Alleyne Arthur's Special Barbados

I call this a journeyman rum since it offers versatility and reliability without being too fancy.

The color is a light amber with a nice viscosity. It clings to the sides of the glass for a long time developing very, very good legs. The aroma is nice and solid. No astringency making the nose tingle.

The flavor is very basic...an initial sweetness from the molasses then some noticeable oak tannins. According the Richard Seale himself...the man behind this rum...it is a blend of rums aged two to three years with absolutely no additives whatsoever.

In other words, what you taste is what you get.

I would love to shake that man's hand and thank him for honest rums.

Being that this is a rum from Barbados means a bit more for me since I have found most of my favorite rums originate from there. Secondly since this is an R.L. Seale product it is guaranteed to be quality.

That alone is worth a few ratings points.

This is a seriously authentic molasses-based rum that any mixologist worth his salt should have on his shelf. A bit more potent than typical rums (it comes in at 43% ABV which is 86 proof) it doesn't have any major burn. A nice strong warmth in the back of the throat.

Although not as smooth as rums aged longer this isn't overly harsh either and would be a good sipping rum for the adventurous but probably not acceptable for those preferring sweeter rums.

However...

...as a mixing rum this is a spectacular rum that I highly recommend. And the price is more than reasonable. Around $15 USD which I think would make it an attractive rums for professionals. Hopefully more will pick up on its quality.

Once again I tip my hat to Mr. R.L. Seale.

Found this at Total Wine in Charleston, Sc. It caught my eye at only $10.99 for a 750ml bottle and the label didn't seem cheesy or cheap, like Malibu or Burnett's. I tried it neat, but there was a bit too much burn for me. When I added a cube of ice though, it mellowed out considerably. At $10.99 it's definitely worth the price.

Another bargain from Richard Seale and Foursquare, nothing fancy but a good solid basic rum at a price that puts it on par with the cheap stuff from Bacardi, which it puts to shame.

Picked this up for $13. 86 proof, blended, and no additives, straight from Foursquare Distillery. It’s a 10/10 for value. I imagine it is fantastic for mixing but haven’t tried yet. It’s passable as a sipper but not recommended. Give it to your non-rum-fan friends so you don’t waste the expensive stuff on them.

This is a rum that was quite tatsty when used as a mixer. Nothing overpowering or harsh or offensive, just a fine rum to get the night going. I will keep some of this handy.

Great choice for mixing on the cheap. Bottle at 86 proof which is a huge thumbs up in my book. And for the price You simply can’t go wrong. R.L. Seale one of if not the best distillers of rum is offering an excellent budget rum here.

I finally got to try this very hard to find rum, thanks to Total Wine in Las Vegas. At 86 proof, it packs a wallop, so it is not a neat sipper. Adding ice cubes improves it tremendously by removing the burn and allowing one to taste just pure unadulterated rum. There is also no penalty the next day if one consumes too much as I did. I used it as a pain killer for a serious leg injury. I may not have been able to hike at all because of this, but at least I did not have to worry about rattlesnakes and scorpions as I remained hotel bound with quite a few new rums.

Update February 9, 2020: I finally got myself two more bottles of this fantastic pain killer. I now have an emotional attachment to it in memory of it being a great opioid free painkiller with no penalties the next day. I just had to test it neat in Glencairn glasses against my favorite budget rum, Don Q Anejo. The taste was very close, but due to the lesser burn from this one, it wins by a slim margin. I guess that means that my rating needs to jump up from a 6 to a 7. It also helps knowing that this one will soon be available nearby at the first Total Wine to open in my home state.

It's a scientific fact: most $12 rums are made with squirrel urine and cheap additives in big factories which sell the stuff to frat boys and frat girls all across the US, where it is drowned in soda pop and guzzled until everyone pukes, passes out and eventually wakes up embarrassed and on probation.

This stuff, on the other hand, is genuine Bajan rum produced by – drum roll – R. L. Seale, aka God. Sure, it's not magnificent, top-tier sipping rum, but it's better than anything else you can find for twelve bucks. This is the IKEA version of his Seale's Ten Year Old rum: nothing elegant, just good, honest, affordable-for-all product which does what it's supposed to do and nothing more. Decent rum.

I'm usually afraid to try a $10 rum, but I know the price break with Total Wine and R.L. Seale so I gave it a try. This is another fine Barbados rum to while away the hours at the pool or the beach.

A decent rum. Not quite a good sipper but good in drinks.