Cuba rather than "moved" to PR. :)