nice rums?

[Mark C]

Originally Posted by G.Elrod

My current favorite is Zacapa 23, but after all the high praise, I intend to find a bottle of Zaya when I get home from this desert.

The only bottle in my collection that hasn't been mentioned is Seven Fathoms. It is currently only available in the Cayman Islands and is well worth trying if you can get your hands on it. The strong oak flavors are slightly reminiscent of a good bourbon. I am more stingy with this stuff than I am my pre-Patron Planters Gold Pyrat XO Reserve.

My parents were on Grand Cayman this summer, brought me back a bottle of Seven Fathoms, and Havana Club. They actually brought 3 bottles of Seven Fathoms back, and managed to get two different batches. There's a noticeable difference between batch 9 and batch 10. If I remember right, 10 was the first batch with a new still. Since it's a small shop, there's room for that sort of variance from one lot to the next. I think that makes it even more interesting. Which lot is your bottle from?

In other rum news, I spent the weekend in St. Pete, FL and came home with a bottle of Barbancourt Grand Reserve, Prichard's, and Centenario rum. Tasted all three side by side, at room temp, neat.

Centenario tastes a lot like Zacapa 23. Haven't tried 'em side by side yet, but not sure I'd tell the difference otherwise.

Prichard's is quite good, especially since it's a Tennessee rum. Has a bit more barrel flavor, almost like a hint of Bourbon. I like the 'toasty' rums better than 'sweet' rums, so at first taste I put this above Centenario. Might improve with a tiny piece of ice, but not bad neat.

The Barbancourt is the loser of the bunch. It wasn't all that great, definitely not on par with the other two. Needs another try though, maybe on ice.