Best budget rum?

There've been plenty of discussions about the best rum, and the list usually consists of rums in the $50+ price bracket. But with the "new economy," sometimes cheaper isn't just better, it's the only choice.

What's you're favorite inexpensive rum? Mention whether it's for sipping or mixing. We're looking for that sweet spot of price and flavor.

I'll start with Flor De Caña 4-year at around $18 a bottle for mixing. I haven't had enough experience with other rums to comment on it as a sipper.

Some of the best are also rather cheap.

Eldorado 12 year can be bought at about $20-25 Excellent rum
My favorite sipper these days is Clement VSOP which is $29 here, but on sale for $19! Yum!
When out of the above, I sip Appleton Extra or VX. A standard good rum that is not expensive.

Mt. Gay Eclipse is a sipper and a mixer and often available for less than $20 for a handle.

You can get the excellent 4-star Rhum Barbancourt in the $20 range. Other good rums in that price range and lower are: Appleton Estate V/X, El Dorado 12-year, Cockspur Gold, Bacardi 8-year, and Tanduay.

Another vote for that 12 yr El Dorado... that stuff is crazy delicious.
With the Appleton, I'd spring the extra few dollars and upgrade from the V/X to that Estate Reserve. But, if it's only ever gonna be in cocktails, the V/X is fine and dandy, too.
And... for a good dark Jamaican, if you can find Coruba, grab it. That stuf is like 15 bucks a bottle... A BARGAIN!
For a seriously pungeant bargain, the Pyrat XO can usually be found for 20 bucks.
Happy drinking.

For mixing you can't go wrong with some stuff typically on the bottom shelf...

Eldorado Gold is around $12 a bottle in my area. Enough flavor to make it work, inexpensive enough to use generously.

Ron Rico Gold is around $15 a bottle. Same as above. Ron Rico used to be premium top-shelf stuff back in the day, today not so much. It still has just enough flavor to make it a worthy rum for your budget bar.

Angostura makes a brand called Old Oak that is pretty decent for its price. The White is not much better than a sweet vodka. The Gold, however, makes a pretty decent Mai Tai when paired with some Appelton. And again, they are in the sub-$15 bottle range.

Depending on your region you can sometimes find rebates or discounts, up in the northern end of the US right now there is some kind of deal on Cruzan 9 where the final price per bottle works out to less than $10 each.

Even in this 'New Economy' the same rules apply to your bar just like they did way back when.... get the best booze you can afford. There is no shame in having/using lower priced bottles. Unless your a cheapskate and cutting corners and then you should be beaten with the sticky side of the barmat.

Here in "no sales tax" Oregon, these are my basics:

Cruzan light & dark for $15
Coruba dark for $15
Appleton VX for $18

You can also get Cruzan's new "9" spiced rum here right now for $12

And also a minor correction to a post above:

4-star Rhum Barbancourt
That'd be the 3-star...Barbancourt's other "starred" rum is 5-star.

:drink:

Myers Dark is available in my area and inexpensive, I notice it didn't make the list. I read that the flavor of Meyers can be over powering, I guess that's a bad thing?

The thing about Myers's is, if you put it in your cocktail you might as well not add anything else because the Myers's is about all you'll taste.

I have been studying this thread as I'm due for a new bottle of gold and wanted to get something decent but reasonable priced. All I have been able to find in my area is Bacardi, Malibu, Capt. Morgan, Parrot Bay, Meyers, Sailor Jerry, a tiny over-priced bottle Pyrat XO Reserve, and an ocassional bottle of Kraken (I already have one of those). Not wanting to wait 'til my next trip to the big city, I picked up a 0.75L bottle of Cruzan 2 year on sale at Von's this week for $10.

I don't know who Proof66 is, but they have good things to say about several of the budget rums listed in this thread. Out of over 200 rums, Cruzan 2 and Flor de Cana 4 are ranked numbers 10 & 11. Mt Gay Eclipse is in the top 25%. Number 1 rum on the list was Mt Gay Extra Old at $35, most expensive was Real Carupano Legendario for $1000!

Cruzan Aged rums. Approx. $15 here in NC.

On 2010-12-20 06:21, MadDogMike wrote:
Myers Dark is available in my area and inexpensive, I notice it didn't make the list. I read that the flavor of Meyers can be over powering, I guess that's a bad thing?

On 2010-12-20 07:19, Wayfarer wrote:
The thing about Myers's is, if you put it in your cocktail you might as well not add anything else because the Myers's is about all you'll taste.

If you can get it, give Coruba a try. Often on special for less than Myer's but imo a much better rum.

In the under $15 category, I think that the Cruzan rums are good. I still find even the aged for under $15 bucks around here. I have also become a fan of Mt Gay's "Sugar Cane Rum" which I've gotten for a little over $15. Flor de Cana 7 is another well under $20 on special that I enjoy. It and Coruba make a very fine Mai Tai.

am curious as to everybody's favorite budget (under $20) rums, re light, gold, and dark rums, primarily for cocktails...

my picks:

Appleton Estates white; Cockspur gold; Gosling's black seal.

[ Edited by: thePorpoise 2012-05-31 14:01 ]

About a $1.29

[ Edited by: Atomic Tiki Punk 2012-05-31 14:36 ]

Shouldn't that read Bacardi on it?

HeyOOOOoooooo

Jeff(btd)

That stuff's 70 proof!

plus they're easy to carry on a plane, for "the lush on the run."

On 2012-05-31 20:20, TikiTie wrote:
plus they're easy to carry on a plane, for

"the lush on the run."

I sense a Tikiyaki song title there.
:wink:

Jeff(btd)

:evil:

I enjoy Cruzan quite a bit and use it as my well white "Puerto Rican" rum. A good Mount Gay and tonic never hurts either...

On 2012-06-01 11:26, teamtom wrote:
I enjoy Cruzan quite a bit and use it as my well white "Puerto Rican" rum. A good Mount Gay and tonic never hurts either...

Yep, me too. These are cheap around these parts. As you said, makes a good sub for Puerto Rican.

Here are my "Reverse Sticker Shock" choices:

Chairman's Reserve & Chairman's Reserve Spiced $20/750ml (when on sale goes for +/-$16)
Bacardi (what? shut up) 8 $17/750ml at my local Costco
Cruzan Light $18/1.75L (sometimes on sale for +/- $15)
Doorly's XO ($15/750ml)
Plantation Grande Reserve ($18/750ml)

SOMETIMES El Dorado 12 goes on sale for +/-$20/750ml...then I pounce.

Doorly's and CC are both great sippers although I'm not sipping liquour neat is not my usual m.o.

HTH,

[ Edited by: jokeiii 2012-06-02 15:22 ]

Jamaican health tonic...

On 2012-05-31 22:20, bigtikidude wrote:

On 2012-05-31 20:20, TikiTie wrote:
plus they're easy to carry on a plane, for

"the lush on the run."

I sense a Tikiyaki song title there.
:wink:

Jeff(btd)

Is that what you had in mind Jeff? :D

I don't have many choices in my area but Vons sells Cruzan aged inexpensively even at full price and better on sale.

"And those who were seen dancing were thought to be insane by those who could not hear the music" Friedrich Nietzsche

[ Edited by: MadDogMike 2012-06-02 19:09 ]

Damn, you guys get some cheap rum. The "cheapest" good rum is about 24 euros here. Which is a bit less than 30 dollars. El Dorado 12 is 39 euros, aka about 51 dollars! The hell with this country.

So yeah, my "go to" rum at the moment is Angostura reserva and Havana Club 3 year old. Luckily our neighbouring country Estonia has some reeeeally cheap and good stuff so I go there about once a year to stock up.

I based mine on U.S. prices. There are no