Advice for a beginner - Not too sweet sipping rum

El dorado 8 year is not overly sweet like the 12 year and very enjoyable. Mount Gay XO is better than eclipse or Black barrel and exceptional with a bit of water added or one ice cube for sipping. You may like Ron Zacapa 23 Solera. Some people say it's very sweet but it's only half as sweet as el dorado 12 and more balanced. Recommend don q anejo or gran anejo if u can get your hands on them as well- cheers!

Zacapa is more balanced than ED12, but it's still very sweet (a good dessert rum, IMO). It's well-known that ED heavily sugars all their higher-end sipping rums (12+), though, as you found, the 3, 5, and 8-years have negligible sugar added. Other labels known to leave their rums unadulterated with sugar/coloring are: - Foursquare (try one of their Exceptional Cask Series releases—IMO among the finest rums available; RL Seale's Finest 10-year is also very good, but slightly on the sweeter side) - Doorly's or Real McCoy (both also made by Foursquare) - Mt. Gay (try Black Barrel or XO) - Appleton (try Reserve Blend or Rare Blend 12-year) - Havana Club 7 or Seleccion de Maestros - Barbancourt 8-year or 15-year - Brugal 1888 In general, rums from Barbados, Jamaica, and Cuba are not sweetened. You may also want to explore agricoles, typically from Martinique. Fermented from fresh sugar cane juice rather than molasses, they represent a very different style of rum compared to all the others I've mentioned. Budget permitting, you may want to try a blanc, vieux/ambre/eleve sous bois, and an older bottling such as Neisson Réserve Spéciale over the course of the next year or two. If you have Hamilton rums available in the UK, buy them—they are all fantastic. Let us know what you end up trying over the coming months!

Thanks for the advice I have just ordered the following: El Dorado 8 Year Old Foursquare Spiced Rum 3cl Sample La Hechicera Fine Aged Rum 3cl Sample Will let you know how it went!!

El Dorado 8 Year Old - Well tried it last night and what a disappointment, really liked the 5yr old thought this would be better, horrible, like a smooth cooking sherry!! Also my daughter bought me a Appleton Estate signature blend, wow this was drain cleaner! Doesn't taste anything like rum as I know it!! So two bottles ready to use as mixers at some time but not by me!! Foursquare Spiced Rum 3cl Sample - Will sample tonight La Hechicera Fine Aged Rum 3cl Sample - Will sample tonight

Hmm I thought I posted this the other night, but it doesn't seem to have shown up - I have been having problems with the internet at the resort I am staying, so perhaps a firewall issue. If you think the Appleton rum was drain cleaner, you might not like funky estery rums so probably stay away from Jamaicans. If you liked the taste of the El Dorado 12 yr but not the sweetness, try the Hamilton 86 Demeraran. I got a bottle of this while on vacation in FL and it is a screaming bargain at $20. Very intense, smoky, lots of molasses flavor but not much sweetness. Instantly became one of my favorites. I've always wondered what the ED 12 yr would taste like without all the added sugar, now I feel like I know.

Thanks Scott will give the Hamilton 86 a try soon Well I had the two samples to try and was getting worried it would be a long search to find something I really enjoyed! Foursquare Spiced Rum 3cl Sample - WOW, love it, smooth, not sweet, but has some vanilla and earthy tastes which for me are perfect straight, just the right amount of burn, without doubt the best rum I have had to date! La Hechicera Fine Aged Rum 3cl Sample - Not good, struggled through the sample, harsh, just not for me!

Just ordered two bottles of Foursquare Spiced Rum online 25 UK pounds a bottle!

Try any of the Foursquare special cask editions: Port Cask Zinfandel Cask 2004 Cask Strength Criterion (if you can find it!!!) Also try RL Seale 10 year and Doorly's XO (all produced by Foursquare Distillery)

I didn't like La Hechicera the first time I opened the bottle. I was very disappointed, too. But then I had another sip a few days later, and it was very, very good. I can't explain it, but I think this rum needs to breathe. It's the first time I've ever come across that.

Hi Glenn, I started out on the finer rums last December. Here'e the thread I started https://www.rumratings.com/comments/1138 beginner's perspective on things in there for you, and how some of my opinions changed over time. For a really good cheap rum try Rebellion Spiced. Only £20 but could be £30, not many at £20 you don't need to mix.

May I suggest you try the following: - Mount Gay XO (Barbados) - Barbancourt 5 stars 8 yr Rum (Haiti) - Cruzan Barrel Estate (St-Croix)

Hi Glenn, like you I'm a Brit and we can only read with jealousy what our American cousins pay for rum. 😡it's not fair. If you want to spend up to £50, Plantation Barbados 20 yr old. You won't be disappointed. But for roughly half the price, try the P B 5yr old. Pound for pound it takes some beating. Hope that helps and you enjoy them. Cheers Graham.

Dos Maderas 5+5

I would recommend the Bajan rum like Mount Gay XO, RL Seale 10 year and Doorly's XO too. Try to find some bottles of Demerara rum from an independent bottler. This rum had usually no additives like colour and sugar.

If you can get your hands on some Brugal 1888; it is a inexpensive dry, smooth rum

I am sorry for posting my question here but I cannot create new discussion because of error. Hello, I hope that someone can help me. Today I decided to buy some good rum and based on reviews here I pick Presidente 15 year. I am happy and eager to try it but after inspecting bottle against light, I found there are tiny pieces floating around, not many but they are clearly visible. So I want to ask if its normal for aged rum or should I return the bottle ?

Pajolatax, the specs are somewhat normal. Tate it. If it's good drink it. If not take it back and tell them it's contaminated, but I bet it's good.

If you don't want sweet (or rather heavily sweetened) rum, I advise you to stay away from Zacapa, Zafra, Diplomatico or El Dorado range, since all are adulterated/sweetened. Most "premiumised" rums are today. Pick something from Barbados or Jamaica, as legislature there forbids the practice (whisky and bourbon producers cannot do it either). I recommend Mount Gay XO, Real McCoy, R. J. Seale's 10y old rum, Cockspur, Doorly's, Rum SixtySix, Appleton range, anything from Hamden Estate, anything from Velier (especially their older Demerara rums) - always honest, unsweetened, but expensive these days, or if you want something exotic, I liked Japanese rum called Ryoma a lot.