What is Rum/Cognac

Don't mean to be of topic but I figure I could get the good answers here. After I picked up my bottle of Glenfiddich I stopped by a Sam's Warehouse store to pick up some stuff. I noticed that they sold whisky. The only good Scotch they had was Glenlivet 12. But they did have some Rum (Captain Jack) for twenty dollars and I think a bottle of Cognac(sp?).

Anyway, can someone please explain what Rum and Cognac is? Are they any good? I was thinking of buying a bottle of Rum next weekend just to try it. Maybe having a bottle of Rum will slow me down drinking this expensive Scotch.

What are the good Rums and bad ones to avoid? Is that Captain Jack any good? I punched up Rum on google and it led me to the Bacardi web site. I guess the only thing they make is Rum. Is the Bacardi Rum any good? Do you drink Rum neat or mixed? Rum is from the Caribbean, right?

What about this Cognac stuff? Ugly name. Again, any Cognac brands worth trying?

Thanks!

Reply to
Von Fourche
Loading thread data ...

You can easily find out about these spirits on the Web, to which you seem to have access. But here's a shorrt try at it:

Rum is spirit made from sugar cane. Cognac is triply-distilled spirit made from wine grapes from the general southwest of France.

Fine rums are excellent sipping spirits. Cognac is one of the most complex and sophisticated spirits one can drink. Many people consider cognac to be the finest spirit in the world.

For mixing, they're generally all decent. For sipping like whisky, try any "anejo" (aged) rum, the older the better. For example, Barbancourt

15 and 21 year rums are terrific. Rum is made in many Caribbean countries, and each has a very different style. You might want to try a variety of anejos, one from each nation, to discover what you like or don't like.

Bacardi makes some excellent rum. You might try the most expensive Bacardi you can find in your local area -- it will still be dirt cheap compared to SMW.

Yes. Cheap stuff mixed with things like coke, fine stuff sipped straight from a tasting glass.

Cognac is a wonderful city in France, hardly ugly. All cognac houses are worth trying. There are multiple levels of quality and many different styles of cognac. You might try a "vsop" cognac to start, and move up to Napoleons and XOs, which are generally older, smoother, and more complex.

You can try any of the universally-available houses: Hennessey, Remy Martin, Courvoisier, Martell. For something different, try cognac from Frapin, Larsen, Otard, Hine, Merkouw, and many others.

You might also try Armagnac and Salignac, which are somewhat less well known, but similar to cognac in most ways -- generally a little less sweet and more earthy.

I generally prefer Armagnac to Cognac myself, but my wife and I sampled about 60 Cognacs at the Cognac Cafe in Cognac a few weeks ago that just knocked our socks off.

-- Larry

Reply to
pltrgyst

Rum is fermented and distilled cane sugar...the good stuff comes from the Caribbean, but I don't really know much about it. Bacardi is pretty much the standard by which all other rum is judged. It is usually found in tropical drinks like dacqueries (-5 spelling).

Cognac is distilled grape wine, specifically from the Cognac region of France; anywhere else, it is called Brandy, and is a very nice after dinner drink and goes well with cigars. ;^)

CW

Reply to
Capt Walt

I have only tried the Otard versions. I liked the XO version, which is the most expensive, of course. Creamy mouth filling and not too sweet as I recall.

I believe the ratings, from youngest to oldest are VS (very special), VSOP (very special old p???), XO (eXtra old).

Doug.

Reply to
Doug Ratz

pale

Reply to
Larry

There are many good rums. Most of the common stuff is badly distilled. They taste harsh.

Like Scotch, the more you pay the better it is. :-)

I am a fan of Mount Gay which I drink neat.

Ethelred

Reply to
Ethelred the Unready

On Tue, 03 Feb 2004 22:42:45 -0600, the alleged Ethelred the Unready, may have posted the following, to alt.drinks.scotch-whisky:

But some of the common stuff is quite good.

I've never found a rum that I've liked neat, but I do like Meyer's Dark mixed with lemonade on a hot summer day. Meyer's Dark is also tasty when mixed with Dr. Pepper (yeah, I can already hear the retching).

Regards, Rob

-- "Or better yet, use the Jack Daniels `shot and a chaser' glass. An honest admission of the true nature of Tennessee whiskey."

-- Bushido in alt.drinks.scotch-whisky

Reply to
Robert Crowe

Well, I bought a bottle of Bacardi Gold rum a few nights ago. I'm drinking it neat and it tastes like water. Hardly no taste. It doesn't even warm my throat as it goes down. I need something "yummy" and "cheap" to sip during the week so I can conserve my expensive single malt Scotch for the weekend. I don't think this Rum is doing it for me. And I have just about finished two large drams of this Bacardi and it isn't even relaxing me like one little dram of Highland Park 12 does. Perhaps I should be mixing something in it? Also, I tried drinking this rum with a couple of ice cubes last night. It nearly made me sick. I can't stand any hard alcohol with ice. I've tried drinking Scotch, Jack Daniels, and now this Rum with ice and it just makes me gag. I had some Bailey's (that chocolate stuff) over Christmas. I had it strait and it was good. Then I had it mixed with ice and I could hardly drink it. Neat is the way to go for me I guess.

Reply to
Von Fourche

On Thu, 05 Feb 2004 04:35:38 GMT, the alleged Von Fourche, may have posted the following, to alt.drinks.scotch-whisky:

Dark rum is a wholly different beast than gold rum.

Try the "Henry McKenna Special Reserve", it isn't "cheap" but it is reasonably priced (~US$20 locally). It's one of the more "spicey" Bourbon whiskys. Another tasty and not too expensive Bourbon is Buffalo Trace, slightly musty tasting with a hint of smoke. A real "Bang-for- Buck" Bourbon is Four Roses. I've heard that both the Buffalo Trace and Four Roses are not widely distributed, so they might be difficult to find in your area. HTH & HAND

Regards, Rob "Where did Lew and Ryan go?" Crowe

Reply to
Robert Crowe

conserve my expensive single malt Scotch for the weekend.

For yummy and cheap:

Bowmore Legend on ice. Teachers blended scotch on ice. Bourbon (others will know better, but Old Granddad 114 is good!) Blue Agave tequila (prices have gone through the roof over the last few years, but locally we can get Patria for as little as $10 the bottle--and the reposada is VERY smooth and sippable at $14).

Reply to
Douglas W. Hoyt

I concur. It's a staple in this house and consumed in exactly that way. Matter of fact, I believe I'll have one...

Reply to
Jeff Folloder - (TES)

way. Matter of fact, I believe I'll have one...

I'm just now toasting you with the same!

Reply to
Douglas W. Hoyt

Slainte! Round three...

Reply to
Jeff Folloder - (TES)

I can't believe the folks who have fallen for this Troll. Bet his next post id " gee, I tried this white stuff-somebody said it came

*from a cow* !! Can this be true? Would it be good with ice cubes?

Priceless.

Reply to
Michael Barrett

Some use ice, others like chocolate powder. Personally, I think you need to suck it up and take it at CS (Cow Strength). Generally, younger versions are preferable to the aged stuff.

Reply to
SleepyWeevil

I drink 20 times as much whisky as I do rum, but I have found a couple rums that are great for my palate: Barbancourt 15yo, and Appleton Estate (extra). Both are modestly priced compared to malts. The Barbancourt is easily my favorate, but the Appleton is less expensive.

Bacardi Gold is certainly NOT a sipping rum. It is gold colored but not really aged. Gold does not mean Anjeno. Gold is fine for rum and cola. I don't care for even the premium bottlings of the most common rum producers neat. For example I use Bacardi Anejo for mixing also (even though it is much better than the gold). The only Bacardi I kind of like neat is the 8yo.

(please excuse my spelling, I don't have access to the bottles right now).

Your friend, John

Reply to
blackkeno

Mount Gay is good. I liked Old Brigand (from Barbados too - Four Square Distillers - very old distillery) a little more. They had a 10 year old at the distillery when I was there on a cruise and it was lovely. I'm having difficulty finding a way to get it now that I'm back in California.

Anyway, Old Brigand had the distinct taste of molasses.

Joe

Reply to
Joe Halbleib

DrinksForum website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.