Welcome to Yo Ho Ho, NABOR!

My Scale for Rating Rum Keep in mind as you read my reviews and ratings that I'm giving you my opinions from a unique perspective. So here's that view of rum that impacts my ratings.

1. I really, really don't like spiced or flavored rum.

2. I've discovered a preference for aging that transcends price.

3. Too much alcohol or too much of a burn straight up hides the quality of rum.

4. I'm surprisingly unswayed by others' opinions of rums, but I am driven to try rums about which others rave.

5. I gave up trying and rating cheaper rums with the exception of some novelty rums.

6. A typical tasting is both straight up and with Diet Coke.

7. I'm not much of a drinker. I don't have more than two drinks in an evening. So I really savor my rum and Diet Cokes.

My Rating Scale 1 to 10, Worst to Best No quibbling over decimal points; although, I have gone back and changed ratings--and reserve the authority to do so again.

The lowest three ratings are just rather poor rums that I don't like.
1 = Pour it out. 2 = Rub it on. 3 = Give it away.

The next three ratings mix with my Diet Coke, and I can be polite about them in company.
4 = Mix it very well. 5 = Mix it. 6 = Accept the gift, but don't regift.

The 7's are a conundrum. They knocked on the door, but the knock on them is typically too much alcohol bite.
7 = Don't turn it down.

These are the rums I hope to get when dining out or in a bar.
8 = Put it on the Top Shelf. 9 = Write it at the Top of the List.


These rums are so far above the others that everyone who tastes them instantly realizes they are special.
10 = Mark it as the Ultimate Rum.

Value Ratings The value ratings are calculated by squaring a rum's rating and dividing by the price for a 750 ml bottle. The very expensive ones don't compete on value. The really bad ones can't overcome their 1 or 2 ratings. This helps find the 8's and 9s that deliver the best taste for the money.

Monday, May 28, 2012


Is aging really a reality for a real rum drinker?

Yes.  Oops, I just gave away the conclusion of this whole blog entry.  Please read on anyway.

What we need to test out the question of just how important aging is for a rum drinker is a rum that is available in a variety of aging choices.  Thank you, El Dorado.  As all the loyal followers of this blog are fully familiar, 

El Dorado is available in these ages and rated by me as follows:
  • ·         Aged 12 years (Rated 7),
  • ·         Aged 15 years (Rated 8),
  • ·         Aged 21 years (Rated 9), and
  • ·         Aged 25 years (Rated 10). 

Now one might think these ratings to be suspect considering how neatly spaced they are—7, 8, 9, 10.  Oh, but you must give me credit beyond just lining up these excellent rums in order of their labels.  In fact, I didn’t even purchase them in that order, or taste them in that order, or rate them in that order.  I’ve even set them out in front of friends for tastings and had them correctly identify their aging. 

The most definitive statement about aging is the difference between El Dorado 25 and any other rum I and all my friends have tasted.  Each of us has immediately declared the amazing smoothness of El Dorado 25 compared to other rums and the other El Dorados. 
Of course, we can’t afford to drink “El 25” casually.  So El Dorado 21 is the default, and quite frankly, is a fantastic choice. 

My conclusion is simply, when selecting your rum, pay attention to the number of years it has been aged.  The aging definitely makes a difference.  
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