good white rum

On 2014-07-23 14:57, Sunny&Rummy wrote:
jokeiii thanks for the tip about Total Wine. I was at the Melbourne store a couple if weeks ago and did not see the Bacardi Heritage but I will certainly ask them to try and get it for me.

OK, now I'm definitely confused. I have seen lots of tins of something labeled Bacardi Superior with a vintage style label but I assumed that was just throwback packaging and the rum inside the bottle was the regular Bacardi drek. I was looking for and never saw a big "1909" or "Heritage" designation on the label, but maybe that's the stuff and I didn't know it. I guess the easiest thing will be to look at the ABV and if it's 44.5% it's the 1909 edition and if it's 40% it's the drek.

[ Edited by: Sunny&Rummy 2014-07-23 17:14 ]

Yeah, I bought one of those boxed versions of Bacardi, and I thought it was only marginally better than the regular stuff.

[ Edited by: KrakenHunterSteve 2014-07-23 18:24 ]

On 2014-07-23 17:14, Sunny&Rummy wrote:

OK, now I'm definitely confused. I have seen lots of tins of something labeled Bacardi Superior with a vintage style label but I assumed that was just throwback packaging and the rum inside the bottle was the regular Bacardi drek. I was looking for and never saw a big "1909" or "Heritage" designation on the label, but maybe that's the stuff and I didn't know it. I guess the easiest thing will be to look at the ABV and if it's 44.5% it's the 1909 edition and if it's 40% it's the drek.

Here is the one: http://popsop.com/wp-content/uploads/BACARDI-Heritage-Gift-Pack-original.jpg in the Super Collectible Tin, and another "plain" http://cdn2.bigcommerce.com/server5500/tpbc2s65/products/2709/images/2742/bacardi_silverheritage__19536__67799.1358534460.1280.1280.jpg

Besides the proof (89 vs 80) the Heritage version is also distilled in Mexico, not PR. It's not my favorite white, but it is my favorite Spanish Caribbean white, and my go-to for daiquiris and mojitos. (YMMV)

HTH!

[ Edited by: jokeiii 2014-07-23 19:22 ]

[ Edited by: jokeiii 2017-08-19 06:21 ]

While we're on the subject of "Bacardi," they have an interesting history. From what I've read previously online I'm not quite sure how they were positioned in pre-Castro Cuba, but they may have been one of the top rums before nationalization. There is some interesting stuff about them smuggling yeasts out of Cuba ahead of the troops and destroying what they had to leave behind. This left today's Cuba with non-original strains of yeasts. Supposedly those yeasts survive today outside of Cuba. Also, Havana Club may have been part of the Bacardi family empire before nationalization. But my "BS meter" hasn't been able to confirm or deny those reports on the web. More research is needed. Thought I'd mention it in case someone else was interested.

On 2014-07-23 19:25, AceExplorer wrote:
While we're on the subject of "Bacardi," they have an interesting history. From what I've read previously online I'm not quite sure how they were positioned in pre-Castro Cuba, but they may have been one of the top rums before nationalization. There is some interesting stuff about them smuggling yeasts out of Cuba ahead of the troops and destroying what they had to leave behind. This left today's Cuba with non-original strains of yeasts. Supposedly those yeasts survive today outside of Cuba. Also, Havana Club may have been part of the Bacardi family empire before nationalization. But my "BS meter" hasn't been able to confirm or deny those reports on the web. More research is needed. Thought I'd mention it in case someone else was interested.

There is some truth to the yeast story; members of the Bacardi family destroyed the cultures before the Communists arrived to confiscate their property. However, there was no need for smuggling, as those strains of yeast were at other Bacardi facilities (Puerto Rico, Mexico, etc.). Incidentally, most of the Bacardi rum in the US, even before the Communist revolution in Cuba, was from Puerto Rico - as US territory it didn't have the import duties, etc.

Havana Club (like Matusalem) was a competitor; unlike Bacardi its intellectual property was not registered outside Cuba which is why the Cuban regime was able to seize both the distillery and the name/trademark. After the fact, Bacardi bought the trademark from the (former) Havana Club owners who established new trademarks in the USA.

Thank you, jokeiii, that's helpful. I will look into it further in the future. I wasn't clear about the Bacardi/Havana Club relationship in Cuba. This is interesting stuff.

On 2014-07-24 21:06, AceExplorer wrote:
Thank you, jokeiii, that's helpful. I will look into it further in the future. I wasn't clear about the Bacardi/Havana Club relationship in Cuba. This is interesting stuff.

Incidentally, SUPPOSEDLY the Bacardi Heritage uses the "Cuban yeast" instead of the (I'll assume) more generic yeast in the Bacardi Superior.

Havana Club 3yr
Flor De Cana Extra Dry 4yr
Brugal Especial Extra Dry 2yr

Those are the best I've found for original daiquiris. After a few hundred imbibes and variations, I've settled on the Morganthaler 10:3:2 version (2.5oz rum, 3/4oz lime, 1/2oz rich simple). With that ratio these rums really shine.

I use Cruzan White for anything with lots of ingredients and syrups, though. So, like Hayward's Mai-Kai Rum Barrel. Any of the premium whites get lost in there. I agree with The Bum in that Cruzan is significantly better than Bacardi.

two of my cuban buddies and i had a comparison yesterday of Havana Club 3yo and el Dorado 3yo.

the quality was much closer than i expected. both very smooth.

I gave the slight nod to the HC3, as did one of my buddies.

to my surprise, the other cuban guy favored the ED3.

On 2014-07-23 17:14, Sunny&Rummy wrote:
OK, now I'm definitely confused. I have seen lots of tins of something labeled Bacardi Superior with a vintage style label but I assumed that was just throwback packaging and the rum inside the bottle was the regular Bacardi drek. I was looking for and never saw a big "1909" or "Heritage" designation on the label, but maybe that's the stuff and I didn't know it. I guess the easiest thing will be to look at the ABV and if it's 44.5% it's the 1909 edition and if it's 40% it's the drek.

the 1909 Heritage bottle is packaged in a thick cardboard cylindrical container. The regular stuff is in the collectible tins right now. total wine also had a bacardi vintage or somesuch that was about a hundred bucks (no extra packaging).

I grabbed a bottle of regular Bacardi white-- very cool tin it comes in.

compared it w/the 1909 Heritage white--- blech, the basic stuff is swill!!

boosted my view of the 1909 Heritage to be sure, a good white rum (but still not one of my favorites). maybe i can side-by-side compare it w/the HC3 soon.

I'm hoping to jump in here with my favorites shortly. I've got some new bottles on the shelf that I need to run through some more tests -- Papa's Pilar and Plantation 3 Stars, most notably. In the meantime, I just ran across this battle royale of white rums that Inu a Kena posted back in 2012 in which 32 rums faced off. I'm afraid I own none of the Final Four, so unfortunately I'm off in search of more bottles ...
http://inuakena.com/spirit-reviews/light-rum-challenge/

The Banks really is excellent. A tough rum to beat. That being said, there are lots of good white rums.

Here's another good list, this one a Top 10 from The Rum Howler. Some of the same suspects, and an interesting #1 ...
http://therumhowlerblog.wordpress.com/2013/11/05/and-then-there-was-1-brugal-titanium-rum/

Got a bottle of white Meyer’s at T O. What’s a good cocktail to use it in?
Cheers

There aren't many drinks that specifically call for a Jamaican white, but I'm sure it's perfectly fine in a Rum Barrel along with a Jamaican dark:
http://www.slammie.com/atomicgrog/blog/2011/06/27/the-rum-barrel-the-rodney-dangerfield-of-tropical-drinks/

Mahalo Hurc!

On 2014-08-23 00:48, nui 'umi 'umi wrote:
Got a bottle of white Meyer’s at T O. What’s a good cocktail to use it in?
Cheers

I have found that one of the best ways to try most any new rum (other than sipping neat) is to mix a simple daiquiri. This holds especially true for the whites or very light rums in my opinion.

Here is how I make mine...

2oz rum
3/4oz fresh lime juice (muy importante)
1/2oz to 3/4oz simple syrup (I use a 1:1 ratio)

Shake very well with about a half cup of crushed ice and strain into a daiquiri style glass (coupe).
You may have to modify the lime/syrup ratios as I tend to like mine a little on the tart side.

Cheers and Aloha!

I agree: the test of any good white rum is how it performs in a Daiquiri. If a rum doesn't make a good Daiquiri, you can almost guarantee it's not a good rum.

Tanks Q-T, Tanks DJ

whoa- just tried out a bottle of Plantation 3 Stars. out-freaking-standing!

Mahalo Q-tiki and djmont for the perfect set-up for my promised list of recommended white rums. As mentioned, I'm lacking many of the top-rated rums from some of the popular review sites, but I have a decent collection of nearly 20 white rums that I've collected over the years. My bar is built on the foundation of Beachbum Berry's appendices and ingredient recommendations, but I've recently branched out and included some impressive new brands as the rum landscape continues to expand. I too use the daiquiri as a standard in evaluating mixing rums, rating them on a 1-5 scale.

Hurricane Hayward's top white mixing rums

• Havana Club Añejo Blanco (Cuba) – 3.3
• Plantation 3 Stars (Jamaica/Barbados/Trinidad) – 3.2
• Papa’s Pilar Blonde (Central America/Caribbean) – 3.0
• Flor de Cana Extra Dry (Nicaragua) – 2.9
• Cruzan Estate Light (U.S. Virgin Islands) – 2.8
• Don Q Cristal (Puerto Rico) – 2.8
• Mount Gay Special Reserve (Barbados) – 2.8
• Mount Gay Eclipse Silver (Barbados) – 2.8
• Tanduay Silver (Philippines) – 2.8
• Clement Premiere Canne (Martinique) – 2.7
• Ron Matusalem Platino (Dominican Republic) – 2.7
• Doorly’s Macaw (Barbados) – 2.7
• Tommy Bahama White Sand (Barbados) – 2.7
• Appleton White (Jamaica) – 2.6
• El Dorado Superior (Guyana) – 2.5
• Vizcaya Cristal (Dominican Republic) – 2.5
  Special mention:
• Wray & Newphew White Overproof (Jamaica) – 3.0

As thePorpoise can attest, Plantation 3 Stars is indeed fantastic. It's a welcome newcomer, along with Papa's Pilar, and I look forward to working both into regular rotation. Havana Club, of course, is hard to come by in these parts so I only use it on special occasions.

I continue to stand by Flor de Cana, Cruzan and Don Q as the workhorses of the bar. They may not be as distinctive as some others, but it's hard to beat the value for the price. And often all you need is a good solid base rum, and these do the job nicely.

I consider the Mount Gay rums above average, but have not done a lot of mixing with them. Same goes for Tanduay, which is new to the Florida market and impressive in my limited experience with it.

Clement Premiere Canne is the only white agricole on my list. Its uses are limited, but I'm happy to have it as an option. The rest are solid but unspectacular. Ron Matusalem Platino is fine in drinks that call for a dry, Cuban-style rum. I'm a huge fan of El Dorado's aged rums, but the standard white rum is nothing special. The Superior White is not to be confused with the Cask Aged White, which I understand is an excellent rum that I've got on my short list of potential purchases. Others I have in my sights include Bacardi 1909, Brugal Titanium, Diplomatico Blanco Reserva, Denizen, Starr, Oronoco, Elements, Banks, Neisson, Caliche, et al.

Wray & Newphew doesn't really fit with the rest here, but I had to mention it since I consider it a crucial rum to include in your arsenal, if only to make Jasper's Rum Punch.

Okole maluna!

wray and nephew seems pretty hard to find.or at least in my area,i thought i saw somewhere it did distribute to a couple places in my state though but i cant find a webpage to check distribution to make sure

wierd thing is,if they do make appleton rum i can find that anywhere

oh and do you really think don q white is better then appleton white? ive never had don q but i was wondering about it because i think someone said it outsold bacardi

[ Edited by: Jay4 2014-09-05 21:23 ]

[ Edited by: Jay4 2014-09-05 21:29 ]

Wray & Nephew may indeed be hard to find. I've probably had the same bottle for years. But it should be readily available via special order. It's worth seeking out to round out your collection. Not sure it's any easier to find, but Hampden Estate has a new white overproof that took home a gold medal at Miami Rum Fest:
http://www.hampdenrumcompany.com/products.html ... very much in the same league as W&N.

I'm not in love with Don Q, but it seems to be superior to Bacardi (pun intended), and it's a great bargain. I'll have to give Appleton White another analysis. Perhaps I've just pigeonholed it since traditionally Jamaica isn't known for its white rums. But honestly, there are just shades of difference between my 2.6 and 2.8 ratings. They're a world away from Lemon Hart 151, which gets my top rating at 4.4.

[ Edited by: Hurricane Hayward 2014-09-07 11:53 ]

On 2014-09-07 00:27, Hurricane Hayward wrote:
But it should be readily available via special order.

[ Edited by: Hurricane Hayward 2014-09-07 00:28 ]

ya,i was thinkin about doin that.but i dont know,im wondering if maybe they just dont distribute it to my area in general

On 2014-09-07 00:27, Hurricane Hayward wrote:
But it should be readily available via special order.

Heads up - I found Wray & Nephew Overproof Rum in stock today at my local Sam's Club liquor store. Price was under $17 for a 750ml bottle.

HH is correct - there seems to be plenty in the supply chain, and special-ordering it should be fairly easy. Or go to one of the many online sellers/shippers.

On 2014-09-07 14:03, AceExplorer wrote:

On 2014-09-07 00:27, Hurricane Hayward wrote:
But it should be readily available via special order.

HH is correct - there seems to be plenty in the supply chain, and special-ordering it should be fairly easy. Or go to one of the many online sellers/shippers.

but there isnt any restrictions though,i mean certain states that they dont sell it at all because thats kinda what i thought about my state since everywhere ive went they dont seem to sell it i just figured that maybe it isnt availible at all in my state but maybe its just really hard to find

http://www.camparigroup.com/en/brands?legalRadio=1#legalage

the wierd thing is i can find appleton and appleton estate pretty much anywhere.Coruba is another one ive heard of that i cant find either,i dont know.maybe some things are less availible in stores and more availible if you ordered them?

I'm not any sort of expert on distribution, but it appears to me that Appleton has the US covered very well. This may be directly related to the name recognition and sales volume of the brand. J Wray, on the other hand, is an up-and-comer which hasn't achieved market penetration (from name recognition) in the same way that Appleton has. The great "playing field leveler" for me has been mail order. For example, there are some things which are illegal to sell in my state (anything over 151 proof, like Stroh 80) but which I am able to obtain by mail. I hope you have good luck finding, or mail-ordering, the things you need. It took me a while to build up my bar, and the search is fun. You never know what you'll find or when you'll find it. But become good with Google and I think you'll enjoy pretty good success.

I hope they serve Mai Tais in jail.

My assumption is that Myers's -- which is a Diageo brand -- has enough marketing muscle behind it to crowd Coruba out of the market. Campari now has Coruba in their stable, but doesn't seem to be doing anything with it. They likely face a hard battle trying to get shelf space vs. Myers's.

a store manager once explained to me that he sold a lot of Myers's because it was the only dark rum that distributed 375ml and other smaller size bottles, which were in high demand with cooking enthusiasts looking for dark rum for their puddings, cookies, etc that called for dark rum.

Not a bad theory!

On 2014-08-03 12:48, thePorpoise wrote:
I grabbed a bottle of regular Bacardi white-- very cool tin it comes in.

compared it w/the 1909 Heritage white--- blech, the basic stuff is swill!!

boosted my view of the 1909 Heritage to be sure, a good white rum (but still not one of my favorites). maybe i can side-by-side compare it w/the HC3 soon.

I am lucky enough to have both the Havana Club Blanco (white label) and Bacardi 1909 on hand to compare. I tried them straight and in a 9-3-1.5 (rum-lime-sugar syrup) daiquiri

• The Havana Club is quite a bit sweeter; the Bacardi 1909 very dry.

• Both have a nice complexity in the middle, finish and aftertaste

• The Bacardi 1909 is significantly yummier than the standard 40 proof Bacardi Superior. Like the HC, the 1909 yields hints of molasses and sugar cane flavor.

• The 1909 does not have the "rubbing alcohol" odor or taste of the 40 proof BS.

• In a daiquiri, the Bacardi 1909 SHINES. The flavor comes through crisp and clean, rummy and delicious. The Havana Club Daiquiri is a little sweet but still has a nice rum flavor. The flavor of the 40-Proof BS mostly disappears in a daiquiri (vodka-like).

I think the 1909 is fantastic; if you see a bottle and the price is right don't hesitate to grab it. The liter size comes in a felt lined wooden "coffin" and the 750 comes in a cardboard sleeve. Both have the vintage 1909 throwback label--just double check to make sure it's 44.5% since apparently they've snuck the swill in some throwback bottles. I actually prefer the 1909 daiquiri to the Havana Club Blanco, just my opinion since I prefer the slightly dryer taste.

FYI--I found one last liter gift box of the 1909 at a Twin Cities liquor store for only $17.99 after a friend tipped me off (I later tracked down a 750 that was $19.99). It's worth calling around--if you find some it will be cheap

Mahalo Quince_at_Dannys! This just solidifies Bacardi 1909 at the top of my wish list.

Can anyone confirm that the Bacardi 1909 and the Bacardi Heritage -- both made in Mexico at 89 proof -- are the same thing?

It appears that they are, with the latter just lacking the fancier box.

On 2014-09-13 08:27, djmont wrote:
Can anyone confirm that the Bacardi 1909 and the Bacardi Heritage -- both made in Mexico at 89 proof -- are the same thing?

It appears that they are, with the latter just lacking the fancier box.

I was just listening to my recording of Beachbum Berry's symposium at The Hukilau in June. During a Q&A session at the end, he confirmed that Bacardi 1909 and Heritage are indeed the same product.

FYI, he cited it as one of his favorite white rums, along with these:

• Cana Brava - Great in daiquiris, similar style to Carta Blanca, the 86-proof rum that was used in the original daiquiris in Cuba.
• Doorly's 3-year-old and The Real McCoy 3-year-old, both from R.L. Seale and the Four Square Distillery in Barbados.
• Havana Club's 3-year-old white rum, aka Añejo 3 (not to be confused with Añejo Blanco, which is aged for 18 months).
• Plantation 3 Stars, which I raved about earlier in this thread.

Agree with the endorsements for Plantation 3 Star and Cana Brava (which has a great bottle design). To my knowledge the Bacard 1909 and/or Heritage are either discontinued or extremely hard to find, at least in the Midwest. Any sources?

Hello All,

This is Nick the founder of Denizen Rum. While we have been receiving a great deal of recognition for our Denizen Merchant's Reserve 8 Year rum recently, the first product under the Denizen franchise I launched a few years earlier is a bold flavored aged white rum. It's a blend of aged and unaged column distilled and pot still rums from Angostura in Trinidad and 4 distilleries in Jamaica. (Clarendon, New Yarmouth, Worthy Park Estates, and Hampden Estates) I am very proud of the quality of this rum and I encourage you all to compare it against any of your favorite bold flavored white rums in a Classic Daiquiri, Hemingway Daiquiri, or a Cuba Libre with Mexican Cola and bitters. You can even sip it neat on its own because the aging has added great body and smoothness to the finished product, without mellowing out the "hogo" the fresh pot still rum adds to the blend. Matt Pietrek aka Cocktail Wonk just posted a thorough review of the product on his blog. Here is the link.

http://www.cocktailwonk.com/2014/11/a-closer-look-at-denizen-aged-white-rum.html

I would love to hear your feedback if you can pick up a bottle at your local retailer or online. The retail prices ranges anywhere from $16.99 - $18.99 a 750ml.

If you have any questions about the product or if you have a hard time finding it feel free to send me an email at [email protected]

Thanks,
Nick

Nick, I just finished a bottle of your Jamaican-Agricole mix, and I really enjoyed it. I'm going to keep an eye out for your white. Thanks for the good products.

when will we see these products in Florida?

Thanks for kind words DJ Hawaiian Shirt. We just launched Denizen in the DC area. I believe Paul's Wine and Liquors, Sherry's Wine and Spirits, and Lion's Fine Wine and Spirits carry the Aged White.

thePorpoise - I hope Denizen will be available in Florida by the start of Spring 2015.

Nick, will we see you at the Miami Rum Festival in April?

Aloha Nick, any chance your rums are carried at Frugal MacDoogal in Fort Mill, SC? Looks like I have to cross the border to get away from these silly NC liguor laws and their ABC stores.

Hi Hurricane Hayward. If Denizen's FL distribution is setup by April, then we will definitely be at Rum Renaissance. I exhibited Denizen there 3 years ago and had so much fun.

Hi JenTiki. As of now, we don't have any distribution in SC but I partnered with a national distributor that has operations in SC so there is a chance we could be available in a few months. I will keep you posted. In the meantime, if interstate shipping is allowed in NC, you could order Denizen online at places like DrinkupNY and Hi-Times in CA. Here are the links.

http://www.drinkupny.com/SearchResults.asp?Search=denizen+merchant%27s+reserve&Submit.x=9&Submit.y=8

http://www.hitimewine.net/DENIZEN-MERCHANTS-RSV-8YR-750.html

Thanks Nick! I actually did get a bottle of the Merchant's Reserve from Drinkupny.com just last week. I was just hoping to avoid the shipping costs since the SC stores near the stateline are just 20 minutes from home. I'll check in with you once in a while. Thanks!

Oops. Double post.

[ Edited by: jentiki 2014-12-08 08:51 ]

Tried some Ballast point. Very good,imho. Complex for a white.
Let’s get this tread back on track!
Cheers