/ck/ - Food & Cooking

[Anonymous No.4175441]

I don't know much about rum.
Is this the place to ask?
What are some top shelf rums I should know about?

[Anonymous No.4175473]

>top shelf
>rum

Pick one

[Anonymous No.4175478]

Can we get something out of the way first? Sailor Jerry is not rum. It is in the same class as coconut rum, passion fruit rum, etc. Those are rum based drinks with added flavoring and will make rum drinkers sperg out and throw a hissy fit much as coffee drinkers would lose their shit if you offered them a cup of instant powdered pumpkin spice cappucino mix.

As for rum, consider the intended application. Light or white rum is usually used for mixing because it is less expensive and has a less distinct flavor. Dark rum is usually drunk neat, because the aging imparts a more complex, smoother flavor. There are light rums that I'd happily drink neat, and there are cocktails that require dark rums, so that's just a generalization.

Caribbean island rums have the lightest flavor and Puerto Rican rum in particular represents what most people think of as the classic rum taste. Mainland rums from Central and South America are more complex, and usually more expensive. Rums from French colonies have their own distinct style and also tend to be more expensive. Of course, expensive by rum standards is still pretty cheap. Cachaca is a rum-like liquor from Brazil that is usually overlooked in rum discussions, but the flavor is so much like French style rum that it's worth considering (although the most common brand, 51, is not very good).

tl;dr fuck spiced rum, fuck bacardi, most stores will have zacapa 23 and ten cane, which are excellent examples of dark and light rums, respectively.

[Anonymous No.4175480]

there's a rum that comes from rhode island (not trolling) that's pretty top notch. i forget what its called, though. try googling it, i doubt there are many distilleries in fucking rhode island.

[Anonymous No.4175489]

Depends on what kind of rum you prefer.

For bold / complex style (e.g. Jamaica), the good vintages from Appleton, the 12 & 21yo, or the older Demerara / El Dorado.

For something sweeter, most of the stuff from Central or South America like Flor De Caña, the 12 and the 18yo.

And if you really like complexity and character, check out rhum agricole from Martinique. "J.M." make some of the best rum in the world if you're lucky enough to find some, otherwise check out "La Favorite".

[ravens No.4175491]

i never really got people being rum connoisseurs. i can get like whiskeys/bourbons/scotches or tequlias though. this is coming from a guy that would only pick up a handle of conch republic from time to time to get smashed on but each to thous own

[Anonymous No.4175498]

>>4175473

no u

[Anonymous No.4175502]

>>4175489

JM is great. Depez is good too if you like that kind of thing. Barbancourt isn't too shabby either, I don't know why all the fancy bars ignore it.

[Anonymous No.4175505]

>>4175491
There are many distilleries that produce bourbon, sotch and other whiskies with great care, and have been doing so on a broad scale for hundreds of year. The booming micro-distillery movement also generally contributes to the variety and quality.

For rum, there are far less distilleries who care or can afford to get such a product out. Rum carries a stigma and is generally thought of as a "low-end" spirit, more intended for mixing than for tasting or sipping. The trend is changing, but it's still somewhat burgeoning. Thankfully, there are now some rums with depth & quality to match single malt whisky, but they are sadly limited to premium import markets. The prices in North America are beyond ridiculous.

If you do get the opportunity though, there are some amazing spirits in that category. Until this reaches the market premium whisky enjoys, to most people....rum will remain "Bacardi".

[ravens No.4175514]

>>4175505
ah, the more you know.

But one thing I do have to say is I know some tequila imports can get ouuuuutrageously pricey, but there still is somewhat a tequila culture. Are rum imports so expensive, even more so then tequila, due to shipping? I assume the best rum comes from Jamaica etc.

[Anonymous No.4175525]

>>4175514

There was a tequila boom in the 90s driven first by Japanese hipsters but followed up in force by the general drinking population of the US (I presume before you were of drinking age), before this tequila had a similar stigma (although it retains some of the stigma simply by being from Mexico).

Then there was a tequila glut, followed by a tequila crash, which is why you can get quite decent tequilas for cheap.

This hasn't really happened with rum, although a lot of that may have to do with the fact that sugarcane can be used for a lot of other stuff, whereas agave is not very versatile (ignoring niche hippie goods like agave syrup which were pretty much invented in response to the tequila glut).

[Anonymous No.4175528]

>>4175514
Shipping doesn't help, but it's mostly (I think) due to scarcity. Those amazing releases are few and far between, and they tend to prioritize exports to Europe as they at least have solid established markets there.

[ravens No.4175532]

>>4175525
ah interesting, thanks for teaching me something

[Anonymous No.4175588]

>>4175525

Tequila never really gained any popularity outside of college kids that wanted to get wasted on "hallucinogenic" spirits. It's the same reason Absinthe had a similar, though muted, peak in popularity.

I, for one, rather enjoy the taste of dark rum, and I welcome our up and coming rum distilleries, in the hopes that they will produce something genuinely fantastic.

[Anonymous No.4175595]

>>4175588
>college kids that wanted to get wasted on "hallucinogenic" spirits

wat

[Anonymous No.4175961]

>>4175478
>HURR DURR I'm a pretentious hipster fuck.

Sailor Jerry is a great rum. 90 proof that drinks like a 40 proof.

[Anonymous No.4175981]

>>4175961
It's a dirt cheap mixer drink. That may well be your thing, but it certainly can't be described as great.

[Anonymous No.4175985]

Mount Gay.

/thread

[Anonymous No.4176292]

>>4175985

Going to have to agree with the Mount Gay.

Another oddity that i ran across on accident was called "Diplomatico". I was lazy and just grabbed a bottle of "whatever" rum for my eggnog one year. This stuff was on the endcap at Whole Foods for only $10...

Read that again. I found a $10 bottle of booze at Whole Foods...

Anyways... So one night I was just in the mood for something trashy/easy/cheap to slug down while I fucked around online with some buddies.

WTSHITFUCKME?!?! This stuff's good straight, like... really good, embarrassingly so.

It's still at whole foods, the price went up a lot on it... It's $11 bucks now =[

[Anonymous No.4176295]

>>4176292

Go to more liquor stores, less Whole Foods. Diplomatico is a major brand of rum.

[Anonymous No.4176394]

Any Havana isn't half bad.

[Anonymous No.4176412]

Appleton, Ron Matusalem, Ron Zacapa, Angostura, El Dorado etc.

Usually anything aged for 12 years or more is great, rum is hard to fuck up.

[Anonymous No.4176539]

Pic related, Stroh.
best godamn dark rum I ever tasted, sadly very limited availability outside Austria/europe (due to its proof I'd imagine).

[Anonymous No.4176551]

drink straight

[Anonymous No.4176601]

>>4176539
Oh god I want some right now

[Anonymous No.4176608]

>>4176539
I've never had trouble finding it in texas. the average neighborhood liquor store might not carry it but the larger ones always have it.

[Anonymous No.4176609]

I bought a bottle of 3 year El Dorado for 13 dollars. I am just starting out with rum as well. Not too sure if it will be any good, but the price was right and I figure I should be staying away from Bacardi and Malibu for the time being anyway.

Is the sweet spot 12+ years? I kind of hope it would be nearer towards 7 years. For casual drinking though, I think you can go for younger unless it's for a special occasion.

[Anonymous No.4176626]

Zaya, my all time favorite rum

[Anonymous No.4176637]

I really like Pampero Aniversario. It's a very nice, smooth rum that's not too expensive.

>>4176539

Austrian here: Stroh rum isn't technically rum. It's Inlaender Rum ("domestic rum") which is a rum substitute that has been spiced to taste somewhat like brown rum. We mostly use it for baking. I've yet to see anyone over the age of 16 drink that stuff over here.

[Anonymous No.4176657]

dat dark and stormy with myers dark rum

[Anonymous No.4176664]

>>4176609
Yeah 12+ years is best. El Dorado's 15 and 21 year rums are a big step up from the 12 in my opinion, and the 12 is a big step up from their younger stuff. They also make a 25-year one that's stupendously delicious but also retardedly expensive (like $400+ a bottle even in the Carribean). Had a glass of it down there once though, it was beyond any doubt the best rum I've ever tried.

Also posting a chart of some good rums.

[Anonymous No.4176668]

>>4176664
Also pic related, it's the 25 year El Dorado rum.

[Anonymous No.4176669]

>>4175489
JM is amazing. I prefer Clement for agricole though. Clement XO is fucking amazing.

[Anonymous No.4176679]

>>4175491
Rum can have just as much depth and complexity as whiskey or brandy, but the issue is that it's got this huge stigma associated with it because it's considered a shit-tier mixer drink, because people try something like Captain Morgan or Bacardi and then think all rum is like that. That's like drinking a shot of Jim Beam or Johnnie Walker Red and then saying every whiskey must be substandard.

[Anonymous No.4176693]

http://bundabergrumshowcase.com.au/101info.html

[Anonymous No.4176695]

>tfw ameribros will never get to enjoy it

[Anonymous No.4176699]

>>4175441

picture related, best rum you won't get.

[Anonymous No.4176700]

>>4175478
>hurr durr i hate spiced rum because i have no idea what i'm talking about
>certainly spiced rum does not originate in a time when spices were more valuable than gold
>oh dear someone help me hold all this pretentiousness, i'm starting to spill over

[Anonymous No.4176730]

>>4176699

fucking trade embargo, tried the 7 year old in germany last year.

>dat smooth taste with vanilla, oak and a slight molasses sweetness
>dat subtle tobacco smokey finish with a bit of wood spice

9/10 would drink again

[Anonymous No.4176755]

If you can find Santa Teresa 1796, it's the best quality:price ratio rum in the world. Amazingly good, I always have a bottle.

[Anonymous No.4176778]

i love botucal

[Anonymous No.4176873]

>>4176778
That bottle.. that label... wow it's so gorgeous.

[Anonymous No.4176919]

>>4176778
Is that the same stuff as Diplomatico? Because Diplomatico Reserva Exclusiva literally looks exactly like that.

[Anonymous No.4176989]

>>4176919
i just looked it up, it's the same but they had to change the name to botucal since aldi has the patent for the name 'diplomat' and that caused problems for them. they decided to change the name so they can keep on selling it in germany and since i'm from germany i don't know if it is still sold as diplomatico in other countries.

[Anonymous No.4177427]

>>4176989
Ah, that makes sense. In that case I can agree with you that it's awesome rum, especially that version (the reserva exclusiva). For what you're paying it's extremely good.

[Anonymous No.4177521]

>>4176637
>>4176637

MUH NIGGA

[Anonymous No.4177650]

>>4175595

The worm thing.

[Anonymous No.4178319]

>>4177650

Ok, I just googled it, and I see that it a thing that some people believe. I went to college during the peak of the fancy tequila craze in the 90s and I don't think I ever heard this one.

BTW, the worm is mezcal, not tequila.

[Anonymous No.4178376]

>>4176637
Eh, my friends and I use to get it when we were in high school. Now that we've all graduated and are finishing college/uni, we're having fond memories of Stroh. We like to mix it with Dr. Pepper or Coke.

[Anonymous No.4178417]

so glad I'm seeing some diplomatico in here. get the reserve.

though I don't seem to find it on the shelves here (seattle)

[Anonymous No.4178745]

>>4178319
it's a caterpillar, not a worm. racist.

[Anonymous No.4178764]

appleton VX

[Anonymous No.4178883]

cruzan is pretty fantastic for rum.

[Anonymous No.4178887]

>>4176637
Austrian Rum??? wot???
Nobody of any age here would consider drinking anything labelled Rum from Austria. Hell man, I can't think of anything from Austria that I'd drink let alone rum.

[Anonymous No.4179062]

>>4178887

Your average person on the street isn't much of a judge of anything. If you like wine, Juris wines from Austria are excellent. But yeah, I wouldn't touch Stroh unless I was paid generously.

>>4178745

Mexicans say "gusano" which translates as "worm".