What's your latest rum purchase?

Found 1/2 price Pyrat :)

Found both of these on sale for $45, couldn't resist. Only tired the PM so far. These rums are not for mixing :)

coco nut rum?
nooooooooo

:)

On 2014-12-14 10:53, bigtikidude wrote:
coco nut rum?
nooooooooo

makes sense to me, gotta have something/anything to cut the sweetness of the Pyrat...

I thought I was the only one who doesn't like Pyrat! (I will take coconut, if it's Koloa.)

Restocked the Plantation 5 year and Diplomatico Reserva Exclusiva last night and picked up some El Dorado 5 year.

Gift from Treg, thanx Bruddah

Gift from my cuz

I found that, oddly enough, Walmart carries Cruzan white for a whopping $7.99! Holy crap, I know where I'm getting my Cruzan from now on.

Some new mixers and rums I acquired this past holiday season.

Miraculously, the only thing I paid for was the Creole Shrubb which I will be putting to use very soon in a Mai Tai with the Clemont VSOP and some Appleton 12. The rest came from friends and family who were very generous this year.

The ED15 couldn't have come at a better time as my 12 year is nearing its end and LH 151 is my only other Demerara. And the V/X will come in handy as I use far too much Appleton 12 in recipes that would suffice with the downgrade. It's looking like the Velvet Falernum may be my new "go to" over Fee Bros. Anyone ever use this Peychaud bitters? Is it a suitable replacement to Angostura? I imagine the Stroh and Mocambo will have a much longer shelf life than everything else here, but atleast the gesture was nice.

On 2015-01-09 14:38, mikehooker wrote:
Some new mixers and rums I acquired this past holiday season:

Good haul!

I have some Mocambo 20 - it's a dry & savory sipper. Definitely different, you may not sip it too often.

Peychauds are great bitters - they aren't really a substitute for Angostura but have their own (usually non tiki) uses. I use them in Old Fashioneds & Sazeracs.

I recently came back from Florida with a big haul:

In the UK you can't get Kohala Bay / Coruba / Cruzan Blackstrap / Fee Bros Falernum / J.English Fassionola / Woodford Cherry Bitters / Small Hands Orgeat so I'm glad to have picked some up.

The Cruzan Gold & Tiki bitters are just much cheaper in the US! I spotted the Licor 43 minis on the last day & picked them up to try them out.

Everything else is also from FL, I'm including them because a group shot is cool :wink:

Thanks to DJMont & Hurricane Hayward for hooking me up with most of that :)

On 2015-01-09 15:15, AdOrAdam wrote:

I have some Mocambo 20 - it's a dry & savory sipper. Definitely different, you may not sip it too often.

Yeah, tastes like trees to me. Not in an offensive way, but not something I wanna drink on the regular. I don't typically have things neat but I'd much prefer Ron Zacapa 23, El Dorado 15, or Appleton 12 from the choices I have at home over the Mocambo. Whenever I have people over I'll give em samples of that stuff to try and work my way through the bottle. Not sure what I'd use it in if I tried to utilize it in a mixed drink, maybe something that called for an agricole?

Glad you were able to go home with some Kohala Bay. I picked up two jugs when I was in FL six or so months back. Those 1.5 Liters go a long way. I assume you had to ship everything home?

I actually used some of my Mocambo 20 in a Mai Tai once (it was worth trying) but I think of it more as a sipper to pull out very occasionally (I got my bottle about 2 years ago).

On 2015-01-09 16:21, mikehooker wrote:
I assume you had to ship everything home?

Nope :)

I took a hand luggage sized suitcase inside my regular hold luggage size suitcase on the way out.

I also took some bubble wrap & a couple of these:

I got them when ordering stuff online from the Whisky Exchange - I try to take them whenever I go abroad. They fit a bottle (or oversized tiki mug) in each side.

I knew about half of what I would be bringing back before I went (I had to order them). I boxed everything non alcoholic up excessively thickly for my hold luggage (which is a hard case) & filled my hand luggage with clothes.

Family stowed a few of the smaller items & helped with the liqour allowances so I stayed legal - if Id been able to being more back I would have! :)

On 2015-01-09 14:38, mikehooker wrote:
Anyone ever use this Peychaud bitters? Is it a suitable replacement to Angostura?

like Ad said, its nothing like Angostura; its a new orleans cocktail component, most famously called for in a Sazerac. I also use Peychaud's in the Cocktail a la Louisane, w/Angostura in the Vieux Carre; and w/Angostura in my Planter's Punch.

Thanks for the bitters info guys, that probably explains why the Christmas Islands I made for the in-laws at Christmas weren't quite the way I remembered from making 'em at home with Ango. I gave them the ingredient list and Peychaud was what they picked up so I went with it. I guess I'll have to develop a taste for sazerac. Only tried it once at Luke in NOLA and was fairly indifferent to it.

I hit the white rum jackpot at a hole-in-the-wall store, snagging three bottles that I've had on my hit list for a long time ...

…just kidding :D

But I will bring this home tomorrow and greatly enjoy it:

Five bottles of LH151 from Germany (I'm now hoarding ten bottles total!)
2 bottles HC 3
2 bottles HC anejo especial
2 bottles HC 7
2 bottles HC anejo reserva (I think..)
1 bottle HC sellecion de maesstros (..)
4 bottles Goslings 151
4 bottles Coruba dark

If I can find it, I'll buy a case of Hamilton 151.

Two packages came today.. Whooo

Ahhh, so the Hamilton is a taller rum than the Lemon Hart... interesting.

Finally got these at Keg & Bottle on El Cajon & College in San Diego.
They have a case of each.

They still have the Demerara labels. This is a rare misprint double label. I am accepting offers :wink:

I really am liking the 86! I think after first comparison that I like it better than LH 80. It has a bit more of a burn, but it has a much more complex flavor profile.

I will update more later. On our way to Disneyland. Join my wife and I for a drink tonight at Sams!

Your St James is not safe southern California! I'm buying these all up every time I see them.

Hey Treg, Stay away from Hi-Times.
I’m warning you!
Cheers,
David

picked up my first bottle of Depaz blue cane rhum agricole. neat, its a bit smooth for my liking. will try out in a ti' punch

Out of town, hit all the liquor stores I could find. Not much new.. Smith & Cross, Cockspur, and.... Lemon Hart 151 (for $24.99!), only time I've seen it out on a shelf. My hoard is now 11 strong.

This weekend's score.

Has anyone heard of Revelation Rum?

http://smoothambler.com/spirits/revelation-2/?ar=set

I've seen it at a couple of stores in my state, priced around $70-$80, with a "limit one per custome" sign. I've never heard of it and only minimal into on the net about it.

On 2015-02-22 22:04, wupput wrote:

Nice onions... I think?! :wink:

Hope you like the El Dorado 8 & 12!

Nice onions... I think?! :wink:

Hope you like the El Dorado 8 & 12!

Thanks AdOrAdam. I have been experimenting with onion tiki drinks quite extensively. It started out with simple Onion Daiquiris and Punches and moved on to some special drinks I've made myself, like the Flaming Onion Death Star:

Cut the top third off a red onion, scoop out the onion inside and set aside. Fill the now hollow onion shell with:
2 oz Overproof Demerara
1/2 oz cinnamon syrup
1/2 oz Falernum
1 tsp fresh gunpowder

ignite, sip, and throw.

OK, that's a pack of lies. :)

Those are fresh passion fruit, $5 a pound, from a local farmer's market. Last night they were transformed into about 2 cups of delicious passion fruit syrup. While it may not be quite as good as Aunty Lilikoi it's getting there...

My rum purchases, picked up a bottle of Coruba Coconut and Coruba Spiced because they are on close-out a Hi Time - $4.99 each. I doubt I'll use them much but I do see the occasional cocktail calling for spiced or coconut rum.

I loved the El Dorado 12 but the big surprise to me was the El Dorado 8 which I really enjoyed even as a sipper.

My disappointment so far was the Cruzan white. I thought it could become my standard mixing white but after making some Rum Kegs with it last night I'm not sure. I had been using El Dorado 3 year white before and the flavor difference switching to the Cruzan was noticeably bad, for me, though my wife didn't seem to care. At half the price, I guess you get what you pay for.

@wuppet:

Yeah, I had a bottle of Cruzan White once upon a time - I rate it almost on par with the Bat (!), not to my taste...

El Dorado 8 is my demerara rum of choice in most situations (not requiring overproof) - I got a bottle out of curiosity & it blows the 5 year away. It's one of my 'go to' rums I restock when multiples of when I see it cheap.

Flaming Onion Deathstar, I gotcha :wink:

Hi Time is selling the 8 year for the same price as the 5 year which makes me wonder why I picked up the 5 last time? And that's only a dollar more than the white. So the 8 year is a great deal. Looks like you're in the UK though so that might not help.
http://www.wine-searcher.com/wine-101816-0000-el-dorado-8-year-old-fine-cask-aged-rum-guyana

...Flaming Onion Death Star:

ignite, sip, and throw.

LOL, might I suggest revising that to: Sip, ignite, and throw :wink:

Jus bought a bottle of Hamilton 151.Hi Times has it @ 29 bucks. Has a nice nose considering the proof.
Cheers

[ Edited by: nui 'umi 'umi 2015-03-15 20:48 ]

I'll let you know how it is.

UPDATE:

Aroma: Smells noticeably like the molasses it was made from, plus a little bit like coconut and a tiny hint of that sort of papery aroma you get with white dog whiskies

Taste: More dry than sweet, little bit of drawn butter and fruit. It tastes just a bit woody on the finish, not in a barrel aged way, more in a way that brings to mind the way a carpenter's shop smells. Rather mild overall, kind of wish it had been bottled at a higher proof to concentrate those flavors more.

[ Edited by: PalmtreePat 2015-03-26 15:25 ]

So many questions about the best uses for the Smith & Cross, but that's probably another topic. This is from my local Total Wine.

Hey Wuppet,
Nice group! That Doorly’s is my go to rum for everyday use. Love them Bajan Rums.
Cheers

Nui - do you use the Doorly's as a gold in recipes that call for Puerto Rican style or Virgin Island golds?

I like to use Smith & Cross in Mai Tais and Rum Old Fashioneds: for Mai Tais, 1 oz S&C coupled w/ 1 oz Martinique rum, and for OFs 1 oz S&c w/ 1 oz Bacardi 8. :drink:

On 2015-03-26 12:39, wupput wrote:
Nui - do you use the Doorly's as a gold in recipes that call for Puerto Rican style or Virgin Island golds?

I use it in almost all drinks that call for an amber/gold rum. It’s my “utility” rum - When friends visit and want a tropical drink cuz my SharkBite Bar put’s em in the mood I use Doorly’s for making cocktails in larger quantities. A few umbrellas, colorful straws and a cherry served in a tiki mug and soon they’re talking Portagee. I do really like it however-Lotsa flavor at a very reasonable price.
Cheers

OK, it's going to have to be Trader Vic style Mai Tais tonight. The Smith & Cross pair well with the 3 star Rhum Barbancourt or should I be using El Dorado or something else in there?

On 2015-03-26 15:05, wupput wrote:
OK, it's going to have to be Trader Vic style Mai Tais tonight. The Smith & Cross pair well with the 3 star Rhum Barbancourt or should I be using El Dorado or something else in there?

On your second or third-try the Doorly’s instead of a Martinique.
Have fun!

Well, I'm drinking probably the first authentic Mai Tai of my life with Smith & Cross, Barbancourt, Cointreau, (and unfortunately Toroni orgeat, which may be negatively affecting the balance of my drink). That aside, it's fascinatingly different than any other Mai Tai I've ever had, including the ones I've made myself. It's almost like a tequila-based drink, I guess that's the Barbancourt? I'm going to try round 2 with Smith & Cross and something else, maybe Doorly's, though I kind of miss the darker rum or demerara flavors I associate with this drink (probably from making the Surf Room or Royal Hawaiian versions).

A good buddy brought me back a bottle of Koloa spiced from his honeymoon in Hawaii. Said it's the best rum he had out there. I see there's a 5 min of rum episode dedicated to it which I'll listen to tomorrow. Anyone else have any recipe suggestions? I hardly ever use spiced rum and this makes a fifth bottle in my collection.

Its my birthday in two weeks so i ordered myself something fun.

have only tried the Polynesian-inspired so far.. wow its almost like drinking whisky..

On 2015-04-07 22:14, mikehooker wrote:
...a bottle of Koloa spiced...
...Anyone else have any recipe suggestions?...

I haven't been able to bring myself to buy their spiced yet, the Koloa line is available at my local Total Wine here in Florida. I don't often have spiced rums, but when I do, I try to make very simple rum-forward drinks to showcase the spices. You may try a Derby Daiquiri and see how that goes, and don't be afraid to boost the rum ratio a bit (1/2 oz or so to start) to bring it further forward in the drink.

One note on my experience buying Koloa -- it's MUCH cheaper for me to buy Koloa from Hi Times in Costa Mesa CA and have it shipped to Florida than it is to buy it locally from Total Whine. Total Whine charges $42/bottle and Hi Times is more like $29-$32 a bottle right now. Coincidentally I checked on Koloa yesterday and found that I can get six bottles shipped from Hi Times in California to Florida for $31 in shipping costs.

That Koloa spiced rum looks nice, wish I could try it.

Recently I was on a work trip to Mauritius, an island that takes it's rum and vanilla rum seriously, so the latest rums come from there.

Ti Rhum Vanille
I meant to drink it with Coke but it was so good I just let it keep me company while I worked. This is now one of my favorite rums and I regret I couldn't find a bottle to take home at the airport.

I brought back Gold of Mauritius, which is smoky like a Scotch but still a dark rum and St. Aubin 1819 vanilla rum, which is inferior to the Ti Rhum Vanille.

I hit up Hi Times Wine after the Int'l Tiki Marketplace and acquired:

Coruba Dark
Hamilton Demerara
Hamilton Demerara Overproof

I'm excited to throw the Hamilton into a Jet Pilot and a 151 Swizzle, though I don't feel the need to rush into things. I've been fortunate to try the overproof at Tonga Hut and it knocked me out. It feels good to know there's an alternate to Lemon Hart.