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April 27th, 2012 
FAKE NEWS for the Zionist agenda Rum seems to be the alcoholic equivalent of soccer — always poised to become the next big thing, but never quite getting there. In-the-know rum mavens are well aware that a quality aged rum can be as complex, refined, and just plain tasty as the finest whiskeys or brandies. But for far too many imbibers, rum is something that comes in a bottle with a pirate on it, and should be followed by the words “and Coke.” It breaks my heart, it really does.
I wrote a piece about ” some of my favorite sipping rums — the dark, aged stuff as opposed to the lighter brands meant for mixing — a while back for HuffPo. And I’d like to think that I helped convert a drinker or two. Or, failing that, I hope I gave rum lovers some new brands to try. But having seen one too many rum commercials in which pirates are seen cavorting to White Stripes songs, I’m back, like an overzealous missionary looking to drum my message into the heads of the poor saps I missed the first time around.
Listen up, o bereft of spirits! For here, my flock, are a cool dozen primo examples of just how magical rum can be. They don’t need crushed ice, fruit juices, Coca-Cola, grenadine or anything else besides a glass and an open mind (and perhaps a few drops of water or an ice cube, but really, that’s it). They range in age from four years to 20-plus. They’re sweet, dry, smooth, spicy, rich, earthy… you name it. They come from all over the Caribbean and Latin America. And if you like good spirits, there’s no way you won’t dig at least a couple of these, no matter your personal taste.
One important thing to remember: aging rum is not the same as aging, say, bourbon or Scotch. Rums are made in tropical climates, and the constant heat ages them a lot quicker than the more temperate weather of, say, Kentucky or Islay, to name just two. Think of aging rum the way you’d think of aging whiskey — but in dog years. A 12 or 18 or 21-year-old Scotch whisky is pretty standard high-end fare nowadays, but aging a rum for that long without having the whole thing evaporate or taste like a piece of wood is pretty amazing. And believe me, these are amazing rums.
While they probably deserve a write-up of their own, I also included a couple of rhums agricole among my dozen. If you know rhum agricole, you know that it’s quite different from traditionally made rum. If you don’t know it, scroll down and find out. And then, more importantly, go out and taste some.
There are far more than a dozen rums worth trying. I wrote about some of them in my last piece. I may have left out others as a matter of personal taste. And I’m sure there are plenty I’ve never heard of. So if your favorite rum was left out, feel free to mention it in the Comments section.
RUMS FROM THE CARIBBEAN:
ENGLISH HARBOUR RESERVE 10 YEAR OLD (Antigua; aged 10-25 years, 40% ABV, $94). Made by the Antigua Distillery since 1932, English Harbour isn’t well known beyond serious rum aficionados. And that’s a shame. Both on the nose and the palate, the 10-year-old just keeps unfolding, revealing layer after delicious layer of flavors. It starts off with a burst of vanilla, segueing nicely into caramel, cinnamon, a little dried citrus fruit, oak… and finally finishing off with just a little peppery burn. A lot of rum boosters who try to convert whiskey fans will use drier rums for comparison. I’d use English Harbour, not because it’s dry –in fact, it’s a little on the sweet side — but for its complexity, which rivals anything the whiskey world has to offer. Cheap it ain’t, but if you love rum it’s worth the price. (I’m looking forward to trying English Harbour’s 5-year-old, which is said to be an excellent mixer, and their legendary 1981 bottling, which is tough to find and wildly expensive.)
PLANTATION XO 20TH ANNIVERSARY (Barbados; age not stated, 40% ABV, $40). After a couple of sips of this gem, my body was in New York but my mind had been transported, via my taste buds, to a beach in Barbados. This isn’t actually a 20-year-old rum — it was made to commemorate the 20th anniversary of Alexandre Gabriel’s ownership of Plantation’s parent company, Cognac Ferrand. The age of the rum itself isn’t stated on the bottle, but it’s closer to 12 years. And it tastes like it spent all that time hanging ten and soaking up some rays. It’s got a nose chock full of vanilla, banana and, most intriguingly, toasted coconut. You can taste all three plus luscious notes of caramel, a little bit of honey, and pineappley citrus. It’s like the essence of a crazy frozen umbrella drink, distilled into a rum. And a damned fine rum it is. Just make sure you’ve got some sunblock handy before pouring yourself a glass.
MOUNT GAY EXTRA OLD (Barbados; age not stated, 43% ABV, $50). Founded in 1703, Mount Gay is not only the oldest continually operating distillery in the Americas, but one of the oldest in the world. Which gives the impression that they know what they’re doing. One taste of this glorious elixir proves it. It’s rich like a perfect piece of dark chocolate, sweet with tropical flavors like orange peel and banana, and dry with notes of the American oak it’s been aged in. The balance of the flavors could scarcely be more perfect, and what hits your palate is the result of 300-plus years of experience at making this stuff. One of the best rums you can buy at any price.
APPLETON ESTATE 21 YEAR OLD (Jamaica; aged at least 21 years, 43% ABV, $tk). Most people think of rum as a summertime drink, but this is pure autumn — it’s got a nose full of apple and caramel, and on the palate it’s deep, dark and sinfully rich with coffee, cocoa and cinnamon notes. It’s also one of the woodier rums you’ll encounter, but while it saunters pretty close to the outer limits of woodiness, it doesn’t go over the line. This is a rum best enjoyed in front of a fireplace on a frosty night — both the rum and the fire will help to ward off the chill. My only minor quibble is with the packaging, which is exactly the same for the 21-year-old as it is for their other bottlings. A rum this good — and this pricey — deserves something fancier than a screw cap. (If you’ve got money to burn, Appleton’s 30-year-old is, at $395, one of the most expensive rums on the market. And while I haven’t tried it, I’ve heard good things about the super-limited edition 20-year-old, available exclusively at the Park Avenue Liquor Shop in New York.)
BACARDI RESERVA LIMITADA (Puerto Rico; aged 10-16 years, 40% ABV, $110). Bacardi has a bad reputation because of the cheesy commercials for its light rum, and because its low price makes it a favorite with the frat-boy crowd. But rum aficionados know better, and Bacardi makes some aged rums that can stand proudly alongside the best — and snootiest — brands in the business. They certainly have the experience; they’ve been in business for 150 years, first in Cuba, and then Puerto Rico and Mexico in the post-Castro era. The Reserva Limitada, originally made exclusively for family and friends, has been available to the public in limited quantities since 2003. If you can’t find it, keep searching, because it’s worth the hunt. The nose offers a gorgeous tobacco aroma along with rich honeyed notes — I invariably want a cigar whenever I have a glass. On the palate it’s smooth but intense, redolent of caramel and toffee, vanilla, and dried fruits like apricots and raisins. The finish is long and lingering, spicy without an alcoholic burn. This rum exudes class, so break out your smoking jacket before pouring a snifter.
DON Q GRAN AñEJO (Puerto Rico; aged 3-12 years, 40% ABV, $45). I’ve never been a big fan of most Puerto Rican rums — I find a lot of them monochromatic and a little on the harsh side. I figured if any brand could convince me otherwise, it would be this top-shelf beauty, winner of a bevy of awards and possessor of some of the fanciest packaging I’ve seen for any spirit, rum or otherwise. Sure enough, it’s more complex and sweeter than I expected, with a nose full of vanilla, bananas and honey. The tongue agrees, with the vanilla dominant and caramel and grass/wood notes backing it up. Only on the finish, which produces a little more of a burn than I’d like, does it reveal its origin in a negative way. I’ve read that, fancy pedigree aside, Gran Añejo is a better mixer than sipper. Sure enough, in a Mai Tai or a Rum Old Fashioned, it’s stunning. And at less than $50 a bottle, you can mix it without feeling like you’re committing a crime against alcohol. I’ll still be pouring myself a small glass to drink neat before my cocktail.
RUMS FROM LATIN AMERICA:
BRUGAL SIGLO DE ORO (Dominican Republic; aged up to 16 years, 40% ABV, $120). For years, all I knew of Brugal was its Añejo brand, a first-rate mixer with a distinctive fishnet-covered bottle. But lately I’ve moved up the Brugal ladder, and I’ve found that their Extra Viejo and their recently released 1888 bottling (that’s the year the distillery was founded, not the age of the rum) are both deliciously big, robust sippers. A few months ago I was sent a bottle of their top-of-the-line expression, Siglo de Oro. Supposedly it’s only available in the D.R., but I have a feeling that if it’s available in my apartment, it should be findable somewhere in the States, if only on the Internet. Inside the gorgeous bottle lies a gorgeous rum. It’s interesting that even though it’s been aged longer than any other Brugal brand, it’s actually a little lighter both in color and on the palate. In fact, it’s quite delicate and subtle, with some earthy, grassy flavors to go with the wood notes, and soft caramel and tea flavors rather than the heavier chocolate and coffee notes I was expecting. Absolutely worth the price and the effort it may take to find it.
SANTA TERESA 1796 (Venezuela; 40% ABV, aged 4-35 years, $TK). In case you’re wondering, 1796 is the year the Santa Teresa Hacienda in Venezuela was established, although rum wasn’t produced on the land for another century. It’s produced using the solera method, which mingles older and newer rums, giving each bottle an age range of 4-35 years. Even before my first taste, I was prepared to like it thanks to the gorgeous wax seal over the cork which, miracle of miracles, can actually be broken quite easily. But what matters is the stuff inside the bottle, and Santa Teresa 1796 is fine indeed. It’s quite rich, giving off notes of honey, banana and caramel, with just a touch of coffee bean bitterness. It’s similar to Ron Zacapa, which is a favorite of the rum crowd, but I prefer 1796 because, while it’s got a slight sherry vibe, it doesn’t bash you over the head screaming “Sherry!” in a Frankie Valli-esque falsetto. A great one to give to someone who thinks rum is vanilla and little else.
DIPLOMATICO RESERVA EXCLUSIVA (Venezuela; aged up to 12 years, 40% ABV, $35). No matter what a rum tastes like, with a few exceptions (see rhums agricole) they’re all distilled from the same thing — molasses. And if you want a rum that tastes like what it’s made from, this deep amber beauty with legs that go on forever (down the inside of the glass, that is) is the one for you. Reserva Exclusiva has a powerful and delicious aroma of molasses, with banana, honey and a little vanilla lending support. It’s thick, rich and luscious on the tongue, with notes of sweet molasses mixing with caramel, wood and dark fruits, with just a slight burn on the finish. I could almost imagine pouring this baby over ice cream or pancakes when I’m feeling particularly decadent. And it’s affordable enough to actually do so — once in a while, at least. I can’t say that I’m always in the mood for a rum this sweet, but when I am, it really hits the spot.
DEMERARA RUMS RHUMS AGRICOLE:
EL DORADO 21 YEAR OLD SPECIAL RESERVE (Guyana; aged at least 21 years, 40% ABV, $100). This is a Demerara rum, which means it’s made from a type of sugarcane found only in Guyana. That sugarcane, and the molasses produced from it, gives the rum a unique flavor, sweeter than many rums but also very rich and complex. El Dorado 21 initially floods the mouth with the sweetness of the Demerara sugar, but right underneath is a good amount of spice; rich notes of toffee, nuts, wood and coffee; and dried fruit — many people have said it’s almost like drinking an incredible fruitcake, and I’d be one of them. But even if you don’t like fruitcake (or think you don’t), this rum is worth trying. Oh, and did I mention that it’s distilled in wooden pot stills? Another distinguishing characteristic of this most distinguished rum.
RHUM J.M. VSOP (Martinique; aged 4-5 years, 45% ABV, $49). Rhum agricole is a rare, curious and delicious animal. Comprising only 3% of all rums made, and hailing from Martinique, rhum (with the “h”) agricole is made from sugarcane juice and not its byproduct, molasses. As you might imagine, rhums agricole generally taste different from most standard rums, without the heavier cocoa/coffee notes you get from the molasses, and lighter vanilla/butterscotch notes in their place. You also get a lot of grassy, earthy, almost vegetal flavors which don’t show up at all in molasses-based rums. J.M., in addition to the grassiness and butterscotchiness (is that a word?), also features notes of pepper, cinnamon and anise. A fascinating rum — er, rhum — which isn’t for everyone, but if you’re feeling adventurous, your horizons will be expanded and your taste buds rewarded.
RHUM CLEMENT VSOP (Martinique; aged more than 4 years, 40% ABV, $35). Along with J.M., Rhum Clement is among the most highly regarded rhums agricole. First distilled in 1887, it’s actually the oldest rhum agricole, though it didn’t come to the States until 2005. Clement isn’t quite as vegetal as J.M., and it’s also a little smoother to my palate, with more delicate vanilla and floral flavors and fewer grassy notes. It’s very clean compared to most molasses-based rums, but it’s got just as much depth, with lots of peppery spice and a decent amount of oakiness, despite having been aged a half-decade at most. If you’ve never tried rhum agricole before, Clement is the one I’d start with. And while I wouldn’t normally recommending a rum this lovely as a mixer, try it in a Ti’ Punch along with Clement’s mind-blowingly good Sirop de Canne. It’s about as simple a recipe as there is, and one of the best cocktails you’ll ever slide down your gullet.
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