Christmas Present Help - Rum!
November 21, 2015 10:45 PM   Subscribe

My boyfriend is a big fan of rums, so I'd like to get him some for Christmas. A 'rum sampler' with different brands would be great, but if there are good recommendations I could build my own.

I don't really know enough about rum to describe what he likes/doesn't like, but his alcohol preferences are:
He's not a fan of "peaty" stuff
He likes red wines (oaky ones, especially South American ones)
He likes Appleton Estate and Ten Cane

One other thing - I have to be able to order these online and have them delivered to Seattle
posted by dotgirl to Home & Garden (16 answers total) 9 users marked this as a favorite
 
Best answer: There's a site called Flaviar that does liquor tasting samplers; they mostly do scotch but they have at least one rum pack. I don't know your budget, but this seems to fit what you're looking for pretty well.
posted by Itaxpica at 11:33 PM on November 21, 2015


I'm not a big rum guy, but someone who knows turned me onto El Dorado (and consequently other fancy rums). I'm not sure where that sits with what he might already know/like, but it's really really tasty stuff. The El Dorado 15 is pretty unanimous in the comments on this random webpage that seem fairly reasonable (and also mention your 10 Cane and Appleton). My local place has it for about ~$40 (and ships).
posted by rhizome at 11:50 PM on November 21, 2015


Best answer: You'll want some variety. Rum can be made with either molassas or cane juice, and eash island in the Caribbean has their own distilling tradition (pot still/column still, copper still/wood still). Rums can also be aged and blended in a variety of ways. There are a lot of options!

If I were you, I'd get a demerara (El Dorado is a favorite), an agricole (I like Rhum Barbencourt) and a pot still (Hamilton Jamaican pot still is delicious, but Smith & Cross might be easier to find). Also get one nice white — 5 Islands makes great handshaken daiquiris. That will get you started.

(Here is a thing I wrote about rums.)
posted by Brittanie at 2:13 AM on November 22, 2015 [7 favorites]


One more thing to note — a higher price isn't necessarily the mark of a good rum. The Hamilton pot still is about $20 a bottle. And while demeraras are my favorite style of rum, I can't find enough of a difference between the El Dorado 15 and 21 year to justify splurging for the more expensive bottle. Banks 5 Island is usually cheaper than Bacardi and far superior.
posted by Brittanie at 2:16 AM on November 22, 2015 [1 favorite]


If he likes Appleton, he'll love Mount Gay rum. I visited the factory in Barbados and had a ball! The rum is delicious and it's pretty easy to find.
posted by Ruthless Bunny at 4:22 AM on November 22, 2015 [1 favorite]


Im a huge fan of Diplomatico Reserva for a great sipping rum. Not sure about Seattle availability, i know my dad couldnt get it in North Carolina but the decidedly average corner liquor store by my old place in Brooklyn stocked it on the regular, so who knows.
posted by Exceptional_Hubris at 5:17 AM on November 22, 2015


Rum sampler advent calendar? They ship to the US.
posted by corvine at 5:56 AM on November 22, 2015 [3 favorites]


I love interesting bottles. I don't know if decent run but "Kraken" run has this cool ceramic bottle.
posted by ReluctantViking at 6:03 AM on November 22, 2015


The 7 year old Havana Club is outstanding. No other rum compares.
posted by three blind mice at 6:26 AM on November 22, 2015 [2 favorites]


May I suggest a side of rum cake from Rum Runners in Halifax? Deeelicious!
posted by St. Peepsburg at 6:37 AM on November 22, 2015


I am a fan of Ron Zacapa and Plantation (grand reserve) for sipping rum. I also like black rums for dark and stormies (like Goslings black seal and Cruzan black strap)
posted by natasha_k at 7:32 AM on November 22, 2015


I think there's a difference between sipping rums and mixing rums: for the former you want smooth & complex, for the latter intense & complex.

If he's into sipping rum neat, you could consider an older Appleton - they make a 12 and a 21 I think. Also Barbancourt 15 year old. Or Angostura 1824 (a brand, not an age :-)).

For mixing: after reading the rum recommendations in David Wondrich's book on punch, I am a convert to Smith & Cross. He also recommends Wray & Nephew and Lemon Hart, among others. Actually, the book wouldn't be a bad Christmas present, if he's into that sort of thing.

Kraken is a spiced rum, in the same league as Captain Morgan but a little more up-scale (but not necessarily better).
posted by mr vino at 8:52 AM on November 22, 2015 [1 favorite]


If you want to put together a sampler, I'd choose several different rums from one brand. Appleton has several types and is usually easy to find, but Plantation would be more fun, since they age different rums in different types of barrels and have rums from several different countries. Even a Bacardi assortment would be good--white to black, and I think they have a spiced rum, too.
posted by MrMoonPie at 10:03 AM on November 22, 2015


Havana Club 7 year is my favorite rum, but unfortunately it's elaborado en Cuba and therefore illegal in the US, land of the supposedly free.

Vizcaya Dark is the best I've ever found in the United States, and the best non-Cuban I've found anywhere. It is smooth, liquid silk. It was the go-to sipping rum for my little clique of gulf coast sailors. It can be tricky to find, but Spec's Liquor in Texas has it, and the site says they'll ship to Washington.
posted by zjacreman at 10:55 AM on November 22, 2015


Ron Zacapa Solera 23 is my favourite rum.
posted by flippant at 12:22 PM on November 22, 2015


Pusser's Rum is one of my favorites. It has a good flavor and some British sailor rum history to it.
posted by Midnight Skulker at 8:31 AM on November 23, 2015


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