Marketing: Presentation, presentation, presentation...

[Capn Jimbo]

You can't judge a book by its label...

I'm an old marketing guy. And Sue Sea is mad for presentation. To us, rum tasting is a total experience. TV off, lights moderately dim (you still have to see the swirl), and plenty of time. Glasses are prepared, cool cleansing water is prepared and appears in a towel clad pitcher, and then...

We bring out the bottle.

Fondle it, raise it, read it, talk about it. Review its history and country. Part of the wonderful experience. No one can deny that a great bottle whets the tastebuds and creates some kind of expectation. And Sue Sea always, but always includes commentary about them in her reviews (she lets me do the color commentary, lol).

Unfortunately, many of the best presented (and usually more expensive) rums don't live up to the visual hype. A few do. For now though, I want to just focus on the bottles only. I've listed some of our favorites, vote for one.

Pictures encouraged, comments encouraged.

To the bottles! May they fit your hand! Or possibly your mouth....

[Capn Jimbo]

So many amazing bottles...


Some I forget about: Myer's Legend, Gosling's Old. Others are also truly intriguing: Germana, Mocambo.

Isn't it something how a great bottle whets the interest?! Sue Sea and I remain in love and lust with the Seales 10...

[Pyrate Surgeon]

Mocambo... wrapped in "pre-Hispanic heritage fibers" by a Mexican artist. You have to see this in person, it's freaky.

Yes, I've seen the 'Heritage fibers-wrapped bottle', and as you say, both 'freaky' and a look that makes you go "hmmmmmm..."

[Pyrate Surgeon]

Rum bottles are like rum... how can you have just one favorite?

My favorites include :



Ah yes, Zaya, both a bottle of style and distinction and a Rum that sits in high respect on my shelf of preferance.




Now, the bottle used by Pyrate XO is fairly close to the onion bottles used between the 1600 to the late 1800. Mind you, it's the bottle I use when presenting my personal blend to friends--with the cavate that 'return the bottle empty and when next we meet, you'll have it back full".




Myers's Legend...the mouth needs to be less flared, I've replaced the nylon twine with good, old-fashioned hemp, and I rather wished the rum lived up to the presentation....but again, these are my own personal mussings about Myers...

[Socrates]

It's hard to name an absolute favorite among the group noted, but if I were forced to choose the Botran sure is a mouth whetting head turner. I agree with Sue Sea and the others who feel that rum tasting and sipping really is a total experience.

[Dai]

contessa1 by Dai7261, on Flickr

I do like the shape on this bottle.

[NCyankee]

I placed my vote for Oronoco - I just love the leather wrapping on the bottle, with a map of Brazil cut into it.

I have a bottle of Trader Vic's macadamia nut liqueur that looks a lot like the Botran bottle.

The Zacapa XO bottle is also quite gorgeous, and the glass and brass stopper is heavy and has a classy feel to it.

[bearmark]

I love the simplicity and practicality of the Seale's Finest 10 Year Old Rum bottle. It looks like it's handmade with the unusual bend of the neck and the indention for the thumb when pouring is a great touch. The solid black color with the embossed-leather-look label wrapping around a medallion on the front is almost perfect. My only improvement would be to place an imitation leather label that really looks embossed, but the impact on price make that a negative for me. My first bottle has long been emptied, but I just can't part with the beautiful bottle... it's a work of art. Richard Seale should release a special edition with a real leather label just for collectors. I wonder if he realizes how beautiful and attractive this bottle really is.

[jankdc]

Here is some Damian liqueur. My mom just got me a bottle:

[NCyankee]

. . . . . . .

[jankdc]

Δ That's awesome! Δ

[RT]

You might add Ron Zacapa XO and Don Q Grand Anejo to the poll.

[Capn Jimbo]

I'm not allowed. For those you need da'rum's permission...