Charbray Rums - what to make of it...

[primate77]

In the same Hy-Vee grocery store I found my bottle of Castries Peanut Rum Ream this week, I also saw they had Charbray Rums on the shelf. They had a Tahitian Vanilla Bean white rum and they had what appeared to be a "tropical flavored" rum. I didn't focus on that bottle so closely, so I am not sure. The vanilla rum intrigued me.

Charbray is a name I've associated with "boutique" vodkas - I didn't know they made rums. They had all on the shelf knocked down in price is $22 a bottle.

Anyone have any experience with Charbray rums to comment? Good? Bad? Indifferent" "Hey boy, at $22 a bottle, buy all that you can get in your cart!" Type comments?

[RobertBurr]

I have the Charbay white rum, made from Hawaiian molasses at the Still On The Hill in Napa Valley. I like it. They only make the vanilla infrequently when they can get the right beans from Tahiti. Those folks have been promising me a bottle of that vanilla for about a year now, but I've not seen it yet. I hope to visit the distillery soon.

What's your take on that spirit, primate?

[forrest]

I have the Charbay white rum, made from Hawaiian molasses at the Still On The Hill in Napa Valley. I like it. They only make the vanilla infrequently when they can get the right beans from Tahiti. Those folks have been promising me a bottle of that vanilla for about a year now, but I've not seen it yet. I hope to visit the distillery soon.

Well Robert i don't mean to be nit picky but it is made from Hawaiian sugar cane honey, not molasses.
They were out of stock of the Tahitian Van for a long time but it should in or close by now.

Oh and by the way they are both great!

[Michael]

Is "sugar cane honey" just a fancy term for sugar cane syrup?

[Paulipbartender]

It's often used for sugar cane syrup that's had the first extraction - between syrup and molasses.

[ejellest]

I've had the Charbay Vanilla Rum at least once.

I liked it OK. Definitely tastes more like a cane syrup rum than a molasses rum.

To me it even had a touch of some of the character I associate with white rhum agricole. For better or for worse.

I generally don't buy flavored spirits, but at $22 I would probably pick up a bottle of the Charbay Vanilla rum.

~Erik

[RumBarPhilly]

Thoughts on Charbay White rum...

Dont throw away your money.

We could not figure out a way to enjoy Charbay... adding lime, going Caipirinha-style, adding tonic, soda, coke, ginger ale, ginger beer, orange juice, its hopeless...

My thoughts is to hold your nose, do shots of it, and enjoy the alcohol aspect of it!

[forrest]

Is "sugar cane honey" just a fancy term for sugar cane syrup?

Exactly, tho you must admit it zounds sexier!

[ejellest]

Thoughts on Charbay White rum...

Dont throw away your money.

We could not figure out a way to enjoy Charbay... adding lime, going Caipirinha-style, adding tonic, soda, coke, ginger ale, ginger beer, orange juice, its hopeless...

My thoughts is to hold your nose, do shots of it, and enjoy the alcohol aspect of it!
RumBarPhilly, thanks for the heads up on the Charbay White.

I've only had the vanilla flavored rum, which I thought OK.

I know what you mean about the "alcohol aspect" though. That's what I was trying to allude to by comparing to white rhum agricole.

It's definitely got a moonshine-like edge to it.

[RumBarPhilly]

Erik,

Perhaps if it was moderately priced, but producing THAT rum and selling it for $45 is ridiculous. They should be more reasonable and aim at the $25-30 range... though Id still only buy it again if it were $15.

[ecarterw]

I was never very impressed by the trpoical rum, but have been by the Tahitian Vanilla. I've talked to the family, and the girl who ran their marketing for years is a friend of mine.
I drink the vanilla just plain, over ice. It's clean and light and mildly sweet.
With any luck, I may be heading to see them in August or September. New batch of vanilla should be out late september, last I heard, probabaly around the same time as the new batch of whiskey.

P.S. If you're a whisky drinker, look for the charbay hopped whisky. Very hard to find and prohibitively expensive but holy crap, one of the best whisky's I've ever tried.

[angelsword]

I greatly admire all of the Charbay products, with the exeption of the White Rum. That, I could not even finish. I poured mine out.

[forrest]

the girl who ran their marketing for years is a friend of mine.
P.S. If you're a whisky drinker, look for the charbay hopped whisky. Very hard to find and prohibitively expensive but holy crap, one of the best whisky's I've ever tried.

Moxie rules!! i hope she is having fun in Italy!
The whiskey is AMAZING>>>>> but who cares!! $350. for a bottle of young whiskey??? THAT IS PREPOSTEROUS!
$350 will get me QUITE A FEW (10 more or less) great bottles of magnificent booze, that are as good as that whiskey, tho less 'novel'.

and not to stir the pot, but i thought the Rum was alright, tho the vanilla was better.

[Carbon]

To revive an older thread, I had a taste of the Charbay last night and can't say I'm a big fan. It was almost like a vodka/rum hybrid in the way it tasted. Bigger on alcohol notes than on any real flavor.

[rumdog007]

Carbon, I had a more neutral rum called S Guaro which reminded me of your thoughts on Charbray. I used it in cocktails which needed a dark rum and a neutral spirit. There are several good drinks which depend upon the marriage of a tasty rum and another less dominating rum to keep the proof of the drink correct and, at the same time, not compete with the more dominant rum and, say, juices which are being showcased.

[primate77]

I started this thread on the Charbray Vanilla last summer, and never cracked the bottle until a while ago. I'll echo the sentiments of Carbon on the hybrid rum/vodka taste to this product.

It seems anyway that Charbray is much more into producing their vodka products too, as they seem to have a nice array of vodkas to offer. I just find the taste of this vanilla rum to be a bit "funny" and compared to some other vanillas I have had - like Brinleys and Whalers, the Charbray doesn't quite make the cut.

[forrest]

I just find the taste of this vanilla rum to be a bit "funny" and compared to some other vanillas I have had - like Brinleys and Whalers, the Charbray doesn't quite make the cut.

Well the biggest difference with the Charbay is that it isn't 'flavored' in the 'conventional' sense . . They take actual young rum and put vanilla beans in it... and that's all. . . those are the ingredients--rum, and real honest to god not from a factory vanilla. That being said it is a little strange (especially to us in US-- we are so used to 'fake' vanilla that the real stuff tastes 'fake' to us) the strength of the flavor is disarming initially (as is the strength of flavor in the rum) but when given the chance the palate adjusts to these 'large' flavor and can then discriminate some of their lovelier subtleties..
Or you can skip it. (though Primate, since you have a bottle you can try some fun long drinks or put it in a punch.)