Sylbaris: "La Mauny is a commercial everyday variety rhum on Martinique which is reflected in its relatively low price, hardly in the class of Neisson, La Favorite, Clement or J.M"
You can always tell a rum snob.
First of all they call Cane Juice Rums by using the not the English, but French translation "rhum agricole". Second, they assume that the only authentic cane juice rums are made in Martinique. Actually, for all practical purposes cane juice rums (or the term "rhum agricole") originated nearly 200 years earlier in Haiti and their Barbancourt.
Last, they confuse price with quality and consistency. None of these is true.
Even though they are made in Martinique, La Mauny and St. James both are held in scowling disrepect by these characters - odd since all the AOC branded Martinique cane juice rums are made in a very similar, very highly regulated manner. Read La Mauny's process and it looks pretty much like any other distillery. Even better, their cane is still largely hand cut.
As far as ratings go La Mauny is far from the "commercial everyday variety rhum" claimed by senior monkey Sylbaris. But a real reviewer, The Beverage Tasting Institute, awarded consistently high ratings (around 90) to their entire Mauny line. This is remarkable. As for St. James, none other than Dave Broom found the St. James line consistently scoring quite well in about the middle of Martinique pack.
This is hilarious!
Why? For two reasons. The first is that the entire band of Shillery monkeys literally cream over cane juice rums like the expensive J. Bally or Clement as being head and shoulders over the La Mauny and/or St. James. As for the second reason, let's let the agricologist Preacher set this up...
Interestingly, Monkey faves Bally and Clement dont' even distill their own rum - while St. James, the largest producer of cane juice rum on the island, retains complete control over the entire process, as does La Mauny. So why oh why do the Monkeys dislike La Mauny and St. James so much? Could they possibly have something in common?Preacher: "Although the distillery closed in 1989, the J. Bally brand is still be produced and bottled on Martinique... The distillation column has been moved to Distillerie Simon, where Bally Rhum is now distilled. "
They do: low price.
Both St. James and especially La Mauny can be found for comparatively (very) low prices. St. James Ambre can be found in the low $30's, while La Mauny can be had in the $20's. While this is pretty average for molasses-based rums, these prices are flea market prices for agricoles. And let's not forget Rhum Negrita at a mere $17.
Low, low prices and accordingly, low, low regard by the sycophantic Monkeys who equate ape, er age and price with quality. Say it ain't so, Jo-Jo! But it is. And it's not just at the Shillery. Lance at Liquorature is another adherent of price/age means quality myth.
Snobs all, and all wrong.
