Danish rum-snobbery.. It had to happen.

[Bearman]

Rum has recently gained popularity in Denmark, there are starting to appear Danish bottlings of a variety of rums and recently this appeared in the telly. I recently found the clip in youtube as well (in Danish):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fD2u0Ihf ... re=mh_lolz

It is part of a very popular Danish television show Go morgen Danmark. The headline "Whisky and Rum battle" caught my attention, and I decided to watch it to hopefully gain some new insights on two of my favourite spirits. No such luck. The headline could just as well have been "Whisky promotion and Rum snobbery". The whisky expert had brought in a rather interesting trio of whisky: Talisker Storm, Macallan 12 and Wemyss Malts Spiceking while the rum expert had chosen: Ron Milionario XO reserva especial, Ron Abuelo Centuria and Ron Centenario Fundacion. While the whisky expert brought in a wide variety of different whisky's, the so called rum expert decided to rely on overpriced solera rum's that all (if I'm not mistaken) belongs in the sweet cuban end of the scale.

It saddens me to see that the only rums who made it into perhaps one of Denmark's most popular tv-shows and thus reached the broader audience, were the expensive ones from the Cuban genre. There ought to have been three different genres of rum present instead and in a lower price class. The price: while the whisky in the program in general were around 40 pound per bottle, every rum in the program were above 50 pounds, Abuelo above 100
(Source Master of malt and The whisky-exchange)

Interesting fact: if you look on the rum experts home page in his top 3 ron Zacapa is represented not one but two times (source http://www.romthomsen.dk/smagenoter.htm). I just love how self-proclaimed experts promote rums that mere mortals barely can afford.

I would probably have gone with RL. Seales to repressent Barbados, Pusser's for the dundery Jamaican style and Eldorado 15 for the Demara style. What would you have gone with if you could choose only 3 rums as an introduction to the world of rum?

I know, I know, old question but I am trying to turn my frustration into something positive and usefull..

And whoa what a ramble..

[da'rum]

The poor Danish must pay huge taxes on booze so the prices may not be indicative of anything except a greedy government. Although because of Danish government greed our city is kept alive by those skipping over the border to do their shopping.

As for rum snobbery and experts...pffft perhaps 1 out of every 100 experts actually have an idea and 1 out of every 1000 of them have integrity.

I would of chosen slightly different rums to you;

Pussers sure for an example of Navy rum but not Jamaican, I'd choose any from a few pot stilled ester bombs like Smith and Cross or Wray and Nephew. The ED 15 yep or one of the slightly less sugared labels from DDL. Barbados is harder Mount Gay maybe or Seales/Doorlys. To choose 3 rums as a representation would be very hard to do.

Cheers

[Capn Jimbo]

First, a BIG welcome back to one of our much appreciated, and much missed regulars... da'Rum.


Welcome back. I'm with da'Rum on the Jamaicans, particularly the S&C. It's hard to not include Seale's based on his commitment to real purity. And the ED's are the only game in the Demeraran town. All in all though, we really need a fourth rum and that simply has to be Barbancourt Five Star - an always pure, independent, fack you and brilliant rum that Sue Sea and I would never be without...

[Bearman]

The poor Danish must pay huge taxes on booze so the prices may not be indicative of anything except a greedy government. Although because of Danish government greed our city is kept alive by those skipping over the border to do their shopping.

Cheers

Indeed and these prices were from English shops, in truth the rums are actually more expensive in Denmark. Because of that I cross the border as often as I can to restock my rum supply. I knew that Smith and Cross would be the preferred Jamaican rum of most of you guys on the forum, unfortunately I haven't been able to get my hands on it yet at a reasonable price.

da'rum you wouldn't happen to know anywhere just across the German border where Smith and Cross is available? I often go to Flensburg so anywhere in the vicinity of that...

[Hassouni]

Welcome back. I'm with da'Rum on the Jamaicans, particularly the S&C. It's hard to not include Seale's based on his commitment to real purity. And the ED's are the only game in the Demeraran town.

Am I the only one who thinks Pusser's is really quite similar to a normal-proof Smith & Cross? It may not come from Jamaica but man does it have that pot-stilled funk.

Also, in Europe the EDs are definitely NOT the only game in the Demeraran town - DDL also produces Lemon Hart, OVD, Skipper, XM, and the wonderful Wood's.

For what it's worth, Lemon Hart 151 diluted to whatever drinking proof you like (particularly good at 100) is a damn sight more intense than the younger El Dorados.

[da'rum]

Thanks Jimbo.

Bearman; Citi has S&C in Flensburg. Citi is dominated by the big suppliers but they have a couple of gems to find still including some Tequilas Bourbons and Single malts. If all else fails I can order some for you online and you can pick it up from me as I'm in the Flensburg area.

Hassouni; I'd say there are some similarities between Pussers and S&C because of the single pot still part of the Pussers blend and the dunder usage. I would not say they are similar though as S&C is ester and dunder and that's it where Pussers is a finer blend incorporating less ester rich rums from around the traps.

As for lemon hart 151, in my opinion it should be called heart breaker 151 because at it's base it is a good raw rum that definitely has more or as much character than ED but the producers decided to dump so much sugar into it that it is a sickly mess that is better used in sweet cocktails. It was meant for cocktails and mission achieved however I cant help wonder how good it could of been if they tried for good rum and let the mixologists (wankers) add their own sugar syrup. So when I compare ED to LH151 I would have to say that the ED blenders are far more skilled and also perhaps have different goals than the 151 mob.

[Capn Jimbo]

I think I'm having a bad tongue day...


Hass, I do understand your choice of Pussers, as it surely does have a dunder element (and do recall that the original and still maintained British Royal Navy formula must surely have included some Jamaican). Still, and as da'Rum correctly points out it's a blend. Pussers main value in my mind is as the sole example of British Royal Navy rum, and a tradition that stands alone.

Thanks too for pointing out some other Demeraran rums including XM, OVD, et al. Fortunately, as the Compleat Idiot of rum I am permitted reasonable deviations from reality. When I said ED was the "only game in town" it was only in the sense that Carl Kanto and DDL (Demeraran Distillers Ltd) whose own named product is El Dorado, is the only game in town. Thus - and as you've correctly pointed out - the term El Dorado has not quite accurately come for many people to mean DDL.

The actual history is interesting. According to Dave Broom, Guyana once had over 200 distilleries and what they called "marques" (identified by a code of a few letters). He continues that by 1971 only three marques remained: Enmore, Diamond and Uitvlugt, and today only one distillery remains - Diamond (who now owns and operates a number of the old stills saved).

Perhaps we should more correctly say that Diamond distilleries is the only game in town. Whew!

All of the other Demeraran associated products named are made by and purchased from this single entity. Please also note that although south Florida probably has the best selection and by far the best prices on rums, some of the real goodies (as noted by JaRiMi) simply aren't available here.

Exception: Berry Bros., whose Demeraran might be considered. But keep in mind too that price may be an object, and in recommending just three or four rums for people to buy, there's something to be said for simple economics.

[Hassouni]

I'm not saying Pusser's identical, that's why I said (or did I?) that it's almost like Smith & Cross Lite. Keep in mind of course that S&C is a blend of two distillates as well.

As for Lemon Hart, personally I find it a lot less sweet than the El Dorados. I did a comparison between the old bottling of Lemon Hart 80 to El Dorado 5, and then the new bottling LH151 diluted to 80 proof against ED 5. The ED was much more polished but had less character, and to my recollection, sweeter.

[da'rum]

I must admit, I don't remember drinking ED 5. Although I do have 12, 15 and LH151 in house and unless my taste buds have given up the ghost I would put the sweetness burnt sugar factor of LH way above the two Eds. I also water my overproofs to about 43%

[Capn Jimbo]

Good stuff, thanks, and I'll raise you two pence...


Very interesting posts, thanks. S&C is proud to front label their rum as "Plummer/Wedderburn". As you may recall, Jamaican rum was and still is sold on the basis of esters:

Plummers (150-200 esters, light and fruity), Wedderburns (200+, deep fruity, heavy bodied and pungent). Other classifications include: Common Cleans (80-150 esters, light and floral) and Continental Flavored/High Ester (500-1700 esters, by far the most pungent, acetones).
(Source: http://rumproject.com/rumforum//viewtopic.php?t=283)

S&C also represents what they call "Home Quality" in its combination of Plummers/Wedderburn, and thus could not be a better example. In comparison, much of what is called rum elsewhere is very commonly delivered with a paltry 50 esters, which might qualify as water served with your Jerk chicken in Jamaica, lol.

Where the Demerarans fall in this is unknown, but esterwise, I'd expect them to fall in the 50-100 range, whereas what most would call "Jamaican" style would likely have close to 300 esters.

YEMV (your esters may vary), lol...

[Bearman]

Citi has S&C in Flensburg. Citi is dominated by the big suppliers but they have a couple of gems to find still including some Tequilas Bourbons and Single malts. If all else fails I can order some for you online and you can pick it up from me as I'm in the Flensburg area.

Thanks I will go and check Citi out

[Hassouni]

I must admit, I don't remember drinking ED 5. Although I do have 12, 15 and LH151 in house and unless my taste buds have given up the ghost I would put the sweetness burnt sugar factor of LH way above the two Eds. I also water my overproofs to about 43%

Burnt sugar is very true for LH, but then burt sugar isn't particularly sweet