Pyrat XO

[Aaron Wolin]

I discovered Pyrat XO about 3 years ago and it instantly became a favorite. Last year they had a rather large sale on the rum and I went through quite a few bottles between friends.

The rum itself has always been on the sweet side, but lately I've found that the few bottles I've tried have been overly sugary. The current bottle I have is almost too sweet to be drank neat, and I'm saving it for mojitos instead (no need to add sugar with this rum).

Has anybody else noticed this upwards trend in sweetness, or is it just coincidence?

[Scottes]

If you think XO is too sweet then don't ever try the Pistol! Wow!


Personally, I really like sweet rums. That's what I get for growing up on generic tiki drinks in Chinese restaurants.

[bluewave6]

I would have to agree with you. I have tried both versions the older XO (I think it was called Pyrat Planters) that came in the handblown glass bottle and was considerably darker than the current XO. I found the current one to be very sweet and almost tasted like an orange syrup...too sweet for my taste. I am going to see if I can find another bottle of the older version and give that another try.

[DemeraraDrinker]

I TOTALLY agree with the OP. It instantly became my favorite, but the last case I bought seems sweeter. So it is not my favorite anymore.

I swear they changed something. My wife bought me a bottle for something like $48 about 2.5 years ago. When I went to look on the web to buy a case, there were huge discounts all over the place (all the way down to $18). Maybe a distributor was dumping inventory. Or maybe it wasn't selling as well cause it got sweeter? Don't know.

[jlo mein]

Which ones are you all trying?

I have noticed two packaging styles myself. The older one I believe has a gold medallion, and comes in an orange box. I own this one myself. I think the newer one has a silver medallion (might be gold, I haven't seen it in good light), and comes in a white box.

The major difference is the old one's label on the front says:

Pyrat XO Reserve
Rum
Planters Gold
Anguilla Rums, Ltd

http://i105.photobucket.com/albums/m204/jlomein/oldpyrat.jpg

The new one's label says:
Pyrat
XO Reserve
Rum

http://i105.photobucket.com/albums/m204/jlomein/newpyrat.jpg

[bluewave6]

I beleive the older Planters version came in the white box and the glass was hand blown (has small bubbles in the glass..really neat looking)..and was a bit darker than the newer one that comes in the orange box and is a bit brighter orange color. I have tried both and prefer the older version before it became too sweet and orange flavored.

[Aaron Wolin]

The older, Planter's Gold version of the rum is what I started drinking at first and the newer version is what I have sitting in my bar now.

I'll be keeping my eyes peeled for any old bottles I find so I can do a taste test for comparison.

As for the sales that DemeraraDrinker mentioned, it was about half way through the sales when I noticed it was getting sweeter. I agree that they must have been in the process of dumping their older batches and hand-blown bottles as they were moving toward the new style.

I'm sad that the bottles are not hand-blown anymore. It's a shame, since I thought it was a nice touch. I'm equally surprised that they didn't make the new bottles better to pour from when full. With the first drink from a new bottle the orange ribbon gets about as much rum as I do.

[DemeraraDrinker]

Same with me. Drank the older version awhile ago. Now I mostly have the new version (with 2-3 old bottles squirreled away).

Shame they changed it. But that also opens up funds for new stuff like Santa Teresa and Appleton 21.

[Phil]

So, do you all agree, that the change in flavor comes with the change of packaging, shown on the pictures from "jlo mein" ?

[jlo mein]

I beleive the older Planters version came in the white box and the glass was hand blown (has small bubbles in the glass..really neat looking)..and was a bit darker than the newer one that comes in the orange box and is a bit brighter orange color.

Hmmm...maybe I'm wrong, I'm only speculating. I do know this for a fact:

-my XO came in an orange box
-it has a gold medallion
-it has a hand blown bottle with bubbles in it and an uneven bottom
-the label says Planters Gold, and it has a hand written bottle number on it
-it tastes pretty darn good:D

[Phil]

Next question: Where's the differance between "Pyrat Cask 23" ans "Pyrat Cask 1623" . Just packaging?

[DemeraraDrinker]

So, do you all agree, that the change in flavor comes with the change of packaging, shown on the pictures from "jlo mein" ?

I agree with this. This happened to me.

[Don Piero]

Unfortunately for me, I never tried the old version. The version I bought is simuilar to the second picture from jlo mein's post. I also received a Pyrat Cigar cutter and holder :D as part of the package. To me the taste is exceptional. The profile is like no other rum I've tried before. It definetly is sweet but it has a unique citrusy taste to it. I'm enjoying it. It's a shame it is no longer available in Ontario:mad:.