When I was growing up, rum meant Bacardi, and perhaps the occasional odd item someone brought back from a Carribean vacation.  Thankfully, as you can see from some of my previous rum reviews, the US rum market has moved way beyond that.  I mean, Bacardi and similar products are still on the market, and are fine as mixers, but we have reached the point where there are a fair number of aged sipping rums on the market.

Add to the list of fine sipping rums Pyrat XO Reserve.  As with the others I have reviewed, it is very reasonable – retail is about $26.  The nose is light and floral, and the palate starts out floral, but completes with a citrusy finish.  Thumbs up on this one.

The latest quality sipping rum I have tried is Pyrat XO Reserve, bottled in Guyana.  This was picked up for me in New Jersey, at a retail price of $26.49 plus tax.

Last year, I went to Cigar Afficionado’s Big Smoke NY.  Due to the company I was with, I was able to get into the party between the evening’s sessions.  I went to the bar to get a drink.  There were only 3 spirits available ( as opposed to the much larger number available during the session).  Having discovered Vizcaya earlier in the year and Ron Zacapa Centenario a month earlier, a 12 year old rum from Trinidad seemed interesting.  The bartender poured me what seemed like a ridiculously large sample, but it tasted so good, and drank so smoothly that over the next hour I finished it.  Obviously, I noted the name - Zaya Gran Reserva 12 year old.  This is damn good sipping rum, with a very pleasant floral bouquet, and a mildly sweet flavor profile.  Honestly, as a sipping spirit, I think this can stand shoulder to shoulder with scotch whiskeys in the $80 range, and bourbons in the $50+ range.  It’s got rather limited avaialability in the NYC retail market – I’ve only found it at Warehouse for $38.99 plus tax.  On the broader market, however, Hi-Time Wines (www.hitimewine.net) currently lists it at $25.99 plus shipping.  Get a group together and play with the bottle quantity to optimize shipping – it’s a massive bottle that won’t fit in a standard 12 bottle shipper.

In the middle of Whiskeyfest NY 2009, a friend sent me a text message to come find him at the table for, of all things to try at Whiskeyfest, a rum.  Don’t get me wrong, there’s always a few non-whiskey presenters at Whiskeyfest, but most are presenting grain-based products.  However, when this friend suggests that I try something, I don’t argue.  Ron Zacapa Centenario is a blend of aged rums, blended using a solera method similar to the solera method used for sherry.  Similar to Vizcaya, the rums are made from first press cane juice, but the age of the rums in the blend varies, reaching up to 23 years.  The flavor is mellow, complex, and slightly sweet, with a mildly fruity aroma.  This is a first rate sipping spirit, one that can, in my opinion, stand comfortably alongside scotches that retail in the $70-80 range.  Apropos to my discussions on value, Ron Zacapa Centenario retails for less than $40.  It can be picked up at Best Buy Wines on Neptune Avenue in Brooklyn, and Warehouse Wines and Spirits in Manhattan.  If you know of another location that carries it, please share your knowledge by leaving a comment to this post.

In 2009, I discovered three really good sipping rums.  The first was Vizcaya, which I did not actually discover.  I sent a friend into Schnapps, a liquor store on Avenue M at East 4th Street in Brooklyn, and my friend called me after tasting Vizcaya in the store.  I got a chance to try it at my friend’s house, and immediately went to get some.

Most rum is made from molasses, which is a by-product of processing sugar cane.  Vizcaya, on the other hand, is made from cane juice, which results in a lighter, fruitier rum.  Vizcaya is then aged in used bourbon barrels, which further enhances the flavor profile.

You can find Vizcaya at Schnapps on Avenue M and East 4th Street in Brooklyn.  If you go in, give Avi (the owner) my regards.  I won’t post a price because it’s been a while since I’ve gone in to the store, but I would expect it to be $40 or less, and at that price, it’s a good buy.