Reference Standards: A Case for...

[RT]

I enjoyed very much reading your treatise on reference standards.

A few years ago, when I decided to graduate from Captain Morgan and coke to real rum, I observed that there were many different styles of rum, and many different rum producing countries. I initially adopted the premise that each rum producing nation would have certain rums that were characteristic of it's producing history, a national style if you will.

So I set about collecting such rums, and learning to appreciate them.

More recently, I have begun to observe some flaws in my system. Some of the countries do not have a national style so much as they copy another's style. And a few other countries have a relatively large number of producers, that copy many other styles.

Your identification of five basic styles fits well with my observations, right down to selection of Mount Gay XO, Appleton Extra, and El Dorado 15 as three of the standards. I selected Havana Club 7, simply because I have never had the privilege of tasting the 15, and Barbancourt 15 because I haven't yet tasted the 8 (and I'm still a bit confused by all of the Martinique offerings and distinctions). So we have a pretty amazing level of agreement, overall.

Now I have gone a few steps further. My category #6 is Navy style rums. Pusser's is probably the standard for this, although I prefer the Gosling's Black Seal (in part because I enjoy travel to Bermuda so much).

My category #7 is Dessert style rums. I define these as classic aged rum flavor but with added sweetness (and added flavors, if any, still well balanced with the natural rum flavors). Zaya 12 and Zacapa 23 are pretty good examples, and I give the nod to the Zacapa if only due to the Zaya's recent identity crisis. While I do not sip these rums as often as their drier counterparts, my sweet tooth and I do believe that every good meal deserves an equally good dessert.

My category #8 is Flavored rums, also including spiced rums and rum creams. This is kind of a catch-all category, and it's pretty much a given that these products will be sweetened too. I don't think there's any one definitive standard for this group, but Pyrat XO, Sailor Jerry, Foursquare, and Castries Rum Cream are all good examples.

I make no attempt to include overproofs, clears, or cachacas in my analysis, since I have little or no experience with them.

I will agree with the previous poster that your "Twiggy's Tie Dye" designation is a bit harsh (but funny none-the-less). Encompassing my categories 7 and 8, there are some very good products hiding in here with the crap.

Asking a rum newbie to jump from Captain Morgan to the Appleton, Barbancourt, or El Dorado in a single step will often lead to failure. Twiggy can serve to smooth the transition. Don't sell her short.

[Capn Jimbo]

Is it real or is it Memorex?

Thank you. And thanks too for a interesting post, nice to hear your thinking.

As you know, we segregated the five basic styles from the other categories (like overproof, flavored, navy, et al). This was done as both as matter of fact and also to reflect the history of rum.

Where I part company with modern trends is the Twiggie category. Sue Sea and I had the rare opportunity to meet and spend time with Richard Seale of the R.L. Seale company. I think it fair to say his molasses based rums are without peer. These include Doorly's and Seales 10.

If you dig around you may come across the story of that meeting, worth repeating here.

At a tasting of Bajan/Barbadian rums, Richard was the guest presenter of honor. He began by bringing out an unmarked bottle - a "special rum" he said "that I want to share with you". We assumed he was about to announce a new Seale's product.

A tasting was poured for all, and Richard then announced that he was going to ask us three questions. Anyone who answered all three would receive a bottle of his stupendous Seales 10. We duly tasted the "special rum", and Richard asked the following:

1. Is it molasses or cane juice based? Most said molasses.
2. Is is continuous or pot distilled? Most said pot stilled, and last -
3. How old is it? The average guess was around 7 years.

He then anounced that we were all wrong. "The rum is a brand new, continuously distilled molasses rum. I phonied it up with some additives". The audience - which included some very experienced tasters - was shocked. We'd been had, and had good. A young, inexpensive rum had been made to taste like an expensive, more complex, pot-stilled rum!

Richard refused to name the additives, but still gave away the 10 year, sadly not to us.

He then proceeded to describe in detail Seale's process, and commitment to absolute integrity, integration of both traditional and modern processes and the absolute rejection of additives. He made clear his rums taste as they do completely and solely due to their fermentation, distillation, aging and blending; further, that every single drop of the rum in the bottle was at least the age stated. Last, that if he produces a rum for Seale or for anyone else, he bottles and labels it, or he won't sell it.

Amazing.

Since then Sue Sea and I have come to more and more appreciate what we call real rums. It does not take long to notice which rums contain additives, and often excessively so. The distillers who do so are out to create a flavor profile and they don't care how they do it. If a young rum can be altered to create a market and/or increased sales, so be it.

The rums in the Twiggie section are those, which in our opinion, have gone over the top in adulterating their product. When additives and taste engineers run the show, excuse us out. Worse yet, these flavored rums are not so marked. The age statements cannot be trusted. Is Zacapa really 23 years old? Not likely.

Now mind you, we have given some reasonable ratings to some of these. We surely understand that many, many people participate and enjoy the "rum as liqueur" or flavored rum categories. And I agree that a "dessert rum" can be an easy entry for some. But one will never know the real quality of the underlying rum. Chances are it would not hold its own without the chemical and other additives/adulterants.

If you don't believe me, I've got a "special rum" for you, lol...

Seriously, to each his own. But let me end with this. I sincerely believe that an appreciation learned via the reference standards and with rums created through the artistry of master distillers - can only lead to a better understanding of all rums, flavored or not.

Ergo the Twiggie category. Stylish but without an excess of substance, forgive me. It's all Richard Seale's fault...


*********


Quick note: Zaya's identity crisis was not of their own making, as you may know. The takeover of Zacapa (and dwinding stocks to make their "23 year" product led them to dump Zaya, who was forced to move their operations to Trinidad. I never tasted the original Zaya, but have read its reviews. The new Zaya is reviewed in the Twiggie section, is clearly different, and we liked it. Sweet and punchy, nice.

[RT]

The Zaya (old) has always been too "cloyingly" sweet for my preferences, but my wife enjoys it (a bit surprising since her sweet tooth is limited to only the darkest chocolates, and she likes her wines bone dry).

When the old Zaya started disappearing (and we hadn't heard about the new yet) I stocked up. So it will be a while before I purchase any of the new for a proper comparison.

The reviews I have seen suggest that the new is a bit lighter, but not inferior.

[Capn Jimbo]

RT, I really do hope you run across a new Zaya. Down here they can be had for $29 (much less than the old). At that price it's a no-brainer for us. I'd especially like to hear your impressions as you have had some tongue time with the old.

Because I'd never tasted the old, I relied on my good associates RnD and the Bilgemunkey for their impressions (which appear in the Zaya review in the, uh, Twiggie section). Seems they found the new version fuller, hotter, heavier, less subtle.

Bilge liked that. And I must say, so did I. Bilge really caught it when he said: "It's kind of like meeting a dusky tribal queen dressed from head to toe in rich silks and golden feathers, and when you reach out to politely kiss her hand she instead sits on your lap and liplocks you in front of your bewildered crew".

Now you know I'm not a big fan of adulterated rums. But in its category, Zaya got me! Scored an "8", and I concluded that the new Zaya is not a sipping rum, but it is surely more than a dessert rum.

I honestly thought it defined its own class. I love to hear your impressions when you find one.

[RT]

A. $39 here thanks to the monopoly.

B. I will add it to my Santa list and hopefully do a head-to-head before the new year.

C. As long as its not the ghost of Freddie Mercury!

[Capn Jimbo]

Hmmm...



I'm pretty sure Freddie wasn't quite what Bilge had in mind, lol...

Actually it was Ru Paul...