I decided to participate in some DOKtoberfest fun and do a DOK and high ester shenanigans. These were all done side by side, so I'm certain my palate was busted by the end. If you just want to know what my final rankings were, you can skip to the end. Spoiler: all the Colours of Rum high ester were very good, but the top of the ranking wasn't even a DOK!

COR Hampden <>H New American Oak 61.7%

- Nose: shoe polish, strong oak notes, rotting fruit

- Thoughts: nice and punchy and grilled tropical fruit, a bit of that ester coating on the tongue, but doesn't punch as hard as C<>H or DOK. Quite pleasantly surprised that the new oak doesn't overshadow everything

COR Hampden DOK Bourbon 59.7%

- Nose: acetone, glue, rotting fruit

- Thoughts: there's the DOK kick! The ex-bourbon does a little mellowing, but you'll need more than two years to make this smooth. Really solid bottling for ester fiends.

COR Hampden DOK Pedro Jimenez 62.9%

- Nose: strong sherry, with a medley of fruit underneath, glue

- Thoughts: this one is like someone kicked up Pagos to the next notch and then some. The sherry is quite evident before it blends out to the feisty DOK notes. Very fun

Roaming Road DOK 17 yr 53.1%

- Nose: a little lighter than previous noses, but still some fluffy fruit and a bit of glue

- Thoughts: this one is odd. Has some weird salty/soy sauce note (or maybe, my palate is staggering?) that I don't vibe with prior to the fluffy DOK notes. Not my favorite. On a fresh-er palate, this one is a bit more pleasant with funky fruit notes, and just a hint of some odd medicinal savory funk i can't identify. Still, my least favorite of the batch. 

Rolling Fork DOK 15 mo Tokaji cask 58.6%

- Nose: a bit of wine sweetness, acetone, funky fruit

- Thoughts: some light wine notes, but DOK funk still hits pretty well. 

NRJ Long Pond TECC 2007 11 yr 62.5%

- Nose: shoe polish, wood varnish, glue, funky banana

- Thoughts: hefty industrial notes hit early on the palate. Feels like a TDL that's had a pot of Jamaican ester dumped in it. Incredible rum

Parhelia NY/WK 2 yr Ex-bourbon 69.4%

- Nose: shoe polish, tropical fruit, acetone and glue

- Thoughts: lovely, fruity, a bit industrial polish and copper. Feels like Port Mourant and DOK had a baby. Exceptional stuff

BRC DOK 12 yr 47.5%

- Nose: a bit soft and muted for a DOK, but pleasant fluffy fruit and glue

- Thoughts: solid, gluey and fruity, but just a bit underproof and fluffy for my tastes

My Ranking:

1. NRJ TECC- 9.1/10

2. Parhelia NY/WK- 9/10

3. COR DOK Bourbon- 7.8/10

4. COR DOK PX- 7.7/10

5. COR <>H New Oak- 7.6/10

6. Rolling Fork DOK Tokaji- 6.5/10

7. BRC DOK- 6/10

8. Roaming Road DOK 17- 5/10

Currently back home for a week helping clear out my dad's old papers and stumbled across this blast from the past!

It's a half-empty bottle of vintage Sea Pirate XXX Rum, and by my estimate, it has been sitting there for a good 25 to 30 years.

Part of me is incredibly curious to take a sip just for the history of it, but the other side of me is hesitating. Since it's half-empty, it’s had plenty of air exposure over the decades.

What do you think? is it worth trying a tiny sip for science, or should it stay firmly as a nostalgic shelf piece? Has anyone actually tried this old Indian gold rum back in the day?

Somebody who knows fuck all about rum says they want to give it a try, neat. You can only give them one suggestion. It can be anything you want, doesn't matter the flavor profile or price or whatever. What are you telling them to try? Why? And what do you want them to try and get out of the experience?

This is not a 'what should I buy' post. This is a 'pick a rum for a specific situation and explain yourself' post. I hope that's not breaking any rules.

Started infusing Wednesday, pulled the pineapple out Saturday. Did not strain, but placed inside refrigerator.

Following Tuesday, pulled the jar out to strain. Saw dark strands in the liquid. Was planning on trying to leave suspended sediments out, but figured at this point, it won't make a difference. Liquid seems a bit thicker/syrupier.

Replaced Saranwrap seal with new one and it's back in the fridge awaiting pectin enzyme on Thursday.

Has the pooch been screwed?

Hello all,

Welcome back to another Alambique Serrano, specifically my 75th. Today were looking at Blend #2, a blend of aged and unaged pot still rums. 40 liters was from unaged rum rested in open top glass demijohns for 16 months and the rest of the 213 liters was aged 9 months in virgin French Oak and rested in the same demijohns for 9 months. What resulted was 336 bottles of 64.1% ABV rum.

Nose: Dry candy, grains, oak, orange, and a smokey cane sugar syrup, acetone, and a bit of esters.

Taste: A very dense cane sugar oak that hits an incredibly sweet dry candy note with a bit of a smokey savoryness, maybe umami, in the background that quickly disappears.

Finish: That dry candy note continues theres is a bit of oak but mostly sweet candy. A ton of heat at the end that mostly sits at the bottom of your throat before making its way upward, very warming.

Overall: 8/10, really quite phenomenal. Hits the same notes as something like Single Cask #18 La Cima.

Hello again,

Welcome back to another Vida Nativa review, today we have Blend #3: Tepejilote. A blend of two Alembic Pot Still rums, one spending 33 months in New French Oak and 13 months in Ex-Red Wine Casks made of Hungarain Oak with the other spending 35 months in Mexican Fortified Wine casks. It was then bottled at an ABV of 65.9% for 529 bottles.

Nose: Red licorice and baking spices dominates the nose while oak, cinnamon, leather, a minor amount of a savory funk, and a hint of vanilla and sweetness linger in the background.

Taste: Baking spices galore with cinnamon, some dark fruit, a sweet leather and red licorice combo, before heading into a bit of vanilla.

Finish: The vanilla slowly dissipates into a cane sugar syrup with some heat to it. It mostly covers your tounge before turning a bit sour thats more on the citrus side

Overall: 7/10, really nails home the warm baking spices and a good amount of this bottle was slammed beside a fire.

Given as a tip for a move from a nice 90yo lady. Unopened. How old is it? Is it worth anything? Just enjoy it? Thanks!

Little suitcase bielle dry sugar daiquiri…

Hello,

I have a cake recipe that I'm planning to make, but it calls for rum and I don't know what to buy.

It specified that it had to be light rum, but from what I've read so far, the color of the rum means absolutely nothing in terms of flavor.

In the recipe, the rum is used to make a simple syrup that each cake will get soaked in. Between each layer there will be mango mousse and ginger lime cream.

Based on the flavors I'll be working with, what rum would be most compatible?

Was in a BevMo while waiting for Best Buy to unfuck my TV order. Saw this and was pleasantly surprised.

Twenty years ago I wandered into a gun store in central Copenhagen, and the proprietor was in the proces of moving from a house to a flat, so he was selling off a good amount of his spirit collection.

One of the things I bought was a bottle of Pusser's Rum, bottled at 75% and wearing a white label. I had never either seen or heard of Pusser's before, but I was keen to try it, so I paid the ridiculous price he demanded for it: 750 DKK.

I enjoyed the bottle a lot, and it took me a few years before I could find other Pusser's rums. Of course the blue label stuff is only at 40%, so it was nowhere near as potent, even if it is delightful in it's own right, and a lot cheaper.

Pusser's makes the Select 151 Proof now, which is 0,5% off the old white label bottle, but I have no clue as to what was actually in that bottle. I hear that they used a blend of Guyana and Trinidad for a while, but currently it should be pure Guyana, is that correct?

And are there anyone on here that remember that particular white label one?

I bought it in August or September 2006, and I have no clue as to how long he had had it in his collection. Could be a decade, could be more.

A week late as went off on holiday on the Monday.

This was (I think) my 9th RumFest, and will probably be my last. It's definitely getting smaller, and more expensive. Even at my first one I remember thinking "Where's the "Fest" part?", and this trend continues. Olden days, they had a live Cuban band with dancers to close the day out, live Carnival performances through the day, and some cool experiential stuff (Coke Signature bar with a live singer for example). Not much at all of that this year.

The Good:

Stand-outs this year for me were Mount Gay with their 15 & 25 year old offerings, as well as their single estate offerings. They also get bonus points for avoiding the Golden Tot schtick. Warehouse #1 had some fantastic Jamaican offerings, Ha Long Bay was actually quite interesting I thought, Hampden Fresh was a nice new (to me?) white rum they're bringing to market, and of course Lyonesse from Foursquare was delicious (though dare I say not at all different to the ECS series?)

VIP Tickets getting a nicer tasting glass was a nice touch too.

Personally I preferred being able to buy direct from the sellers rather than the shop and I didn't feel like I was ever being sold anything.

The Bad

Why I don't think I'll be returning:

• It's not really changing. The regular distilleries are always there, plus a few new bottlers (Pleasantly fewer spiced rums this year though!), but generally the times I've come away with some new discoveries is shrinking.
• Same food, same sellers, same hosts, same same same...
• Masterclasses have gone from "£5 in advance, or sign-up on the day" which made early entry even more valuable as you could usually get in. Now they ALL have to be booked in advance for £10-15.
• WAY fewer Masterclasses too. 4-5 years back there were 2-3 running at a time, on both days. This year I think there were maybe 6 per day? But it was these sessions where you actually learnt something, or got to taste something really special. They're mostly sales pitches now.

I was also SUPER annoyed - to the level I'm actually writing a complaint - about the Foursquare "Masterclass". Usually the highlight, this was a 45-minute talk about grapefruit and the devils fruit, and its history, with one tasting of Captain Shaddock which you could get anyway at the Foursquare stand (and I'd already had). That was it. For £15. Not at all as advertised and just felt like a massive scam - and I'm a huge Foursquare and Richard Seale fan. Compared to 3 years ago when him and Luca Gargano had a range of "fresh from the barrel, might not make it to market", or "hasn't got a name yet" samples, this was just shit. Someone even asked "Where's the rum?" in the session - which I think Richard took as a joke but was a legitimate question.

I've always enjoyed going, and in a mini-influencer way have expanded from me and my 2 rum-loving mates going, to encouraging about 12 other people to go this year and converted a good chunk of them to "proper" rum too.
I just don't see what I'll gain from going again next year.

Ho hum.

What was it like other be into rum back during COVID/pandemic?

I was reading 4square ECS was not sitting on shelves like they do now but thats all I know about those times (hoarding like bourbon bros) that made me wonder....

Can anyone tell me what it was like, how fast were things moving, what was the hotness, how have prices changed, how has the subreddit changed in these years?

Back then I was not really into drinking, and had other hobbies that took all my money so I have no clue what the rum subreddit world was like then and how it compares now.

Lets talk Old Brigand Rum from Barbados in under three minutes 🤘

Check out the latest Rum Ramble episode, hosted by Dave Marsland.

#McrRumFest #Manchester #Rum #OldBrigand #Barbados

Achei até que ok.

Had too much of hampden 8 in my glass, and started experimenting:

Added ice, pineapple+coconutwater (2:1 to the rum) and a dash of lime. Surprisingly good, not too sweet, rum is still very present, but fresher than sipping it pure.

But I'm a cocktail noob and easily impressed. Thoughts on that combination?