Cruzan 151

I have fairly limited choice in terms of overproof and real 151s where I live. There is no Lemon Hart - but I'm not complaining, we can get OFTD, Goslings 151, Wray.

I've just seen that an internet store has Cruzan 151. Is it worth getting? I'm interested because all the overproof I've had have been either pretty dark, or unaged like the Wray (and the superb Velier Jamaican unaged 151, but that one is a bit of a special case). The Cruzan seems to be a "golden" 151.

But is it worth paying around £7 (I'd guess $14) more for, compared to a bottle of OFTD - just to see? I have no issues with the OFTD so I only want the Cruzan if it genuinely brings something new to the table. Cheers! L

Where are you located?

You’re right; Cruzan 151 is a gold or amber ovenproof, so it’s different from OFTD, or Wray and Nephew (but not sure about Goslings as I haven’t found it in the wild yet). Since Bacardi doesn’t distribute their 151 in the US anymore, and since I follow Beachbum Berry’s advice and substitute Virgin Islands rum for Puerto Rican rum, Cruzan is my default amber 151. If you can still get Bacardi 151 in the UK, then you might not worry about going to any extra effort to get Cruzan. Otherwise, go for it.

Actually, if Siri is converting the currency correctly, £7 is about $9.40, which is a lot cheaper than I paid for my bottle, so depending on shipping prices, I’d probably order some if I were you.

Cruzan 151 isn't bad if you need a basic 151 rum. My default 151 (meaning not a nice rich demerara overproof) currently is Plantation 151, but otherwise I'd go Cruzan. Again, that's for a general use/basic need overproof.

On 2017-09-29 19:50, mmaurice wrote:
Where are you located?

"I'm a recent tiki drinks fan from Bristol in the UK"

Thanks all. I should have been clearer on the price point: OFTD costs £39, and the Cruzan I've seen is £46 - it's £7 MORE than OFTD, not £7 all in (that would be awesome!). Given that, would you say it's worth getting the Cruzan to broaden what I have available anyway or would you stick to OFTD? Smith & Cross (although well under a full 151) is also available for about the same as the OFTD.

It's not usually possible to get Bacardi 151 here, but I did have a Zombie in a bar that used it, and I thought it was pretty rough - I wouldn't buy it myself unless it was a real bargain price. For the money I'd prefer Stroh :wink:

On 2017-09-30 02:57, tikiskip wrote:

On 2017-09-29 19:50, mmaurice wrote:
Where are you located?

"I'm a recent tiki drinks fan from Bristol in the UK"

:D Yes, that's right! I'd just clarify it's more true 151 / near 151 rums we are very limited for, it's not so bad in the 50-60ish ABV bracket. I've been putting OFTD in almost everything recently- it's so good - but it naturally tends to give everything a similar flavour!

Yes get it for all the reasons Hamo stated. If you're following Jeffs book some recipes will call for it and what you currently have, although superior, will change the drink.

Ooh - actually I've just managed to find some Plantation Original Dark 151 for less than the Cruzan. Great!

On 2017-09-30 08:21, Early Landed Larry wrote:
Ooh - actually I've just managed to find some Plantation Original Dark 151 for less than the Cruzan. Great!

If I'm not mistaken, OFTD has taken the place of Plantation's 151 so whatever bottles are still floating around are all that's ever going to be available. And OFTD isn't just a lower proof version of the 151 but a completely different formulation. So try not getting too attached to the 151 because eventually you won't be able to replicate that flavor. This reminds me of the great LH151 horde of a few years ago when red label went off the market and I tracked down every bottle within a 200 mile radius.

As for vintage recipes calling for a 151, I believe the majority of them are referring to one more in line with Lemon Hart or Hamilton so if you can't get those, I'm not sure that Cruzan's 151 will be any better as a substitute than OFTD or any of the other overproof/non-151 options that are available to you for a better price.

we used to use that to steep pineapple in and make a pineapple rum before we could get the plantation in OK - it makes a very good pineapple rum

On 2017-09-30 16:36, stevekh wrote:
we used to use that to steep pineapple in and make a pineapple rum before we could get the plantation in OK - it makes a very good pineapple rum

That's an interesting idea. I'll see how I feel about it and maybe we can turn half of it into pineapple rum, which I've never made.

On 2017-09-30 15:44, mikehooker wrote:

On 2017-09-30 08:21, Early Landed Larry wrote:
Ooh - actually I've just managed to find some Plantation Original Dark 151 for less than the Cruzan. Great!

If I'm not mistaken, OFTD has taken the place of Plantation's 151 so whatever bottles are still floating around are all that's ever going to be available. And OFTD isn't just a lower proof version of the 151 but a completely different formulation. So try not getting too attached to the 151 because eventually you won't be able to replicate that flavor. This reminds me of the great LH151 horde of a few years ago when red label went off the market and I tracked down every bottle within a 200 mile radius.

As for vintage recipes calling for a 151, I believe the majority of them are referring to one more in line with Lemon Hart or Hamilton so if you can't get those, I'm not sure that Cruzan's 151 will be any better as a substitute than OFTD or any of the other overproof/non-151 options that are available to you for a better price.

I'll live with that if it's delicious! Thanks for that - I did wonder what the relation is to the OFTD. It'll be interesting anyway. The Goslings is one I haven't been impressed with, it just tastes exactly like normal Goslings with tasteless ethanol poured in to boost it. I prefer 151s that have a taste of their own.

IF you can't get a Demerara 151, but can get a regular proof Demerara rum, then something like Cruzan 151 is useful for what Beachbum Berry called "the switcheroo. For example, a recipe may call for a gold/amber rum and a Demerara 151 in equal measure; you can replace them with, say, Cruzan 151 and a regular proof Demerara. So, under these circumstances it may be worth considering.

On 2017-10-02 00:50, jokeiii wrote:
IF you can't get a Demerara 151, but can get a regular proof Demerara rum, then something like Cruzan 151 is useful for what Beachbum Berry called "the switcheroo. For example, a recipe may call for a gold/amber rum and a Demerara 151 in equal measure; you can replace them with, say, Cruzan 151 and a regular proof Demerara. So, under these circumstances it may be worth considering.

Ah ok.. yes, that makes sense. I really must get some of the Bum's books (I have his app; the SC book; and the Frankie's book).

For now, my Plantation 151 has arrived and I've just tasted it. It will come in handy but it's not quite as good as the OFTD - it is better than Goslings 151 though. I was just thinking that it would be great with some Myers's or EL8 added to kind of "pull" it one way or the other. It's pretty rare I mix a drink with only a 151 in it so I'm pleased with my purchase.

I couldn't bring myself to get the Cruzan just to have a gold 151, when nobody anywhere appears to rate it as a better rum (in general) than OFTD, and where I am based it is more expensive to get hold of!

While we're on the topic, it's a different style altogether but I also have an unaged 151 Jamaican rum from Habitation Velier, and it is amazing stuff. It was priced more like a premium sipper than a cocktail rum but I tried a tiny bit in the shop, and my goodness it is something else - astonishingly high-ester and deeply molassesey. I've been subbing a 1/4 oz in recipes that call for other overproofs - it slays in a Navy Grog, and really added to a Black Magic the other weekend. I'm hoping to use it more sparingly and make it last. Recommended.

If you check out The Grogalizer (covering not just the Beachbum's output, but also Smuggler's Cove and Hurricane Hayward's Mai Kai tributes) you will see what you need to make what recipes and then you can decide IF you need to do the "switcheroo" or not. If you can get Demerara 151 (or a Don Q or Bacardi 151) at a not-painful price point, then skip this step and proceed merrily to your end destination.

That's the only reason I have my Bacardi 151, because I could get a Demerara regular proof rum, but Hamilton/Lemon Hart were (at the time) utterly unobtainable. If I wanted to make the 1950 Don the Beachcomber Zombie (my favorite variant) then that was the only choice available to me.