Bottle #7
A few short weeks ago, I was pretty sure I'd be able to drink my way through all of the non-flavored rum selections at the little liquor store by house before the end of the summer. I was averaging roughly two bottles a week and with summer being roughly twelve weeks long, I figured I could drink roughly twenty-four different bottles. Keep in mind it's a small neighborhood liquor store. It would take me more than a year to drink all of the rums at Specs, the Disneyland of liquor stores in the Austin. In any case, I'm only on my fifth bottle. Of course that's not counting the bottle of Sailor Jerry I started with or the bottle of Bacardi I made mojitos with a couple weekends ago. Okay, okay. I'm on Bottle #7.
How do I make my choices? I probably should have started at the upper left and worked my way to the lower right. That, however, would have required forethought. And when I started this thing, I was trying very hard not to think. About anything. Not even rum. So I'd go in the store, stand in front of the two racks of rum, say a quick eeny-meeny-miny-you, and bolt. Now I'm cool with thinking a little more, but I'm still not going crazy with it. I decide if I want white, dark, or black, check my bank account, and choose accordingly.
Shall we review my selections thus far?
(1) Sailor Jerry - By far my favorite economy-priced spiced rum. It's a notch below the top shelf in price only. In flavor, it easily competes with the big boys. If you mix, use root beer.
(2) Bacardi Oakheart - I have to admit I liked the allusion to "Braveheart" which probably helped me make my decision. The prominence of the Bacardi bat on the front label didn't hurt either. This is a spiced rum with only 35% alcohol by volume. At only 70 proof it's a bit weaker than most other rums, but that shouldn't be a deterrent. This rum has a distinctive vanilla vibe. If you mix, I suggest a creamier root beer, like Mug or A&W. The vanilla flavors will mix and pack a nice vanilla punch.
(3) Shellback Silver - I've had Shellback spiced and really liked it. I'm not usually a fan of white rums because I usually want the boldness of a spiced, but I have to say this one didn't disappoint. This rum would be fabulous for mojitos.
(4) Mount Gay - Once I got over all the jokes about the name (truly I didn't realize until I posted a pic on FaceBook and a friend commented), I enjoyed this Barbados selection. One night I enjoyed it so much that I found myself sleeping on the bathroom floor. Yes, it's that good.
(5) Bacardi - Yes, the old standby. I was taking my first stab at mojitos. Because I wasn't sure how many batches I'd fuck up on the way to perfections, I wanted a basic, economy rum to serve as my base. I didn't need to worry. They were perfect from the start.
(6) 10 Cane - This one came highly recommended from a friend and it did not disappoint. Jamaican in origin, it's name hearkens back to rum's main ingredient - sugar cane. This is a sweeter rum, but super smooth. Plus it has a cork which always seems to boost a rum's street cred. As usual, if you mix, mix with root beer.
(7) Gosling's Black Seal - Ok, I bought this one for the bottle. I couldn't pass up a picture of seal balancing a keg of rum on its nose. It may not be my circus, but those do happen to be my seals. Additionally, it's a black rum and I hadn't sampled a black one in the previous six bottles (The sales guy asked if I'd had Kraken. Clearly he is a beginner. Duh, of course I have. But it did plant the black rum seed). My initial sniff of this rum left me thinking about my mom's chocolate chip cookies. It gives off a definite scent of brown sugar. I'm mixing with root beer. Shocking, I know.
Sadly, I'm not sure if I'm going to be able to drink all the way through the rums. I have a new job and I'm working more hours. Additionally, I don't feel the need to be drunk and numb like I did a few weeks ago. I'm drinking a lot less and I suppose that's good news. I'm not letting go of my goal, though. It might take me a few more weeks or months, but eventually I'll be able to speak to each and every non-flavored rum at Steiner Ranch Liquors. So far, I'm partial to the Oakheart. Unless I'm drinking Mojitos. Good Christ, I do love a mojito.
How do I make my choices? I probably should have started at the upper left and worked my way to the lower right. That, however, would have required forethought. And when I started this thing, I was trying very hard not to think. About anything. Not even rum. So I'd go in the store, stand in front of the two racks of rum, say a quick eeny-meeny-miny-you, and bolt. Now I'm cool with thinking a little more, but I'm still not going crazy with it. I decide if I want white, dark, or black, check my bank account, and choose accordingly.
Shall we review my selections thus far?
(1) Sailor Jerry - By far my favorite economy-priced spiced rum. It's a notch below the top shelf in price only. In flavor, it easily competes with the big boys. If you mix, use root beer.
(2) Bacardi Oakheart - I have to admit I liked the allusion to "Braveheart" which probably helped me make my decision. The prominence of the Bacardi bat on the front label didn't hurt either. This is a spiced rum with only 35% alcohol by volume. At only 70 proof it's a bit weaker than most other rums, but that shouldn't be a deterrent. This rum has a distinctive vanilla vibe. If you mix, I suggest a creamier root beer, like Mug or A&W. The vanilla flavors will mix and pack a nice vanilla punch.
(3) Shellback Silver - I've had Shellback spiced and really liked it. I'm not usually a fan of white rums because I usually want the boldness of a spiced, but I have to say this one didn't disappoint. This rum would be fabulous for mojitos.
(4) Mount Gay - Once I got over all the jokes about the name (truly I didn't realize until I posted a pic on FaceBook and a friend commented), I enjoyed this Barbados selection. One night I enjoyed it so much that I found myself sleeping on the bathroom floor. Yes, it's that good.
(5) Bacardi - Yes, the old standby. I was taking my first stab at mojitos. Because I wasn't sure how many batches I'd fuck up on the way to perfections, I wanted a basic, economy rum to serve as my base. I didn't need to worry. They were perfect from the start.
(6) 10 Cane - This one came highly recommended from a friend and it did not disappoint. Jamaican in origin, it's name hearkens back to rum's main ingredient - sugar cane. This is a sweeter rum, but super smooth. Plus it has a cork which always seems to boost a rum's street cred. As usual, if you mix, mix with root beer.
(7) Gosling's Black Seal - Ok, I bought this one for the bottle. I couldn't pass up a picture of seal balancing a keg of rum on its nose. It may not be my circus, but those do happen to be my seals. Additionally, it's a black rum and I hadn't sampled a black one in the previous six bottles (The sales guy asked if I'd had Kraken. Clearly he is a beginner. Duh, of course I have. But it did plant the black rum seed). My initial sniff of this rum left me thinking about my mom's chocolate chip cookies. It gives off a definite scent of brown sugar. I'm mixing with root beer. Shocking, I know.
Sadly, I'm not sure if I'm going to be able to drink all the way through the rums. I have a new job and I'm working more hours. Additionally, I don't feel the need to be drunk and numb like I did a few weeks ago. I'm drinking a lot less and I suppose that's good news. I'm not letting go of my goal, though. It might take me a few more weeks or months, but eventually I'll be able to speak to each and every non-flavored rum at Steiner Ranch Liquors. So far, I'm partial to the Oakheart. Unless I'm drinking Mojitos. Good Christ, I do love a mojito.
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