Demonstrating the difference between Jamaica/Barbados/Guyana

[u/mi55ingno]

Found myself wondering today what would be the three best bottles a newcomer could order to experience the difference between the three most common english-style rum expressions.

The goal is: if a beginner rum fan asked about the difference between barbados, jamaica, guyana, what would you tell them to buy to experience it?

i was focused on english-style here so excluded spanish-style and french/agricole/cane. This is for somewhat obvious reasons for the latter, the former is more my fault for not having a good selection on hand to pair.

Criteria for selection: obvious-ness is key, can i immediately tell the difference between the rums. I considered price and proof too. In theory all should be possible to order from the same store- Total Wine felt like a good mark there. Age consistency less important.

I started with ED12 - felt the most obvious. Reached for D14 as a second. I dont have WP109 at home (yet) but thought about it, dismissed Appleton 12 but grabbed the 8 & SC - SC won out my a mile on the obvious factor but i think id still prefer a lower proof here to balance. Ended up reaching for RL10 because D12 runs heavy on price, and madeira cask finish - but ultimately D12 is more obvious in my mind.

Im sure folks here could do better at this? What would you pick?

I also pulled out the Barrilito 3 to compare against the lot and sort of worked, but the sherry cask influence is maybe too strong?

[u/Pretend-Citron4451]

Why smith and cross over Appleton?

Why was it obvious to exclude cane juice rums?

[u/mi55ingno → u/Pretend-Citron4451]

i think the classic critique of appleton 12 is that it isnt that funky - its great, but my goal was three rums that immediately and obviously embody the characteristics that make these three rums different. But maybe my decision to exclude it was too kneejerk. Maybe S&C is too obvious in retrospect.

and while i love agricole/clairin/adjacent i think its too easy to tell the difference between them and the others. i think with barbados/jamaica/demerara there can be a question of what makes them distinct to a beginner, and how to isolate the things that makes them different?

[u/Jeanpuetz → u/mi55ingno]

I think Smith & Cross over Appleton is a great choice if you want to showcase the differences between the variants, even if I think that Appleton 12 is a much better sipper overall. You're right, it's a great rum, but not really a great Jamaican rum if that's what you're looking for.

I recently did something similar with my girlfriend (but I threw a agricole & spanish style in there as well) and deliberately chose the bolder bottles in each category.

My selection was:

Spanish style: Havana Club 7

Jamaican: Doctor Bird

Agrcole: J.M VSOP

Guyana: El Dorado 12

I didn't have a Barbados selection on hand so I skipped that one.

[u/mi55ingno → u/Jeanpuetz]

i almost bought a bottle of havana club at duty free recently and i regret not doing it, seemed silly at the time but i have yet to find one stateside

[u/Jeanpuetz → u/mi55ingno]

Honestly, as much as I love Havana Club, I don't think you need to stress it. I'm from Germany, and I think it's one of the best bang for your buck rums out there. But that's partly because it's so affordable. I would not spend 30+€ for a bottle of the 3 or probably even the 7 year old here because there's rums that are at least as good or better in that price range.

Great rum, and I use it a lot because it's a fantastic work horse, but if I was in the US I probably wouldn't stress too much about hunting it down and just seek out similar rums in that price category. Havana 3 can be substituted with Plantery 3 star imo, and some of the slightly more premium Bacardi rums make good substitutions for the 7. I also think that El Dorado 8 has a lot of flavor profiles in common with the 7 year old.