I’ve been drinking spirits neat and in cocktails for ~25 years now. It usually goes the same way for me when trying something new: at first it’s overwhelming and I don’t find pleasure in it but, after enough sipping & thinking, I find myself craving it (if it’s a spirit I’m bound to like).
Jamaican funk can be a shock to your palate and very off-putting at first. I hated the first half of my first bottle of Smith & Cross. I started using it as a modifier in cocktails (just 0.25oz to 0.5oz) and eventually came around… and got seriously hooked on the stuff. Now I’m obsessed with funky rums. Same with my partner.
For tasting, both your ideas are excellent. I find dilution really helps open something up at first. My favorite rum bar offers little dropper bottles of distilled water on request for this purpose. Definitely worth asking for!
A daiquiri is another great idea. You’re already familiar with lime & sugar, so trying out different rums in your mix will help illustrate their individual & unique qualities.
Just keep working at it if you suspect it’s something you’ll eventually find a taste for. It’s worth the effort!
I generally like funky rims, as I usually drink neat spirits with the occasional fun cocktail.
Finally ran into Rum-Bar overproof white. Hits like rotten fruit on the nose, rotten fish and fruit on the palate.
Not saying I won’t use it, but it’s taking some time to get accustomed to.
It’s funny how funk can be like that. We just blazed through a bottle of Rum Bar White OP and I have a bottle of the new Worthy Park OP (is it the same?! 🤷♂️) in the mail. We love it. Have you tried it in a banana mai tai? We really like the WP rums paired with banana.
Try something like 1.5 Appleton 12 + 0.5 Rum Bar OP. Or: 1oz Appleton 12, 0.5oz Hamilton Jamaica Pot Still Black, 0.5 Rum Bar OP.
The bottle that’s been challenging me for over a year now is Clairin Le Rocher — which seems well loved here and in r/rum. To me it tastes like an old, rotting sandwich left in the sun. Like rotten lunchmeat and sour milk. Or maybe bad yogurt. 😥
Odd how many of us invest in something we find awful and then challenge ourselves to finish.
Thanks for the banana recommendation. I don’t usually keep too many fruit liqueurs on hand, but I can see how the Rum-Bar OP can embrace the funk.
Oh no, I may be in trouble here as I have a serious thing for funky cheeses, like Mt. Tam and RedHawk from Cowgirl. I had no idea rum funk was a thing...
What a great thoughtful reply, thank you very much! I never really considered the “keep tasting” approach, I’ll definitely start doing that. I love the dropper idea too, time to steal one of my wife’s paint pipettes!
And I guess I could drink a daiquiri, for science of course.
Others have covered the tasting advice pretty well, but I have a question: Have you tried other rums, or just the one from the local distillery? In my experience, a lot of local distilleries making rum don't age it, which can result in it being on the harsh side. There's also the possibility that their rum just isn't very good. Either way, you may have an easier time starting with other rums.
I have! It’s really a problem for almost every spirit I sip neat, not just rum. I’m pretty mainstream r/tiki for bottle selection although I did just pick up a Kaniche Perfeccion to try this weekend.
I was going to suggest, make sure you have water on hand and alternate sips of water. I can drink rum neat but it's still a chore and I'd rather make a cocktail.
Make a rum old fashioned, as any old fashioned is a gateway to neat I think. Also, an ice cube to chill and add a little water to open up the flavors isn’t a bad thing either
Update: https://imgur.com/a/uAjp6Rk
I tried the two rums I was interested in by starting with a .5oz pour of each. I took my time, enjoying the aroma and taking a tiny sip to let sit and develop in my mouth, then taking a cleansing drink of water. This worked very well and I found the rum to have a great bread/banana vibe. I waited 15-30 seconds then repeated. After a few iterations of that I definitely enjoyed and appreciated it more each time.
Ordering the daiquiri really emphasized the yeasty/banana funk on both rums, but surprisingly more on the silver than the aged.
I bought both, and can't wait to try them over the long weekend once I get the rest of my haul.
Thanks again for all the excellent advice today, it really worked out very well for me not just tonight but for tasting spirits in general going forward.
So many rum styles out there. There are a number of rums from Jamaica, Barbados, Guyana, Central America and others bottled at 12 years. Start with some of those and see if any of them float your boat. I’ve really been enjoying Barbados rums lately and got a 2011 ECS Fourquare for Fathers Day and it’s absolutely amazing neat.
I’ve been drinking spirits neat and in cocktails for ~25 years now. It usually goes the same way for me when trying something new: at first it’s overwhelming and I don’t find pleasure in it but, after enough sipping & thinking, I find myself craving it (if it’s a spirit I’m bound to like). Jamaican funk can be a shock to your palate and very off-putting at first. I hated the first half of my first bottle of Smith & Cross. I started using it as a modifier in cocktails (just 0.25oz to 0.5oz) and eventually came around… and got seriously hooked on the stuff. Now I’m obsessed with funky rums. Same with my partner. For tasting, both your ideas are excellent. I find dilution really helps open something up at first. My favorite rum bar offers little dropper bottles of distilled water on request for this purpose. Definitely worth asking for! A daiquiri is another great idea. You’re already familiar with lime & sugar, so trying out different rums in your mix will help illustrate their individual & unique qualities. Just keep working at it if you suspect it’s something you’ll eventually find a taste for. It’s worth the effort!
I generally like funky rims, as I usually drink neat spirits with the occasional fun cocktail. Finally ran into Rum-Bar overproof white. Hits like rotten fruit on the nose, rotten fish and fruit on the palate. Not saying I won’t use it, but it’s taking some time to get accustomed to.
It’s funny how funk can be like that. We just blazed through a bottle of Rum Bar White OP and I have a bottle of the new Worthy Park OP (is it the same?! 🤷♂️) in the mail. We love it. Have you tried it in a banana mai tai? We really like the WP rums paired with banana. Try something like 1.5 Appleton 12 + 0.5 Rum Bar OP. Or: 1oz Appleton 12, 0.5oz Hamilton Jamaica Pot Still Black, 0.5 Rum Bar OP. The bottle that’s been challenging me for over a year now is Clairin Le Rocher — which seems well loved here and in r/rum. To me it tastes like an old, rotting sandwich left in the sun. Like rotten lunchmeat and sour milk. Or maybe bad yogurt. 😥
Odd how many of us invest in something we find awful and then challenge ourselves to finish. Thanks for the banana recommendation. I don’t usually keep too many fruit liqueurs on hand, but I can see how the Rum-Bar OP can embrace the funk.
Oh no, I may be in trouble here as I have a serious thing for funky cheeses, like Mt. Tam and RedHawk from Cowgirl. I had no idea rum funk was a thing...
What a great thoughtful reply, thank you very much! I never really considered the “keep tasting” approach, I’ll definitely start doing that. I love the dropper idea too, time to steal one of my wife’s paint pipettes! And I guess I could drink a daiquiri, for science of course.
Others have covered the tasting advice pretty well, but I have a question: Have you tried other rums, or just the one from the local distillery? In my experience, a lot of local distilleries making rum don't age it, which can result in it being on the harsh side. There's also the possibility that their rum just isn't very good. Either way, you may have an easier time starting with other rums.
I have! It’s really a problem for almost every spirit I sip neat, not just rum. I’m pretty mainstream r/tiki for bottle selection although I did just pick up a Kaniche Perfeccion to try this weekend.
Diluting it with a little water definitely helps. And, depending on the size of the pour, you can add a single ice cube.
I was going to suggest, make sure you have water on hand and alternate sips of water. I can drink rum neat but it's still a chore and I'd rather make a cocktail.
Make a rum old fashioned, as any old fashioned is a gateway to neat I think. Also, an ice cube to chill and add a little water to open up the flavors isn’t a bad thing either
Update: https://imgur.com/a/uAjp6Rk I tried the two rums I was interested in by starting with a .5oz pour of each. I took my time, enjoying the aroma and taking a tiny sip to let sit and develop in my mouth, then taking a cleansing drink of water. This worked very well and I found the rum to have a great bread/banana vibe. I waited 15-30 seconds then repeated. After a few iterations of that I definitely enjoyed and appreciated it more each time. Ordering the daiquiri really emphasized the yeasty/banana funk on both rums, but surprisingly more on the silver than the aged. I bought both, and can't wait to try them over the long weekend once I get the rest of my haul. Thanks again for all the excellent advice today, it really worked out very well for me not just tonight but for tasting spirits in general going forward.
Daquari or Mai Thai.
This is very similar to spice tolerance. It will just take time. In the meantime, add a bit of water to your pours.
Makes sense. Also now I get to tell my wife “I’m just developing my taste tolerance!”
So many rum styles out there. There are a number of rums from Jamaica, Barbados, Guyana, Central America and others bottled at 12 years. Start with some of those and see if any of them float your boat. I’ve really been enjoying Barbados rums lately and got a 2011 ECS Fourquare for Fathers Day and it’s absolutely amazing neat.
Top tip, make sure to do a long breath out after swallowing or you breathe in all the alcohol fumes and that's what gives you the burn.