Did yo buy any rum for Christmas?

Dai · Post by **Dai** » Fri Dec 19, 2014 12:13 pm

Just a thought but did you guy's buy any rum for the festive season.
I bought my self a bottle of Mount Gay XO and Seale's 10 year old for my daughter's boyfriend with any luck I'll get to polish off some of that.

Have you guy's treated your selfs?

Post by **Capn Jimbo** » Fri Dec 19, 2014 1:20 pm

Due to finances and an already overlarge collection, we'll be trying a dram of Pappy Van Winkle 20 or 15 yr, rated perhaps the world's highest rated bourbons (99).

Dai · Post by **Dai** » Fri Dec 19, 2014 2:06 pm

Ah the dreaded finances I know what you mean Jimbo. I have a few bottles at various stages of empty that's why I only bought the one bottle for my self. I would of liked more but the wallet ran dry.

dawsonh · Post by **dawsonh** » Fri Dec 19, 2014 3:56 pm

En route to a Family gathering in CA I stopped by a TW and bought bottles of Doorly's XO, R.L. Seale's 10 and a Bunnahabhain 12 single malt. (I had my first taste of R.L. Seale last night and really enjoyed it!) I also brought from home three of my favorite bourbons… Elijah Craig 12, Four Roses Single Barrel and Blanton' Single Barrel.

I hope you all have a wonderful holiday season. I am grateful to the Capn and all the other rum fanatics that have made this forum so interesting, educational and entertaining to read. Thanks!

Dai · Post by **Dai** » Sat Dec 20, 2014 10:36 am

dawsonh wrote:En route to a Family gathering in CA I stopped by a TW and bought bottles of Doorly's XO, R.L. Seale's 10 and a Bunnahabhain 12 single malt. (I had my first taste of R.L. Seale last night and really enjoyed it!) I also brought from home three of my favorite bourbons… Elijah Craig 12, Four Roses Single Barrel and Blanton' Single Barrel.

I hope you all have a wonderful holiday season. I am grateful to the Capn and all the other rum fanatics that have made this forum so interesting, educational and entertaining to read. Thanks!

Ah the Seale's 10 a favourite round here. I might try four roses and elijah 12 next year just to get more variety.

Mrspragoo · Post by **Mrspragoo** » Mon Dec 22, 2014 8:49 pm

the four roses single barrel is available in several different yeast strains. i have tried several of them some i like others i didnt. OBSQ 33% rye is the one i ended up buying for myself.

Hassouni · Post by **Hassouni** » Tue Dec 23, 2014 6:51 pm

Bought two...will reveal soon.

Hassouni · Post by **Hassouni** » Thu Dec 25, 2014 1:01 pm

Here we are. Had a 3 day layover in London en route to Beirut, where I am now.

From Vintage House, on Old Compton Street in Soho (I deemed this the better store than Gerry's, as at Gerry's nearly everything is behind the counter like a ghetto liquor store in DC. BOOOO!!!!!!!!)

Then, after a trek across Oxford Street on December 23rd (shudder), I popped into the Cadenhead shop in Marylebone and splurged on this:

I can't try either of these before I return to the US in 2+ weeks (they have to survive two flights in checked luggage, eek! They already survived one...) but I am super excited.

The JA rum is a product of Long Pond distillery, I have heard of them but only in vague terms. It's 9 years old, and Wedderburn, as we know, is the funkier half of Smith and Cross. Drool.

The Demerara is from Uitvlugt, the PM mark, which I understand refers to the wooden Port Mourant still. Cadenhead classifies it as a pot still - in either case, it's likely to be the richest and funkiest Guyana rum I can get at a reasonable price.

Both of these were well under $100 at current XRs, the Bristol was £40, and the Demerara £54. If these are as good as I imagine, that is a hell of a deal, given that Berry's charges $90-100 for their indie stuff at Total Wine.

Also, I should tell whoever is in London that there is LOTS of Caroni rum floating around. Vintage House had quite a bit on offer, and Cadenhead might have, though I can't remember with certainty - they are very secretive about what they bottle (for example, their "Caribbean Rum" is, by the staff's admission, all Guyanan but the man there could not and would not tell me anything beyond that.)

Dai · Post by **Dai** » Thu Dec 25, 2014 1:57 pm

Nice I'm quite jealous. I'll have to put up with the two samples my daughter bought me. XM Royal 10 Year Old and cadenhead Hamden 12 yearold @62%alcohol looking forward to the cadenhead will have to have a bit of water with it though.

You've got two full bottles and I've got two measly samples, I'm swapping families.

Hassouni · Post by **Hassouni** » Thu Dec 25, 2014 3:16 pm

Dai wrote:Nice I'm quite jealous. I'll have to put up with the two samples my daughter bought me. XM Royal 10 Year Old and cadenhead Hamden 12 yearold @62%alcohol looking forward to the cadenhead will have to have a bit of water with it though.

You've got two full bottles and I've got two measly samples, I'm swapping families.

Hey, I bought these for myself!

I saw the Hampden 12 at the Cadenhead shop, but declined as Smith & Cross is Hampden and I already have it. Still, 12 years old....

Let us know how it is!

Rum-pelstiltskin · Post by **Rum-pelstiltskin** » Thu Dec 25, 2014 4:46 pm

Dai wrote:Nice I'm quite jealous. I'll have to put up with the two samples my daughter bought me. XM Royal 10 Year Old and cadenhead Hamden 12 yearold @62%alcohol looking forward to the cadenhead will have to have a bit of water with it though.

You've got two full bottles and I've got two measly samples, I'm swapping families.

XM's rum's are great. Very similar to El Dorado rum's.

The Jamaica Rum Hassouni has bought will be fearsome as well - Wedderburn makes up a lot of the flavour in Smith and Cross.

Dai · Post by **Dai** » Fri Dec 26, 2014 5:33 am

Rum-pelstiltskin wrote:
Dai wrote:Nice I'm quite jealous. I'll have to put up with the two samples my daughter bought me. XM Royal 10 Year Old and cadenhead Hamden 12 yearold @62%alcohol looking forward to the cadenhead will have to have a bit of water with it though.

You've got two full bottles and I've got two measly samples, I'm swapping families.
XM's rum's are great. Very similar to El Dorado rum's.

The Jamaica Rum Hassouni has bought will be fearsome as well - Wedderburn makes up a lot of the flavour in Smith and Cross.

Yes the XM are similar to the ED rums I was going to write a comment saying that if the sugar issue was a problem for some (like Me) then the XM range might be an alternative as it has less sugar added according to Johnny the XM12 only has 17gm/l as compared to ED 15 @ 31gm/l but taste wise a similar taste profile.

Rum-pelstiltskin · Post by **Rum-pelstiltskin** » Fri Dec 26, 2014 7:21 am

Dai wrote:
Rum-pelstiltskin wrote:
Dai wrote:Nice I'm quite jealous. I'll have to put up with the two samples my daughter bought me. XM Royal 10 Year Old and cadenhead Hamden 12 yearold @62%alcohol looking forward to the cadenhead will have to have a bit of water with it though.

You've got two full bottles and I've got two measly samples, I'm swapping families.
XM's rum's are great. Very similar to El Dorado rum's.

The Jamaica Rum Hassouni has bought will be fearsome as well - Wedderburn makes up a lot of the flavour in Smith and Cross.

Yes the XM are similar to the ED rums I was going to write a comment saying that if the sugar issue was a problem for some (like Me) then the XM range might be an alternative as it has less sugar added according to Johnny the XM12 only has 17gm/l as compared to ED 15 @ 31gm/l but taste wise a similar taste profile.

Very similar and the biggest surprise is that they aren't Demerara rum's anymore! Apparently they haven't used DDL for over 20 years!

The aroma in particular is that unmistakable Demerara smell....clearly you can be mistaken!

Hassouni · Post by **Hassouni** » Fri Dec 26, 2014 9:49 am

What are they then, are they not product of Guyana? DDL is the only player left there.

Rum-pelstiltskin · Post by **Rum-pelstiltskin** » Fri Dec 26, 2014 12:33 pm

Hassouni wrote:What are they then, are they not product of Guyana? DDL is the only player left there.

DDL is in the only distillery left in Guyana. XM are blenders and bottlers. The rum is labelled as Caribbean Rum as the rum isn't from Guyana.