Ye Pirate Brethren

last mo. flew to st. thomas ferry boated to road town tortola borded 50 ft. sail boat w/family & friends sailed to pirate cove-norman is.,sopher hole-tortola, soggydollar bar,foxys bar,one love bar-jost van dyke,marina key, salty dog,bitter end bar,spanish town-virgin gorda,salt island,cruz bay=st. johns,red hook=st. thomas.rum drinks started @ bout 8:am till??? every day.hit all pussers bars on tortola ,got a pusser certificate.rumdrunk-pussers,mt. gay,crusan,rhum barbancort,black strap,and unknown in lot of bars, great trip to a lot of old pirate haunts, going again next year....

Tattoo - slightly less drinkable than most insecticides. Won't kill you as fast, but a truly awful flavor - very artificial chemical taste. Bought a single bottle well over a year ago, and it's still there in the cabinet.
If you're serious about rum, you've got to check out Bilgemunky's site at http://www.bilgemunky.com. He reviews and rates dozens and dozens of rums, from the very best to the very worst.

I seem to recall Bilgemunkey and I have very different tastes in rum, but I'll go back to refresh my memory. Thinking rum isn't as good as drinking rum, but I can think of worse things.

Newfie Screech (had it back in 2001 with a Newfoundlander here in Japan. My Dad brought us over a bottle on his Korean Veterans tour (my Dad was the piper though not a Korean vet,)
Called my buddy on the phone told him what we had.
Drank half the bottle before crashed. Had to teach the wee kiddies the next morning with hair of the dog, and a teachers meeting with company boss in attendance.

Pussers Rum (found it in Iwate-ken Japan of all places). Nice stuff.
Captain Morgan Spiced (drank that first in Colorado with the 78th Highlanders)
Though the wife won`t let me drink now. Must have been flirting with too many Japanese lasses at a party.
Ohh for a bit of hot buttered rum. It`s chilly in Tokyo today.

I could really go for a hot-butter rum too. I haven't had one in about a month. Back in the chilly days of November I drank quite a few. There's a Montgomery County state liquor store within walking distance, and I told myself I'd go buy some Blackstrap during lunch, but it's rainy... I don't feel like making the trek in the drek.

Pyrat XO Reserve is my favorite. Another great rum is Fleur de Cana, the older the better. Cask 23 is great but expensive. Use Appleton VX for mixing. Am currently looking for a bottle of El Dorado 15, heard it's excellent. Like it on the rocks, allowing the ice to melt a bit lets you savor the complexities more then drinking it neat, but neat if no ice is available. Don't mix really good rum but do like an occasional Dark 'N' Stormie.

There's a trace of snow comin' down here in Charles Towne harbor right now, so that hot buttered rum sounds really good mate.

Other than the Appleton, I can't say that I have tried any of those. Time for a trip to the county store! And welcome on board Joe Pyrat! Hope it's not as cold down there as it has been up here!

If you're very lucky, you might be able to find a bottle of Don Q Special Reserve in the continental US. It is the most popular rum in Puerto Rico, and its the best rum in the Carribean. They only export a little each year. I'm lucky to live in a community with lots of Puerto Rican expats. They carry it at a store down the street from me.

If we can't find it, what is considered next best?

Not Bacardi.

I used to love Captain Morgan when I was a kid at Purdue University, but I think I over did it as it no longer holds the same appeal. I'm more of a brandy drinker now...

The rums I do drink are usually imported. The common ones at the store just don't cut it for me anymore. They are a couple local varieties in PR that my uncle is always kind enough to bring me. There is also one from Jamaica that is REALLY good, but for the life off me I can't remember its name. I'll get back to you on that one.

The liquor store up the street from where I work has a nice selection of rums. Surprisingly nice. So maybe I'll get lucky and one of the ones you mentioned might be there.

Not much of a brandy fan myself. And one of these days I'm hoping to try a Tokay.

If everyone besides myself has tried Callwood chime in otherwise take my word it be very good, here is a little bit about them. Intestering that they have been using the same equipment for at least a couple hundred years and it may go back a bit farther.
http://www.bareboatsbvi.com/cgb_callwoo ... llery.html

Sounds good. Can't say that I have ever seen it. I'll keep a weather eye opened next time.

Mount Gay.

Theirs is some good rum.

For the last Lockhouse event I went looking for some Cruzan Blackstrap, and couldn't find any!!! So I bought some of their "regular" rum, I think it had the label Gold, and I was surprised at how much I liked it. Thus far, Cruzan is two for two in my book.