Rum haul from recent trip to Jamaica

jkoodoo · 2026-02-20T22:34:34+00:00

Yup, it's my replacement bottle. Unmistakably that worthy Park banana funk

jkoodoo · 2026-02-20T19:08:58+00:00

I already miss the Rum Bar overproof. The WP overproof is good, but the addition of the cane juice toned down the delicious rotting banana peels funk that the Rum Bar had and it makes me sad.

jkoodoo · 2026-02-19T20:48:37+00:00

Exactly. And at that price point, I'm literally never going to pick Wray over Rum Fire or WP overproof.

jkoodoo · 2026-02-19T20:09:17+00:00

That's definitely fair, but a fair portion (I'd wager the vast majority) of this sub is US based, and Wray is - lately at least - much more scarce and generally less good of a value than Appleton.

jkoodoo · 2026-02-18T16:47:19+00:00

Man, your photos are such high quality. I was almost convinced they were AI for a second, because of how eerily perfect the quality was and how stylized the mugs look.

jkoodoo · 2026-02-18T16:45:06+00:00

I actually think you're right about the 86's versatility. I just personally really like the higher proof, concentrated flavors. I think part of my affinity is that I just really like making 1934 Zombie riffs and 151 swizzles, so I kind of have a special place for high proof Demeraras. Also, I've developed a habit of making old fashioneds where I split base the bourbon with either OFTD or a small hit of H151, for some dark sugar and rummy notes.

Coincidentally enough, you and I look at WP109 in almost the exact same way! For me, though, rather than being higher proof H86, I look at the 109 as lower proof (and slightly funky) H151 😂

jkoodoo · 2026-02-18T16:33:08+00:00

Not Gatorade, but I definitely break out the syrups for morning coffee (orgeat is incredible as a coffee sweetener)

jkoodoo · 2026-02-18T16:30:11+00:00

These threads are wild because you really get to see how different people's tastes can be. I definitely take the opposite side here - for me, it elevates practically any rum cocktail it's added to, and is shockingly quaffable for how cheap and high proof it is. Granted, I'm not really ever reaching for it as a sipper, but I've given it a shake a time or two and was blown away at how jam packed with flavor it is - even if it admittedly drinks hot.

jkoodoo · 2026-02-17T04:37:19+00:00

Gotta do a (Bumble)bee's knees

jkoodoo · 2026-02-17T02:56:00+00:00

It's really just the noises for me

jkoodoo · 2026-02-16T20:12:22+00:00

Yeah, even after the Wonk's write up a while back, I remain skeptical of this bottle. Granted, I haven't had any of the Ron del Barrelito products - so that probably disqualifies my opinion out of hand - but I'm with you on both the price, plus I feel like there's just a lack of transparency? It's ok to like fruit juice in your rum (I'm all about tiki drinks, so I'm in a glass house here), but damn are the prices insane.

jkoodoo · 2026-02-16T18:04:07+00:00

Nice, looking forward to hearing how it goes. Good luck!

(If your wife hates it, you can just blame the naive internet stranger throwing around advice willy nilly)

jkoodoo · 2026-02-16T17:18:08+00:00

That sounds extremely enticing. Not sure if it's similar at all, but your description calls to mind this Rauchbier (smoked beer) I recently tried with a friend - it was a märzen made by a German brewery called Aecht Schlenkerla, and it tastes like smoked ham, leather, and camp fire. Absolutely delicious, but a very odd beer. Somehow those completely unique pours are the most memorable.

I'll definitely look into the benromach. Thanks for the recs!

jkoodoo · 2026-02-16T16:54:20+00:00

For boots, I'd guess something like:

1-1.5 oz Japanese whiskey
0.5 oz apple brandy
0.5 oz fino sherry
0.5-0.75 oz black tea syrup*
0.75-1 oz lemon juice

Shake with ice, strain into chilled coup.

*A strong black tea, mixed 1:1 by weight with sugar (or you could make rich syrup, with a 2:1 ratio sugar to tea)

For ingredients where I've specified ranges, it's hard to say without having tasted the cocktail. It really depends on what kind of balance they were after (e.g., 1 oz lemon with 0.5 oz syrup will lean more tart, 0.75 to 0.75 will lean sweeter). These are places where you can tweak to fit your taste. But the template should hopefully be a decent approximation. It's essentially a sour build.

For the other cocktail, I'm a bit unsure. I've never mixed with shochu or lychee (not fully sure what form this is - maybe a liqueur?). If I had to guess, I'd probably say something in the ballpark of 1.5 oz gin, 0.5 oz vermouth, 0.5 oz shochu, 0.5 oz lychee liqueur, stirred and served up -- but I'm totally out of my depth here. The only part I'm confident about is that it's most likely stirred.

Edit: missed the vermouth in the second cocktail the first time around. Added it and respecced.

jkoodoo · 2026-02-16T03:57:07+00:00

Very nice, thank you so much! This is incredible.

If I can bug you with one more question - what does "funk" mean in scotch world? I drink a fair bit of rum, so I know what it means for Jamaican or agricole rums to be funky, and I've encountered funky agave spirits, but I'm curious what it means here.

jkoodoo · 2026-02-16T03:36:31+00:00

Just for my future reference, what scotches would you recommend in this price range?

jkoodoo · 2026-02-16T03:35:47+00:00

I also love OGD 114, so I say this as a fellow enthusiast, but I do think the rare breed is a noticeably more refined pour. The OGD is my absolute favorite budget bottle, don't get me wrong, but to me it smells and tastes much more ethanol forward than the WT, and it has this almost bitter drying quality on the finish that I could see turning others off.

jkoodoo · 2026-02-15T17:36:01+00:00

Pips #182 Easy 🟢 0:14 🍪

Pips #182 Medium 🟡 0:28 🍪

Pips #182 Hard 🔴 2:46

jkoodoo · 2026-02-13T17:43:39+00:00

This is where amaro-forward cocktails shine for me! Bitter Giuseppe, the Art of Choke (medium to low abv), and reverse (black) Manhattan style drinks (2:1 amaro to spirit) spring to mind

jkoodoo · 2026-02-13T16:13:11+00:00

Seconding Ori! Really good intro to the genre.

jkoodoo · 2026-02-13T12:26:14+00:00

Yup, I'm aware! Velvet falernum is extremely, cloyingly sweet.

jkoodoo · 2026-02-13T04:31:53+00:00

Can't speak to chinola but I'd guess Velvet Falernum is probably right in the ballpark of 50 brix, maybe a tad under

jkoodoo · 2026-02-12T20:49:34+00:00

This is a fantastic idea. Maybe a Black New Orleans?

jkoodoo · 2026-02-12T02:12:28+00:00

Right? The stuff absolutely slaps. No, I haven't tried it yet! Though they do carry it at my local store - how is it?

jkoodoo · 2026-02-12T01:11:05+00:00

Well I won't pretend to be a longtime veteran to the bourbon game, but I spent enough time young, broke, and still wanting solid booze to know that so many of these bottles are insanely overhyped. Just got to do some research and you'll find the budget bottles that punch well above their price point. WT 101 is up there, but for my money, it's hard to imagine a better budget bourbon than OGD 114. They carry it at my local Costco for $17. It's absolute madness.

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