Capn Jimbo's Rum Project Forum

[Capn Jimbo]

Pyrat XO Rum: "Orange Marmalade Glaze"

The first bottle of rum I ever bought was Mount Gay XO. Second was Zacapa 23, and third was Pyrat XO. All very different, all well respected, all well reviewed and all (barely) falling in the Compleat Idiot's budget. I still recall having Sue Sea's niece and her boyfriend over for a crude rum tasting and how we nearly finished off the Pyrat. Ryan now drinks nothing but.

But I gotta be honest. Pyrat really does belong in the Tie Dye category, particularly the Pistol but also XO. Are there additives or flavorings in Pyrat? Survey sez...

Probably. More about this, but first the reviews:

Sue Sea:

[RT]

Been fighting a nasty cold this past week, too much snow shoveling I guess. Anyway, with the taste buds on the fritz, it has been a good opportunity to focus on drinking some of the less favorite rums on my shelf.

The first rum I would put in my "rum as cough syrup" category is Pyrat XO. This was one of the first "premium" rums to appear on the shelves of the PA state stores, so it has been my acquaintance for quite a while.

As a sipper for novice rummies, it is sweet, it has some perkiness, and it goes down easy (kind of like that girl Roxy in high school). But revisiting it now that my cold has cleared, I find more to dislike than to like.

For one thing, the orange flavor. Too artificial and strong to be a natural rum flavor, but not full enough to be a true orange liqueur like say, the Clement Creole Shrubb.

For another thing, the flavors hiding under the orange. I detect a metallic bitterness and a smoky tobacco note, neither of which I particularly enjoy.

Now, other than the smokyness, we seem to be disagreeing. I will point out that my bottle, now 2/3 empty, has been open about a year, but the cork is intact and tight and the rum is not at all cloudy. So it is possible that some of the off flavor is due to staleness. But not likely all, and my tasting notes do appear consistent with some that I have seen on other sites.

My rating would be about a 6 (without a cold) or 6.5 (with a cold).

And yes, you can improve your rating of a bad rum by comparing it head-to-head with an even worse one.
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Students of the cask, reject naught but water. -Charles Gonoud, Faust Act 2

[Capn Jimbo]

I gotta agree...

Keep in mind there's a reason why the Pyrats are in the Twiggie section.

RT, I think you are right on the money. After you've spent some time here, you'll probably begin to notice which of the rums were our more early, tentative reviews. As time has passed, we have moved farther and farther away from the Twiggie Rums, and even considering Sue Sea's desire to be fair to all tastes, this review needs revisiting.

It's our plan to re-review all rums as they are bottomed, partly to decide if they will be replaced (the acid test) and partly to update and improve our reviews. As you no doubt know, the art of tasting - like music - is a never ending journey.

And speaking of such, The other evening Sue Sea and I journied to a nice, fun restaurant that features outdoor seating (a big plus here in Paradise), great food, good prices, fun waiters and a decent bar.

Except for rum.

The only real sipper they had was this one, Pyrat XO, so I ordered a snifter. Got a great pour and it lasted most of the evening. Actually, it could have lasted the next day as well, as I really didn't like it anywhere near as much as our review indicated. Neither did Sue Sea.

Accordingly, watch this space for a re-review. Any time now, lol...
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[Pyrate Surgeon]

I must admit, I'm a rhum enjoyer who's taken to dabbling in blending. I think one has to keep in mind that not only has Pyrate XO changed it's label, but it's taste since early 2000.

Working with the 'orange-honey' flavor, this rum I use as a base with most of my blends--but only as a base. Adding other selected rums in proper proportions, I've managed to arrive at 2 distinctive blends. Thanks to a challenge place upon me by himself, Bilgemunkey, I have 2 more blends to create. But among my associates, many who admit to being rum and whiskey/whisky snobs, when they hear that I'll be in attendance of a function, they know I will have my blends with me--and I've always returned home with drained-dry bottles.

I would like to pass along a sample to Capt'n for his assessment, but the Postal service might have issues. Something I must look into further...
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The Rhum comes After the surgery, mate!

[JaRiMi]

I cannot for the life of me consider Pyrat a rum - it tastes more like a orange liqueur than anything else. Is it good? It tastes pleasant, has a nice spiced flavour and is smooth. I would not personally sip it as such, but serve it with a dessert or in a cocktail.

A rum...? Well, a spiced rum for sure. I would eat some hat of mine if I was proved that this is a "pure rum".

As a product with no clear age statement and a taste that speaks miles of added flavours I think it is overpriced (at least in Europe). A good replacement for Cointreau in any case.

[Mike.357]

I have been on a rum buying jag of late and picked up a .750 of Pyrat XO yesterday. It is 24.99 on our shelf.

I dunno, middle of the road stuff. My opinion is tainted though. Patron is big name big time distilling. And I can't stand the stupid orange ribbon tied around the neck much less the clanking little tag of some idol.

It tastes alright, lots of orange. Might be good adding a splash of it to a mimosa. I dunno about drinking it straight. Two good pours on ice last night left me underwhelmed.

It is not offensive but just not remarkable. There are a lot of others way worse.

I gave it three stars.
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Pain or damage don't end the world. or despair or fucking beatings. The world ends when you're dead. Until then, you got more punishment in store. Stand it like a man... and give some back. -Al Swearengen (Deadwood)