Pyrat Rum: The Patron of Rum?

  After trying Kraken last week I was at a loss how to follow it up. I was tempted by a few different drinks this week and ultimately decided to stick to my plan to explore the world of Rum. When I approached the rum shelf I was greeted with many different bottles and types of rum. What made me decide to try Pyrat? Quite simply the medallion. It features an imprint of a Buddha-like character named Hoti who is apparently the Zen patron saint and protector of fortune tellers and bartenders. (I am pretty sure this is actually Hotei the Buddhist god of contentment and happiness) Kind of an odd character for a Caribbean Rum but whatever. 

 Upon further inspection I discovered that the rum is actually imported by the Patron companies more famous for their line of overpriced tequila. It comes bottled in a very similar style bottle with a quark cap and slight imperfections in the glass that add that rustic feel to it. Each bottle is hand bottled and numbered. I have bottle #1644313 that was bottled by someone with the initials KP. So to whomever KP is. Thank you kind sir.

 Pyrat is a blend of several rums from around the Caribbean. What little research I did uncovered that it's blended and aged on the small island of Anguilla. However my bottle indicates that It was bottled in Guyana. The rum is aged for roughly 15 years in french and american oak barrels giving it a nice color and added oak flavor. 

 When I first opened the bottle and took a sniff of the contents I was slightly overwhelmed. This is by no means the best smelling rum that I have ever seen. It's got a very orange peel/earthy aroma but as someone who has been more of a whiskey/scotch drinker this was really not too off-putting. In a lot of ways this reminds me of a good scotch. Its texturally thin with a fairly strong alcohol presence. Its flavorful with a strong nose. Pyrat rum features a slightly sweet orange profile with undertones of vanilla and oak. 

 Compared to what other rums I have tried this one is by far the best sipping rum. It is very rich and flavorful alone or on the rocks. That's not to say that mixing it with coke is out of the question. I found that when mixed with coke it was refreshing and not terrible but its not the best rum and coke I have had either. I absolutely think that sipping is the best way to go with this one. 

 Pyrat weights in at 80 proof and is not near as strong as Kraken, Sailor Jerry, or Blackheart. The bottle I purchased was around $22 for750ml.

Stillhouse Moonshine: The book

  I am currently starting my adventure with rum however I came home tonight to find that the guys over at notcot.com are featuring a new spirit. It's called quite literally "Moonshine." So I am going to make it my goal in life for the next week to attempt to get my hands on one of these limited edition packages. I have some doubt that it's available in the fine and entirely not alcohol prude state of Oklahoma but one can hold out hope. 

 To see some more amazing pictures of the packaging check out notcot.com's blog post

Unleash The Kraken!

  I am more of a beer guy than anything else, so it took me a little while to settle on what the first new drink I would try should be. After some soul searching and a little nudge from a co-worker I decided that I would start my journey with some rum.  I will be the first to admit that my experience in fine rum is a little less than than optimal. Up until this point I had only really ever drank Captain Morgan, Sailor Jerry, and my personal favorite underdog rum Blackheart. 

 The Kraken is a very rich and dark black rum. So I was not really sure what to expect from it. The packaging and artwork is hands down the best that I have seen on any of the rum's we carry in our store. So I have to give the marketing department credit. This one really does catch the eye.  

 However onward to the real question. Is it good? Prior to arriving home after an unusually busy and long day I stopped next door to pick up a can of Dr. Pepper, and a bottle of coke. Then it was on. I started out with just a small portion in a glass. The first thing I noticed was the extremely rich aroma and strong spice. Unlike Sailor Jerry, or Captain Morgan it's does not have a very strong caramel overtone which was very refreshing for a change. It was very easy to sip and in a lot of ways reminded me more of a very high quality whiskey than rum. 

 Moving on from straight, I decided to try it mixed with Dr. Pepper. While it was not bad I thought that the spice of the rum did not mesh well with Dr. Pepper. So from that perspective Blackheart or Sailor Jerry is still the go to rum for mixing with Dr. Pepper. What about Coke? 

 You simply cannot review any rum without putting it to trail in the classic R&C combination. I found that this combination was much better than the Dr. Pepper. It was much more unique than Captain Morgan, Sailor Jerry, or Blackheart. It seemed to have mixed seamlessly. The bitter spice went very well with the more crisp nature of coke. It became almost a root-beer-ish concoction.  Very smooth and creamy and perhaps the best rum and coke that I've ever had. 

 So while Blackheart takes the cake for the most affordable "decent" rum. The Kraken is closer to $15-$20  a fifth and its 94 proof it's definitely worth every penny.  I would highly reccomend this rum to anyone looking to try something different.

Welcome to Thursday Drunk!

Welcome to the first post on my new blog. You may be wondering just what it is that you can expect me to write here? I will attempt to explain. I have tried many other blogs in the past but have always lost interest after a short time. I have never had a clear goal in my blog or a set subject that I wanted to explore before.

I have recently come to a crossroads in my life after loosing my job and finding myself unemployed for quite some time I had a lot of time to do some soul searching. I am no great writer, artist, or musician. I am also not a self educated computer wizard. In fact I am pretty much normal. 

In an attempt to steer my life into a more focused direction I have decided to return to college to finish my computer science degree. I have also given up any attempts at finding a "real job" instead I have been working part time at a local liquor store for extra spending money while focusing on my studies.

While I was already a pretty avid beer drinker and somewhat of a snob on the subject this job has opened me up to so many more opportunities. A few nights ago I told myself that I was going to start trying something new every payday. Love it or hate it variety is the spice of life, and that is the purpose of this blog. I will be writing about my experiences with each new drink and giving my friends and anyone who happens across this little corner of the internet my honest opinions. 

The first drink that I will be experiencing is a rum called "The Kraken" This is a very hot item in our store and everyone I have talked to has given it nothing but praises. We shall see what my experiance is in the next update.