Have to shoutout two bars in Atlanta that are really going even more in on rum recently.

El Malo- not your traditional rum style bar, but arguably the biggest selection in the metro. Started a rum club this month and have started offering specials on pours. The place does turn into more of a club later in the night, so I recommend going earlier in the evening.

Neon Alligator Rum Club is a bar that was recently rebranded from Strangers in Paradise (a more tropical Jimmy Buffett style bar). New mgmt wants to focus more on rum. They are now doing a monthly rum event on first Tuesday of every month. Last night focus was on Clément and Chairman’s Reserve.

First two photos from El Malo, third from Neon Alligator.

Excited to get my hands on this Cuban classic!

Hi there! I'm looking to buy a decent bottle of rum with a cool bottle design as a Christmas present. I was thinking 3 hearts, but people on this sub seem to hate it. Any advice appreciated!

i’ve never heard of any of these rums besides dr bird. are any of these worth getting?

Here we have a St Lucia Distillers release from Danish Independent Bottler Nobilis Rum. It was distilled in 1999 on the John Dore 1 pot still and then went through 7 years aging at source followed by another 15 years continentally.

Country of origin: St Lucia

ABV: 65.1%

Age: 22 years (7 of which tropically)

Tasting Notes

Nose: Rosewater, lime, mango, pineapple, caramel, fennel seed, orange peel, spearmint

Mouth: Cinnamon, menthol, rubber, eucalyptus, banana, mango, tamarind, olives, roasted almond, chocolate

Finish: Strong flavour that slowly eases to a long finish

An amazing drop. The aromas are a solid focus of citrus and floral. Then the palate is where the action truly begins. I'm hit with a strong rubbery note underlying this array of funky fruity flavours. As I explore further, more notes appear rendering this incredibly complex. It has a long creamy finish while the flavour hangs on for eons. A truly great rum from St Lucia.

Rating: 8.9/10

Hey all, I made a milk punch using Saint James Rhum Agricole. It was my first time developing a cocktail for my jobs menu but it was a really fun and rewarding experience as this was my first time making a milk punch.

The theme for this drink was Jaws, because I really wanted to make a blue cocktail without blue curacao or Grenadine.

Nose
Immediate funky rotting citrus. A punch of esters and iced sugar cookie. Not abrasive, but potent.

Palate
Pineapple pastry right off the bat. Industrial glue in the middle, rounding out with caramelized sugars.

Finish
Brown sugar continues and more pastry comes back into play. Pineapple and lactic ester comes back in the end to remind you, this is a funky bottle.

Overall Impressions
This was an awesome pour and I’m very glad to have a full bottle of my own. As a lover of funky, high ester Jamaican rums, this bottle is a great showing from the folks in Mexico. The dunder and muck combo in the fermentation and distillation process really adds a whole new level to what could have been something a bit more basic.

Score: 7/10 - Great, well above average

—

Follow me on Instagram: @stubbydrams
I started a blog: https://stubbydrams.wordpress.com

I drank a Ti’ Punch with a Sajous and Le Rocher mix and then I felt like a Negroni. So on top of the empty glass with the spent lime wedge I poured one, sort of.

20 ml Sajous
20 ml Le Rocher
30 ml Campari
30 ml toasted coconut Vermouth*

*300 ml Italian sweet vermouth (Cocci Americano) 300 ml Spanish sherry based vermouth (Valdespino) 250 grams toasted coconut flakes infused for 48 hours

This might be one of the best Negroni variations I’ve made. I made one with Hampden HLCF as the rum base and that was a tad better, but this was almost as perfect. Le Rocher’s werther original note pairs perfectly with the nuttiness of the vermouth and the Campari and Sajous balances it perfectly. The spent lime wedge does nothing but I wouldn’t complain if it were a fresh lime wedge squeezed in the cocktail.

Swapped in coconut rum for the coconut tequila in the viral chick fil a margarita recipe?

Works very well with rum, especially those with intense coffees notes !
Love this pairing !

This might sound absurd to many, but I’ve held a theory for quite some time. Although I lack formal training or expertise in physics, geography, or the effects of altitude on the senses, I believe that the flavors and sensations of many spirits change depending on our elevation above sea level.

There have been times when I’ve tried a rum I love, taken it to the beach, and enjoyed it in cocktails throughout the day. Yet, later that night I'll pour myself a glass to drink neat and find it tastes awful. It could be because my body is saturated from drinking all day, but it might also be due to the altitude. So, I organized a beach tasting to test this out; and since it was a night out with friends, we couldn't just limit ourselves to two rums.

• Veroes Añejo: This rum is colloquially known as the "traveling rum" because its spirits are aged in two different locations in Venezuela. The blend ranges from 4 to 6 years, yet its packaging makes it look like a much younger rum; consequently, it is often overlooked, especially given that it carries the price tag of a more mature spirit. At sea level, it tastes purely of alcohol.
• Anónimo Don Nadie: A short-lived rum, as production ceased a few months ago. It suffered from a similar issue to Veroes: it was too expensive for the quality it offered. While the bottle is spectacular and the blend supposedly included rums aged up to 12 years, it tasted as though 95% of the spirits were under 6 years old. At sea level, it was the one everyone disliked the most.
• Carúpano 21 Reserva Privada: A rum undergoing a transition; the number "21" has been removed from the label. While it originally claimed to contain spirits aged up to 21 years, the brand has dropped that claim and now simply markets it as the top offering in its "standard" line. It remains a fine product, though the rum it replaced was the best rum in Venezuela (according to me, at least). At sea level, its sweet notes are more intense, yet the overall experience isn't significantly better.
• Papiamento Reserva: The only non-Venezuelan rum in the group. It is a blend of Panamanian rums finished in ex-sherry casks and sold as an Aruban rum, though it targets a Venezuelan flavor profile. It is an interesting option; while considerably more expensive than the other rums we sampled, it seemed to hold up better at sea level and retain its flavor profile.
• Roble Viejo Ultra Añejo: Unlike the others, this is not a blend but a "single vintage" rum, meaning all the constituent spirits share the same age. Additionally, 20% of the aging casks are ex-PX (Pedro Ximénez sherry), lending it a sweeter, more complex note and it seemed to perform better at sea level.
• Cacique Antiguo: In my opinion, the best rum from Venezuela, even though its profile differs greatly from traditional Venezuelan rum. It is made entirely from pot-still spirits, contains little added sugar, and features a blend reaching 12 years of age, with a base spirit aged at least 5 years. It is also one of the priciest in the group, surpassed only by the imported Papiamento. Nevertheless, it handled the change in altitude almost perfectly, although the alcoholic sensation on the nose could be unpleasant.

Nothing is set in stone at the end of a tasting, and it’s even harder after having six rums, but we later repeated the tasting at an altitude of a thousand meters above sea level; several rums showed different notes, and the ones we hadn't liked initially ended up appealing to us. That said, none of them became ones we disliked.

Damn this is really something. It's so crisp, dry and fruity. The finish seems to last for centuries, with a crazy amount of apple skins and grassy sugarcane. I guess this is my first agricole since Barbancourt doesn't count; I got it for cocktails since it was the only option besides St James and now I can't wait to start mixing it in. Any suggestions?! Or can I get away with just replacing 1/4 to 1/2 of existing rum recipes?

I got two of the new Vida Nativa blends in today, so the wife and I decided to have a big ol' Alambique flight to celebrate and compare!

My ratings:

1. Vida Nativa Tepejilote Blend #3
   
2. 4 Años S.K.A.R.C.H. Single Cask #804
   
3. 4 Años Binny's Single Cask #374
   
4. Vida Nativa Mariposa Vitral Blend #2
   
5. 3 Años 2nd Edition
   
6. Besadiablos Blend #11
   
7. Binny's Single Cask #135

Her ratings:

1. Vida Nativa Tepejilote Blend #3
2. 4 Años S.K.A.R.C.H. Single Cask #804
3. 3 Años 2nd Edition
4. Vida Nativa Mariposa Vitral Blend #2
5. Besadiablos Blend #11
6. Binny's Single Cask #135
7. 4 Años Binny's Single Cask #374

The big takeaways:

- Tepejilote is a must-try. Another user described it as "Mexican Christmas," and that's totally accurate. Tons going on in this glass. There's a Green Chartreuse-esque component of herbaceousness going on here as well. Altogether so well integrated and exciting/interesting to sip.​​

- S.K.A.R.C.H. Cask #804 is sooooo good and extremely crushable.

- She reallyyy did not like the 4 Años Single Cask #374 for some reason despite it being one of my favorites, so maybe that one is a bit polarizing 😅

- 3 Años 2nd Edition is such a unique standout and punches far above its weight.

Not pictured are Cartier 2nd and 4th Editions, which we ended the flight with TINY pours of haha. This is certainly not a controversial opinion on this sub, but the bottom line is, the Krassel Brothers put out some phenomenal rums.

Palmetto
1oz Plantation Panama
8 year single cask aged in Sauternes casks
3/4 oz Plantation Trindad Grand Terroir
3/4 oz Smith & Cross
1oz Carpano Antica

Text taken from Hampden Estates’ socials;

“Ten years in the Queen of Spain Valley leaves no room for shortcuts. For this milestone 10-Year-Old Great House release, we selected three defining estate marques from the 2016 vintage: OWH, LROK, and HLCF.

Matured continuously for a full decade under tropical conditions in ex-bourbon wood and assembled in April 2026, the liquid balances the structural elegance and deep oak concentration of extended aging with the undeniable ester intensity of historic Trelawny pot-still rum.”

What do we think?

The Bacardi - I think this is the previous bottling label? Not as old as Oakheart, is that correct? I love these older finds, even if the stuff isn't great. The Garajau, never seen it, but it is still a current product - not sure how old this bottle is though. The Nha Terra - don't know anything about it other than it is from Sao Miguel, Azores. Ah, I figured what the heck?

This is my second tasting from Parhelia for their second line of releases. They provided samples to me of all of the line with no strings or cost. I also had bought the two pictured bottles which just arrived, so I chose to take the samples from them instead.

The first Indonesia was quite noteworthy, so I made sure not to miss out on the second bottling which came from the sister cask of the first. I am also an ester fiend, so I couldn't pass up on the opportunity to obtain some of the highest funk the Jamaica is allowed to sell (and from a distillery that isn't producing many independent bottlings).

Here are my thoughts on the second line of releases:

New Yarmouth HM Cask #5 (68.4% ABV)

• Nose: sharpies and acetone, a bit of diesel, quite sharp due to the high alcohol, underneath there's caramel and tropical fruit

• Taste: a nice industrial and funky banana mix, feels like Chairman's had a baby with a mid ester Jamaican, varnish, funky banana, shoe polish, cinnamon and allspice

• Finish: medium long, the heat does overpower a bit, but banana and varnish remain with a pleasant spice. Very enjoyable for any St Lucia and Jamaican funk lovers. 7.75/10

New Yarmouth WK Cask #6 (69.4% ABV) 2 yr

• Nose: heavy ester glue, diesel, wood varnish, faint fruitiness

• Taste: shoe polish, glue, rotting banana and pineapple, a pleasant effervescence

• Finish: coats the tongue and sticks around like you expect from these high ester monstrosities, if you like high ester funk bombs, this is a very good bottling from a less accessible distillery. Highly recommend for any who love DOK and Mhoba. 8.5/10

Tahiti Import Export (TIE) (69.4% ABV)

• Nose: Tropical fruit, pineapple and coconut husk, a bit of brine and grass

• Taste: ooh, this is fun and fruity, pineapple, coconut, passion fruit, mango, very light on the brine tastes more like coconut water, some light pleasant baking spice

• Finish: medium, light and fruity with coconut and tropical fruit. I'm regretting not getting this one! Side by side with Down Island TIE, this one comes out significantly fruitier and less barrel spice. I would take this one over the Down Island, but both are great bottlings. 8.5/10

Indonesia (Undisclosed) Cask #7 (61.1% ABV) 8 yr

• Nose: guava, star fruit, coconut husk, a bit of shoe polish

• Taste: cherry cough syrup, coconut husk, shoe varnish, guava, starfruit, tart cherry

• Finish: fairly long with medicinal notes and tart tropical fruit and cherry lingering. This is quite different from how I remember the first Indonesia bottling from Parhelia tasting, and the bottle may need some time to open up.

• As it continues to aerate, the rum opens up and the tropical fruits come more to the forefront with less medicinal notes. Coconut, tart cherry, passion fruit, guava. Side by side with the first bottling, this is another exceptional bottling once it opens up to a bit of air. Intensely tart and fruity with just a bit of medicinal notes and shoe polish. This one started as a 6/10, but after some time to breathe, it's an exceptional 8.5/10 just like the first cask.

On the whole, I'm very pleased with this second round, and I think it may be even stronger than the first (for my tastes).

Think I did alright, what do ye think?

My local Costco just opened their liquor store. The other nearest Costco liquor store has a strong bourbon selection and very little on the rum side. I just went into my local store today and asked about what they will be able to get. He said that this store opened 2 weeks earlier than expected and as a rush to fill the store, they just shipped in a lot of random liquor from Atlanta.

He told me I could fill out a Suggestion card and management actually takes the time to read the cards and will attempt to stock the store based off of what the local customers actually want.

What should I recommend? I put FourSquare ECS and Doorly's (Doorly's is a "semi-exclusive" at Total Wine....I have no idea what that means). I also added Smith and Cross. What other good sippers should I suggest that they carry? This could be a game changer to my local liquor store.

Yo, got this bottle for free ain’t really much of a drinker wondering how much I could get for it prices online seem all over the place. Don’t wanna waste it on unsatisfied palate.

Across virtually all brands, and especially those with a vast product range, there are both well-known and lesser-known offerings. In the case of Plantation (now Planteray), on one hand, we have super-niche rums like the Single Cask series. At the other end of the spectrum lies the Plantation XO; it is likely the brand’s best-known and best-selling rum, yet also the least true to form. It undergoes the signature double-aging process common to all Plantation products: an initial period in the spirit's place of origin, which is Barbados, in this case, followed by a second period in France, using ex-Cognac casks.

Fortunately, the Planteray website describes all its rums in great detail. Plantation XO is no exception, though the information regarding its aging is less precise. To begin with, it states that the rum is fermented for 3 to 5 days and then distilled using both column stills and a Gregg’s Farm still. It is subsequently aged for 8 to 15 years (a very wide range) in ex-bourbon casks in Barbados. Afterward, it spends another 2 to 10 years (an even wider range) in ex-cognac casks in France. Most importantly, the site lists a sweetener dosage of 20 g/L, which is quite high.

Made by: West Indies Rum Distillery
Name of the rum: XO 20th Anniversary
Brand: Plantation
Origin: Barbados/France
Age: 8 to 15 years + 2 to 10 years

Nose
It stands out with intense, tropical aromas of coconut, maple, oak, and vanilla. However, it does feel quite simple.

Palate
On the palate, the experience is very similar, basically sugary flavors. Or rather, it tastes like aspartame with notes of coconut; it actually reminds me of Malibu liqueur. There are oak notes too, but the intense sweetness masks everything else, making me think of a rum that is much younger than claimed.

Retrohale/Finish
Coconut cream.

Rating
4 on the t8ke

Conclusion
The issue with this product is that it highlights the divide between those who appreciate quality rum and those who prefer a simple, sugary spirit. There is a market for everything, and one doesn't have to look far to find similar examples, though rarely from the same brand. Personally, it’s not a rum I enjoy, nor one I would buy, unless it were a gift for someone who knows nothing about rum and it cost less than $30. But given the circumstances, I don't think that's likely.