Best Rums Under $30

[Che]

Originally Posted by rrplasencia

Try Rhum Babancourt, they make everything from 5-18 yr blends. It's from haiti and i'd put their 18 yr up against the ron zacapa 23 yr which is one of my favorites.

AFAIK the 15 year old Estate... is the eldest common Barbancourt iteration. At least on the US market.

Originally Posted by Guitarman-S.T-

Come on?! No ones going to vouch with me that Zaya' melts my FACE like a beast guitar solo from the mad man himself, Deathroned's front man Sam Hastings? Oh ok.. well i guess im a sucker for my own band haha, but come one.. ZAYA ZAYA!
straight up

As mentioned, I'm pretty sure Zaya is out of commission - at least as we knew it. Best to buy what you need right now (if you can find it).

EDIT: Didn't make it as far as yours and Mark's last replies. If you like it and can get it - get it. There hasn't been any official announcement which means it probably still shows up "in the system" in a lot of markets. That doesn't mean when a buyer tries to tap into what lists in the system - that it will be in stock.

[Pampero]

I'll respond to a bunch o' comments at once.

I like Zaya a whole bunch, better than 23 Anos in fact. The ownership/distribution arrangements for the Zacapa family of spirits got changed, and Zaya is made by the Zacapa folks, so that's why it is drying up.
Hi Time is a great place if you're in California to get not only whatever Zaya they may still have, but also Centenario XX. I have a bottle of that (talk about
great packaging) and I horde it.

Ango 1919 is a great, distinctive rum, and like Zaya, I think I've come to like it better than it's more famous and more expensive brother, 1824. It's a bit more refined and subtle. There are hundreds upon hundreds of rum producers in the world, so like cigars, it is a big, slippery slope.

I have 45 different rums at home, and probably 100 bottles all told, but I want to be clear; I ain't no lush. I drink, as they say, for pleasure, not oblivion.
Final: Tastes are varied, just like with the sticks, but if you're stuck on Bacardi (or it's owned brands) I think you owe it to yourself to have an adventure and get out and buy some different stuff. Must rum drinkers don't keep too much Bacardi around. It was a great brand 70 years ago when it was made you-know-where, but these days the number of their rums that are really distinguished is pretty thin. Same with Don Q (Puerto Rican rums are generally the lightest and least flavorful, Barrilito excepted) Malibu (OK...I think their stuff is junk) and...uh....the Captain, which is really spiced rum. Nothing wrong with liking this sort of stuff, but nobody can claim it's top shelf. Top shelf....you know....where they keep the good stuff in a bar. Most bars carry crappy selections of rum.
So you are unofficially encouraged to be adventurous. Like with gars, a lot of the smaller boutique distilleries produce some of the most interesting products. Pampero is a GREAT and widely available intro to high end rum.
If you like it, Santa Teresa 1796 is another Venezuelan you'll probably like.
For gars, El Dorado 15 and the Guatemalans (Zaya, Zacapa, Ron Botran) are also real safe bets. If you see a bottle of Matusalem Gran Reserva or Vizcaya, you can try them too. Those are said to be done up in the Cuban style, and they're both very reliable. But to me, the Cuban style is defined by Santiago 11 Anos. It is Cuban rum.
Standing by for more rum ruckus!

[Che]

Lew,

Admittedly I haven't looked right now, but last time I did, HiTime had a warning that they were limiting purchases to (1) bottle of Zaya & they had a disclaimer (if you will) that they are expecting a sizable shipment sometime in late summer to relieve the 1 bottle limit. Which sorta bolsters my belief that "the system" itself is either unaware or at least hasn't alerted even some of the biggest retailers to what's likely around the corner.

My guess is August or thereabout has been (at least 1 time of year) when HiTime was able to restock Zaya. Since there is no alert out there, I'm sure they are simply giving their normal estimate based on previous instances.

Which - that's what I was trying to emphasize for RGD - just because something shows up doesn't mean it is available - and the longer you wait the less likely it will be available - if it was to begin with.

A hint that this might have been coming was the anticipated Zacapa XO 25 that was supposed to be on the US market pretty significantly by now - it just seemed to fizzle from discussion as Diageo took on distribution. I understood Diageo to have an option in a couple of years to own, but for now they just hold distribution rights(?)

[Pampero]

You're all over this Che. Diego took on distribution with the ownership now a question down the road, The reason people speculate on that is because Diego has a habit of buying up the distillers that they distribute. The Zaya speculation is that since Zaya is a relatively small label, they might blow it off entirely and leave it to someone else to produce, which means....different blend. The best advice is that if you like Zaya, you buy it where you find it now.
For me, Ron Botran is close enough to Zaya to fill the hole for the time being, so that is a potential substitute. For all I know, Diego feels the same.
Zacapa XO....what's that?

[rizzle]

Originally Posted by Pampero

I'll respond to a bunch o' comments at once.

I like Zaya a whole bunch, better than 23 Anos in fact. The ownership/distribution arrangements for the Zacapa family of spirits got changed, and Zaya is made by the Zacapa folks, so that's why it is drying up.
Hi Time is a great place if you're in California to get not only whatever Zaya they may still have, but also Centenario XX. I have a bottle of that (talk about
great packaging) and I horde it.

Ango 1919 is a great, distinctive rum, and like Zaya, I think I've come to like it better than it's more famous and more expensive brother, 1824. It's a bit more refined and subtle. There are hundreds upon hundreds of rum producers in the world, so like cigars, it is a big, slippery slope.

I have 45 different rums at home, and probably 100 bottles all told, but I want to be clear; I ain't no lush. I drink, as they say, for pleasure, not oblivion.
Final: Tastes are varied, just like with the sticks, but if you're stuck on Bacardi (or it's owned brands) I think you owe it to yourself to have an adventure and get out and buy some different stuff. Must rum drinkers don't keep too much Bacardi around. It was a great brand 70 years ago when it was made you-know-where, but these days the number of their rums that are really distinguished is pretty thin. Same with Don Q (Puerto Rican rums are generally the lightest and least flavorful, Barrilito excepted) Malibu (OK...I think their stuff is junk) and...uh....the Captain, which is really spiced rum. Nothing wrong with liking this sort of stuff, but nobody can claim it's top shelf. Top shelf....you know....where they keep the good stuff in a bar. Most bars carry crappy selections of rum.
So you are unofficially encouraged to be adventurous. Like with gars, a lot of the smaller boutique distilleries produce some of the most interesting products. Pampero is a GREAT and widely available intro to high end rum.
If you like it, Santa Teresa 1796 is another Venezuelan you'll probably like.
For gars, El Dorado 15 and the Guatemalans (Zaya, Zacapa, Ron Botran) are also real safe bets. If you see a bottle of Matusalem Gran Reserva or Vizcaya, you can try them too. Those are said to be done up in the Cuban style, and they're both very reliable. But to me, the Cuban style is defined by Santiago 11 Anos. It is Cuban rum.
Standing by for more rum ruckus!

Pampero,
You seem to know what you are talking about. Lately I decided I wanted some sipping rums and the first one recommended to me was the 1796, which I love. Where do I go from there? In other words, that taste seems to hit my profile nicely. I'm pretty sure I remember the Centenario XX on the shelf where I get my 1796 so I'm thinking that might be next. A friend gave me a bottle of Ron Matuselum Gran Reserva last week that I haven't tried yet but it looks nice. Thoughts?

[tym2relax]

Hey Lew, great to see to made it here!! More rum lovers are a great thing indeed.

For those looking for Zaya and are in the So Cal area I saw four bottles at my local Vons for under $30.

[Che]

Originally Posted by Pampero

You're all over this Che. Diego took on distribution with the ownership now a question down the road, The reason people speculate on that is because Diego has a habit of buying up the distillers that they distribute. The Zaya speculation is that since Zaya is a relatively small label, they might blow it off entirely and leave it to someone else to produce, which means....different blend. The best advice is that if you like Zaya, you buy it where you find it now.
For me, Ron Botran is close enough to Zaya to fill the hole for the time being, so that is a potential substitute. For all I know, Diego feels the same.
Zacapa XO....what's that?

Which, you hint at another point I meant to, but didn't lay out.

First of all I'm guessing (that much should be made clear in advance, before someone goes out and hires a barge or throws a trash can through some merchants window to loot a couple of bottles of rum - based on the speculation of this one lunatic). Now that we've got that out of the way...

In part I believe the lack of warning / discussion could more or less be a grace period to sort things out. Perhaps Zaya will forge on in name with rum purchased from a different supply source. But that almost certainly means we will taste some difference. Given it's current high regards with many, one can appreciate how it could be disadvantageous to make its imminent
conclusion known - especially if there is any intention to maintain the brand past its original sourcing conclusion.

By that I mean - if it's announced it's becoming an all new sourced product that invites back original skepticism of first time buyers & new market entry. You also invite those who won't like it just because they prefer the older version of everything ~ no matter what.

And... if in fact the RonZ XO stalled as a result of Diageo's new influence, it might make logistical sense to not take your favorite Botran iterations for granted. Jus' sayin.

Take with a grain of salt, of course.

[RGD]

Originally Posted by Chè

. . .
Which - that's what I was trying to emphasize for RGD - just because something shows up doesn't mean it is available - and the longer you wait the less likely it will be available - if it was to begin with. . .

Yep - and that's normally my outlook on most things - except the guy called and asked - where they told him yes - but only by the case. I've actually been checking in with various ABC stores for the past year trying to catch a bottle. Although they are all state owned stores - different stores carry different stock. For example the store closest to me only has about 10 feet of aisle space for Rum - whereas the store a few miles away has roughly 25 feet of space.

Anyway - I may just have to resort to mail order to get some of the brands I want to try due to just not available here in state.

Ron

[Pampero]

Rizzle, you'd probably like the Centenario XX if you took a shine to the SR, but I do prefer the Santa Rosa. Certainly a simple matter of taste, and not quality. XX has all the stuff a cigar rum wants though, and it's distinctly high end stuff. The bottle is very cool, here it's at the back towards the right with a leather cap and casing, right under the bow of the ship in the photo. Under $30, (just) most places. Overall, XX is more similar to 1796 than different. I'm fond of Matusalem, and if you scan the photo, you'll see the bottle there. It's a rum probably better suited to lighter to medium bodied cigars. It's a good sipper; drink neat.


The collection has grown since this was taken, and now won't fit on the table. I empty the bottles as fast as I can, but they multiply!

Che, there's only so many bottles I have room for and can afford to keep around, so the natural laws of selection make me subject to exactly the rules you're laying out. There are so many good rums, and like cigars, it's a natural product subject to variation. So I don't sweat it. For instance, I never had a bottle of the "old" Zacapa 23 so I live with the new stuff and don't know any better. Everything's subject to change, including my ability to continue to indulge in these nasty habits! Your point is well made and well taken. Just a couple of speculators chewing the fat!

Hey Tym2Relax! I should have known you'd smell the rum! Here's mud in your eye

[Pampero]

Originally Posted by RGD

Anyway - I may just have to resort to mail order to get some of the brands I want to try due to just not available here in state.

Ron

You wouldn't be the first to go down that path. We have the same setup here.

[RGD]

Originally Posted by Pampero

You wouldn't be the first to go down that path. We have the same setup here.

Yep - it's all on my "get around to it" list -

I don't have quite the collection that you do - nor pictures - below is a list of what I have on hand. I don't count the regular Capt Morgan nor any of the Bacardi - my wife and daughter drink those. My friend Bob and I finished off three bottles the other night that just had a bit left in each one - Havana Club 7yr and crap can't remember the other two. But anyway - here is my meager stock:

10 Cane
Angostura 1919 Rum
Angostura 5 year
Appleton Estate VX
Appleton Extra 12yr
British Navy Pussers Rum
Captain Morgan Private Stock
Cruzan Black Strap Rum
Fernades BL Black Label
Flor De Cana Grand Reserve 7yr
Goslings Black Seal
Havana Club Anejo Blanco
Havana Club Anejo Especial
Mount Gay Eclipse x2 bottles
Pyrat XO Reserve
Reserve Speciale 8 years
Rhum Barbancourt Reserve Speciale
Ron Matusalem Rum Gran Reserva
Royal Oak Select
Sailor Jerry Spiced (Navy Rum)


Of course my want list is twice that size -

Ron

[travclem]

I like Baccardi Superior myself... Maybe I'm just not an expirienced Rum afficianado.

[Che]

Originally Posted by travclem

Maybe I'm just not an expirienced Rum afficianado.

Nonsense. My thinking is there's no such thing.

Although I do sort of envy those who like certain things I can't get myself to imbibe or have long outgrown - especially when it's something either dirt cheap & / or as readily available as fresh air.

[Pampero]

Originally Posted by travclem

I like Baccardi Superior myself... Maybe I'm just not an expirienced Rum afficianado.

And I'd agree with Che. One need never apologize for one's tastes, unless it includes necrophilia!

Taste evolves, in any case especially with exposure. Speaking of gentle pastimes like rum and stogies, I've found over the years that like most people, as I've experienced more and different types of flavors, there's been a natural evolution to those I perceive have more complex and frequently, more robust notes, but I sure have enjoyed the journey and in these matters there's no place for snobbery. I'm laying out my rum stuff because as a newbie, it's something I can give without too much fear that it isn't new. I'd hate to think my first posts were blindly repetitive versions of stuff that's been here before. Anyway, I want to share my notion that if you're going to drink spirits with cigars, rum's a natural because it's built on the same islands and places as the cigars are.

An experiment for contemplation: drink Nic rum with Nic cigars, Dominican with Dominican cigars, Guatemalan rum with Honduran cigars (are there Guatemalan cigars?) and Jamaican rum with everything else 'cause I don't smoke Jamaican cigars! If you're gonna smoke Habanos, I guess you could try Cuban rum, because you're already breaking the law anyway

But where ever you start or end, it's a good place to be coming from or going to with this hobby!
No magic here; it's all about consumption!

[BillyCigars]

Originally Posted by Pampero

"...One need never apologize for one's tastes, unless it includes necrophilia!

Lew, you owe me a new monitor - They're generally unable to handle large amounts of coffee sprayed at them, LOLOL


On topic: I am quite enthused about the road that you're sending me down; looks like the Rum slope is going to be a great journey!