Aged rums that are not quite dry


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Paul B 🇺🇸 | 472 ratings Author Posted 15 Feb '19

When I refer to "not quite dry", I mean that these rums have anywhere from 1-9 grams per liter of added sugar, so I did not include them in my list of bone dry rums with zero added sugar. These also do not have enough added sugar for me to qualify them as being semi-dry (10-19 gpl of added sugar). As you can see from my ranked list below, most of these rated very well. There were a few white rums and black rums that met this added sugar category, but I am only including aged rums in this list, with my rating shown to the left. 10 Dictador XO Insolent 10 Dictador 20 9 Carta Vieja Golden Cask 18 9 Dictador 12 8 Blackwell's Reserve 8 Santa Teresa 1796 8 Kirk & Sweeney 18 8 Pusser's Gunpowder Proof 7 Ron Cartavio Solera 12 7 Matusalem Gran Reserva 18 7 Cana Brava 7 Year Old 7 Havana Club 7 7 Matusalem Gran Reserva 15 7 Pusser's Rum 84 7 Bayou Select 7 Ron del Barrilito 3-Star 7 Don Q Oak Barrel Spiced 7 Brugal 1888 6 Barbancourt 4 Year 6 Diplomatico Mantuano 6 Botran Solera 1893 6 Barcelo Gran Anejo 6 Kirk & Sweeney 12 6 Don Q Gran Anejo 5 Santa Teresa Anejo 5 Barbancourt Estate Reserve 15 4 Flor de Cana 18
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Paul B 🇺🇸 | 472 ratings Author Replied 6 Dec '19

Jaybird: It is extremely rare for the last sip in a bottle to taste as good as the first sip. These rare finds will almost no added sugar. When I first started this rum journey two years ago, I had dreams of having a large collection and being able to sip a little at a time from each one. Imagine my horror when I found out that the sugar bombs never lasted more than four months and very few still tasted as good as that first sip. For this reason, I always adjust my ratings as the bottle slowly empties. I also found something odd with the cork versus screw cap. Wines need to breathe through the cork, but rums should only be allowed to breathe once poured into a snifter. Many criticize highly rated rums such as Foursquare for using "cheap looking" screw caps. Well, guess what? A screw cap with a plastic liner will never have a chemical reaction with the contents in the bottle. Sure, those fancy corks with often exotic looking tops look great, but the screw cap is actually a better choice to maintain the flavors.
JA
Jaybird 🇺🇸 | 48 ratings Replied 6 Dec '19

Paul: That is interesting. I'll have to note any changes I seem to notice as the rum ages in the bottle. I don't go through the 18 particularly fast as it's definitely a sipper. It definitely is oak forward, almost bourbon-like perhaps. The 12 is very good and it is less expensive and available in Ohio. The 18 is not at this time. I picked that up on a trip. Interestingly the Mt. Gay XO is a rum I haven't tried as yet. It's readily available locally but I just haven't picked it up. Is your initial opinion favorable and then it just goes down from there? I really like the Eclipse and Black Barrel expressions for cocktails and even take a sip of the BB on the rocks at times. Kamamura: The Appleton 12 year is one of my go to rums. I sip it, mix it and it is especially great in cocktails like a Mai Tai as the Jamaican rum. I think it has great balance, not bone dry and definitely not sweet! To me it's an all around great rum to have on the shelf. I'm a fan of Appleton. While the 21 year is expensive it's awesome. I also like the reserve blend for cocktails. I think they do a great job. Happy sipping all!
KA
Kamamura 🇨🇿 | 37 ratings Replied 6 Dec '19

Try Appleton 12y. It's my favorite go-to rum, and it's not IMO overly dry.
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Paul B 🇺🇸 | 472 ratings Author Replied 1 Oct '19

Jaybird: Flor de Cana 18 is definitely dry. However, after half the bottle was gone after a few months, the taste deteriorated like hell. Only one other dry rum fell into this category, which was Mount Gay XO. Dry rums are not supposed to behave like this!!! However, these are the only two dry rums to avoid this assumption. My advice is to stick with Flor de Cana 12. Being too long in the wood seems to hold true for aging in the tropics of the Caribbean.
JA
Jaybird 🇺🇸 | 48 ratings Replied 1 Oct '19

Just curious, Flor de Cana states that they have no sugar or other additives in their rums and to my palate the Flor de Cana 18 has none. I see you don't particularly care for that one but that is personal preference. Where have you seen that this rum has anything added. I'm just curious as I have not seen this and would be interested to look into it. Thanks. Your posts are always fun and info filled.