Achieving one's ultimate rum goals

Paul, well done Matey! The perfect price range too! But, I still like to take chances because part of the experience is exploring the world. But, I steer a wide berth from those over the top rums. They just don't add up.

Kevin:

There are no reviews on here for the rum that I left on the shelf. It was marked down from $179 to $129. So I looked it up on their own website. It is Gregarious Grump - Belize and it was created for bourbon lovers, which is not for me at all. That would have surely been a waste of money for me.

I now have a $65 per bottle limit on rum purchases. It had been $150. I spent way more on rum these past 5 years or so than in my entire 52 years of collecting music. And all that I have to show for the rum purchases are my reviews and knowledge of which ones are worth the money. There is a LOT of crap out there. It is our job to inform buyers to beware.

Hello Paul!! After 465 ratings I can absolutely understand your point. I just hit 100 yesterday and I have been slowing down HUGE on taking chances on new rums. I think 465 is amazing. BTW I have really valued you reviews and spreadsheets for sure as I do a few others on this site. But I am feeling like I am really at the point you are after only 100. I do have 10 or so in my wish list but they are certainly not everyday rums due to the price alone and if I can get to 1 or 2 before the end of this year than I will be fine with that. As for the rest though, I can almost take them or leave them if I have not tried them because after so many rums I know what I really like and I have kind of had it with spending $30 - $40+ only find something that disappoints.  So other than the wishlist I am really really close to achieving my ultimate rums goals. I have tried a lot , I have found many that I really love, I have found this website. I have enjoyed doing the ratings, the discussions, reading reviews people leave. I am certainly not going turn away from rum but the journey is slowy changing course for me.  I would suprise myself if I ever hit 125 reviwes let alone the several hundred you and others hit. But I am grateful for it because those review and commets have led me to some terrifc rums. 

Rumrun11:

I just checked your wish list. The Mount Gay 1703 Master Select would be a waste of $150 for you since it is very similar to the Mount Gay XO Triple Cask that you rated as a 6. You also mentioned that you don't like bourbon notes in rum (same here too!!!). Well, most of the Foursquare ECS rums were created to bring bourbon lovers over to rum. So I would scratch that Foursquare 2007 from your list as well. I no longer buy any of those. The Doorly's 14 year is worth the effort to find, IF you can still find it. You have some very fine ones in your list!

I just went through another tally in my spreadsheet. Of all the rums that I have reviewed on here, a whopping 31% will never be bought again, and this was to the tune of approximately $4000 US. Some were so bad, that I wound up giving them away to a neighbor just to soothe her nerves without caring how bad it tasted. Again, buyer beware!

Hey Paul! Thanks for the response. I will not buy the MG 1703 or the Foursquare in my wish list but will leave them in my whish list as I do not want to forget about them. Perhaps in my travels at some point I can find a bar where I can at least have a glass instead of spending the $$$ on a bottle. I did a quick review of the rums on my online shelf and almost 60% i will never but again. I will not buy anything rated below a 7 again for sure. I have to admit a handful of the lower rated rums were trial size 50ml and knew going in that they were going to be crap. One of the thhings that has suprised me most (and I even saw on your spreadsheet) is that there really are a fair amount of excellent rums under $30 and a lot more under $40. So spending $50+ on any rum is not a guarantee on excellence, of course all rums rated are a personal matter of taste but for me and what I have seen from people like yourself that have rated a ton of rums, you do not need to spend big bucks to get some of the best rums out there. And as you mentioned in your post, buyer beware!

Rumrun11:

Good idea to keep those two rums on your wish list in the hopes of finding them in a bar to sample, but serious good luck on that.

The 31% that I will never buy again are the ones that I have rated at 5 or below. Now and then, a rum that I rated as a 6 winds up in my small collection just because "it was on the shelf and I have not had this one in a while". I often regret these spontaneous purchases. Now, if I included my 6-rated rums for never purchasing again, that 31% would jump up much higher. Most of my rated rums are rated at a 6, which is borderline between love and hate. My most expensive rum that I bought wound up at a 6 rating, Diplomatico Ambassador for $231.

Enjoy both of your extensive inputs to this site !

I'm at the rum stage where I've dropped bourbon and cokes as my chosen drink and now firmly prefer rum and coke(zero as doing low carb!).

I still haven't truly adapted to drinking neat spirits though. I've built a really big collection of some good rums but I'm just not developed enough to waste them on me yet . I've got 2 Caronis, 3 Zacapa 30, full set Chairman's reserve, the 4 Facundos, 2 Centenario reals, Centenario 30,25,20, Don Q reserva de La familia and many others . all wasted if I drink them now with exception of maybe the Centenario 20 which I enjoy sipping as I guess I'm still preferring sweeter neat drinks .

I've got some opened bottles that I just don't know what to do with- the Diplomatico no1,no2 where I don't like the neat taste and they just don't taste good with a mixer either . one surprise I have found though is that I like the plain Bacardi but only if it's mixed with Diet Coke and good squeeze of lime. Doesn't work with other mixers, only the real Diet Coke and lime.  Just seems to work 🤷‍♂️i have realised though that it's pointless me collecting good rums and now I'm quite happy at the cheaper end of the rums. I've learnt my place I guess !

Thank you Xpommy!  I only joined about 1 year ago and I have really learned a lot from the people that have been on this site for a long time and have tried a lot more rum than me.   As for my rums, I drink either neat or on ice. I really avoid mixing any alcohol with sugary drinks. 

After further analysis, all of my rum reviews can be broken down into thirds.

1) The top third are one that I have rated at 7 to 10. The only problem with some of my 9-10 ratings is good luck finding them again. This is still the entire group where all of my repeat purchases happen. The average cost in this group was $48 per bottle.

2) The middle third are the ones that I have rated at a 6. I try not to buy these, but now and then, one of them sneaks into my collection since I have not had it in quite a while. The average cost in this group was $30 per bottle.

3) The bottom third are rums that I rated between 1 to 5 and I will NEVER buy any of these again. The average cost in this group was $25 per bottle.

However, high cost does not always equate to high quality.

Hello Paul, I absolutely have to agree with you about high cost not equating to high quality.  Stades No. 8 and The Real McCoy and Plantation 5 year (when I am in the mood for a sweet rum) are prime examples and, at least where I am, can be bought for under $30 and they are worth every penny.  

I picked up a Stades no. 8 a couple weeks ago and have to agree, its a hell of a bargain.  And to me for a Barbados rum it has more character than something like Doorly's 12yo.  I like Doorly's OK, and for around $30 its a great deal as well, but it just doesn't excite me enough to buy it again.  I also have the 2010 ECS, and same story there, I can't deny its an impressive rum, but it just doesn't excite me, and at 3x the price of the Doorly's 12yo I absolutely won't be a repeat customer on that one.

I think I've fallen down the Jamaican rabbit hole for now, and I'm in the opposite situation as Paul.  Where I live I have several excellent rum sources so my problem is having too many to choose from.

dougw:

Sorry for the late reply, but here are two great Jamaican rums that I have found within the last year.

 $32 US Myer's Single Barrel Select (with medallion on neck!...very important because their Reserve is awful, but both bottles look the same)

 $136 NROJ -Long Pond ITP-15 Year (IF you can find it, it is well worth the time and money spent finding it)

Paul B, thanks for the leads.

If you have a few minutes, could you read my latest post on the "what the funk" thread.  Hit the "read more" link to see the full post.  I've tried a bunch more Jamaicans over the last month and have a few questions that I'd like to hear your opinion/feedback on.  thanks.

dougw:

I just tried to answers your questions under "What The Funk". You may need a strong stomach.

Paul: As a fan of Islay malts, I'm finding the Jamaican rums to be quite to my liking.  Not that they're similar, just that they are both a bit "out there" compared to other options.  I have some that I like better than others, but haven't found one I can't drink.  My Spanish style rums are feeling unloved lately.