newbie here

AK9 · Post by **AK9** » Wed Mar 04, 2015 7:48 pm

Hi to all.
Whisky drinker trying something new here.
I have always thought that understanding what you drink (history/ingredients/process) is as important as the drink itself sometimes. This is why I asked CJ to join the forum since I am looking for more info about rum (or at least a place to discuss about what we dont know).

Rum is quite impressive as to the number of countries which produce it so it is always good to know what the different countries techniques are.
I have not find much sites in the internet that go into the depth of discussion that this site has regarding how rum that is on our glasses is produced (materials/process/bottling).

I was more interested in the Demerara bottlings (and their famous stills) but having tried a Longpond, I am also trying to get more info/try the Jamaican distilleries as well.

I do like the concept of single casks (no additions) and try to understand if this is something that is possible with rum and which bottlers would be providing such products.

Many thanks !
AK

Blade Rummer · Post by **Blade Rummer** » Thu Mar 05, 2015 8:13 am

Welcome to the forums!

If you're lucky enough to live somewhere you can easily find smaller independent bottlers (read : not in North America) then for sure you can find some rum without any added sugar, flavorings etc.

Demerara rum is great, but from what I've learned here, the only way to get any unadulterated rum from Guyana is the independent bottlers.

As a whiskey drinker, you'll probably enjoy the drier rums, which happily are often pure rums as well. Both Appleton and Barbancourt are my to-go rums and I think they would both appeal to a whiskey drinker.

bearmark · Post by **bearmark** » Thu Mar 05, 2015 11:37 am

Welcome aboard! What kind of whiskey do you like and that might help us to point you in the direction of some good rum. Right off the bat, I would suggest one of the Bajan rums, like Mount Gay XO or RL Seale's 10 Year.

AK9 · Post by **AK9** » Thu Mar 05, 2015 1:08 pm

Hi Bearmark,

Do like them abit peat/smoky. I was suprised with the Longpond I tried. It was quite a revelation.
Shall I try to find Hampden now? Is there any other rum producer in Jamaica that I should look for? I was quite impressed with the fact that the rum in Jamaica has to follow strict specifications (no sugar?).

Need to read and understand more about RL Seale. Have read the recent posts in the rum project but need more info now.

Hi Blade,
I am UK based so there are few options (but pricing wise I wish I was in Germany). They have many IB bottlers and good prices.
Many thanks for the recommendations! Will come back to ask more info in the end of the next month (pay time!)..

A

Post by **Capn Jimbo** » Thu Mar 05, 2015 2:08 pm

A quick and dirty welcome and a note that you can't go wrong with most any rum from Jamaica, Barbados or Haiti. Or Kelso, Tennessee for that matter...

Dai · Post by **Dai** » Thu Mar 05, 2015 2:19 pm

Welcome

da'rum · Post by **da'rum** » Thu Mar 05, 2015 2:54 pm

Welcome AK9, enjoy.

bearmark · Post by **bearmark** » Thu Mar 05, 2015 3:14 pm

AK9 wrote:Hi Bearmark,

Do like them abit peat/smoky. I was suprised with the Longpond I tried. It was quite a revelation.
Shall I try to find Hampden now? Is there any other rum producer in Jamaica that I should look for? I was quite impressed with the fact that the rum in Jamaica has to follow strict specifications (no sugar?).

Need to read and understand more about RL Seale. Have read the recent posts in the rum project but need more info now.

Hi Blade,
I am UK based so there are few options (but pricing wise I wish I was in Germany). They have many IB bottlers and good prices.
Many thanks for the recommendations! Will come back to ask more info in the end of the next month (pay time!)..

A

Well, there's whisky and then there's whiskey... I should've paid attention to the spelling in your first post. I would recommend checking out the post on Rums Only Available in UK and would also recommend exploring the different styles per Cap'n Jimbo's starter list (my reference list is included in my signature below). As a fellow whisky/whiskey drinker, including the peaty/smokey variety (although I'm not familiar with Longpond), I'm sure that the recommendations on the project will improve your rum exploration experience.

AK9 · Post by **AK9** » Thu Mar 05, 2015 3:31 pm

Thanks!

I wanted to ask information about the independent bottlers. Would it be ok if i asked this in the Rum in the UK post?

I can see that in most cases these are the guys that promote rum single cask bottlings and I am trying to understand how would it be possible that rum casks might have travelled all the way from their initial location to the IB bottlers in EU or US?
Do the IBs buy rum in bulk or do they buy specific casks?

Post by **Capn Jimbo** » Thu Mar 05, 2015 4:13 pm

I can't quite place the source, but its my impression that very little if any of the independent bottlings are bought direct, but rather through a few middlemen who buy in bulk, then resell it to the independents.

For example this is how Plantation gets Seale's rum - not from him - but from a middleman. Thus Seales cannot be held responsible for their alteration of that rum; nor will he allow them to cite him as the distiller unless he is absolutely sure the bottling is free of any alteration.

Hassouni · Post by **Hassouni** » Thu Mar 05, 2015 11:04 pm

Longpond and Hampden are great distilleries - you should also check out Monymusk. Berry Bros & Rudd's Jamaican rum is from there and is quite excellent.

AK9 · Post by **AK9** » Fri Mar 06, 2015 8:30 am

CJ,
If they buy in bulk then that means that the rum does not age at all in the location of distillation and is immediately transferred abroad?

Do they use casks for this rum or do they use other "vehicles" to carry it?
Would the use of "vehicles" with high capacity means that they might be mixing different distillations styles?

If an IB bottler sells a cask, does this means that he was able to buy this specific cask long time ago and now that it is ready (or mature lets say) he is able to bottle it?

Hassouni,
Need to try both Monymusk and Hampden!
Have also seen references to Rockley Stills and Port Morant? Are these open?

mamajuana · Post by **mamajuana** » Fri Mar 06, 2015 10:32 am

What is done for example in the case of Foursquare selling overseas to the Holland exchange and the USA bulk market is the rum is always emptied from all barrels into large containers prior to shipment, the containers vary the most popular being IBC (Intermediate Bulk Containers). Foursquare is generally a mix of both pot and column still rum. The rum is generally all sold aged at least 1 year but they sell many different products of various aging. Barrels are much harder to ship as they tend to leak or break at high sea and there is more loss where as the containers are more accurate/consistent when they get to the dock as to how much they were sold and the ABV should remain the same from point A to point B etc.

The exchange in Holland sells in bulk but also owns other companies that then barrel rum of various ages into casks of their choosing of all types and then continue the aging process. Anyone could really call up one of these companies and purchase a cask of their design really and have their own product bottled.

There are several documented examples of full casks being shipped but it is much rarer to see this happen these days.

AK9 · Post by **AK9** » Fri Mar 06, 2015 1:41 pm

Thanks mamajuana!

I was not aware that they would be using IBC. Therefore it could be possible that during travelling rum from different distillation could have been mixed ?
Thus the way of moving the rum from one location to another, introduces an element of uncertainty as to the the rum included in the IBC (thus it could have been mixed with a different style or different age)?

Apologies for the too many questions. If you want I can move these to the main forum.

Have a good weekend all!

Hassouni · Post by **Hassouni** » Fri Mar 06, 2015 10:56 pm

AK9 wrote: Hassouni,
Need to try both Monymusk and Hampden!
Have also seen references to Rockley Stills and Port Morant? Are these open?

Not sure. There's also a lot of confusion, because in addition to the Jamaican Port Morant, Port Mourant (with a U) is one of the defunct Demerara distilleries, which contributed one of the wooden vat stills to DDL. The spellings are often mixed up...