Island Rum Shopping

Some people travel to the Caribbean to shop for watches and perfume at dockside duty free shops.  We were on a mission to find RUM, of course, and we cleaned up!!

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Over the last few weeks we’ve traveled to 10 islands and shopped for rum at dozens of out of the way liquor shops and corner stores.  The variety never ceases to amaze me and the discounted prices can be shocking to say the least.  Getting home without exceeding the 50lb. luggage limit soon becomes the biggest challenge of the trip.

Naturally, selection is different based on where you are in the Caribbean and prices and availability differ from one side of an island to another.  Cruise ship docks and tourist districts are NOT the place to buy rum.  I’m not saying that you won’t get a good value on a few bottles from one of the many duty free shops that line the streets of every port town.  But mainstream whiskey and vodkas dominate the shelves of these stores and you just don’t see anything rare or out of the ordinary.  Off the beaten path, even by a block or two, is the best path to take.

The rums being made on the island that you’re visiting (home brands) are always well represented in shops and bars. There is also a huge market for “local brands”, labels that we seldom see outside of a particular island market.  In Barbados we discovered Old Brigand and Special Barbados, two wonderful rums made by Richard Seale at Foursquare Distillery.  These smooth and flavorful rums can be had at local rum shops for $3-4 a pint and even cheaper by the liter at neighborhood markets, but you’ll be hard pressed to find them outside of Barbados.

In St. Lucia the popular local rum is Bounty, in Antigua it’s Cavalier.  In the USVI it’s Paradise Rum, the same white and gold Cruzan rum that we buy on the mainland, but with a different name and half the price.

The deals on rums from neighboring islands may have been the biggest surprise of all.  How about a bottle of Cubaney 8 for $5, or a half gallon of Brugal Extra Viejo for $14, or a 750ml of Barcelo Imperial for under 20 bucks?  Needless to say we stocked up on plenty of good buys, both to take home and to drink while we were away.  Here are a few of the highlights.

Cheers!

Carnegie Spirits NYC

Tucked into a narrow storefront on 7th Avenue sits a little shop called Carnegie Spirits Ltd.  To call this place a liquor store would be an insult.

imageThis is one of the remaining gems of the New York spirits shop community.  The knowledgeable staff is attentive, confident and well dressed.  Wine is the specialty here, but in the far right corner you will find 3 or 4 well stocked shelves of high end rum.

The selection on the day we popped in was impressive. Neisson Blanc, Barcelo Imperial and Grand Anejo, Pampero Anniversario, El Dorado 25, Diplomatico Reserva, Barbancourt 8 and 15, Clement XO, Clement Cuvee Homere and the entire Flor de Cana line was represented.  If you find yourself in New York and need to stock up, this is definitely a quality option.

Carnegie Spirits Ltd.
849 7th Avenue
New York, NY 10019-5229
Phone: (212) 977-3039

Milford Party Pack

Most decent liquor stores are in and around major cities, right? Well, the father and son team at the Milford Party Pack are out to prove us wrong.

100+ brands
100+ brands

Milford, Indiana is a quiet town of about 1500 people in the northern part of the state.  The area is known for it’s beautiful lakes, friendly people and bountiful agricultural land, not rum.  But Jim and Don Trammel have made it their mission to run a business that has more to offer than just tallboys of Bud Light.  These guys are serious about rum!

An entire aisle of the Party Pack has been dedicated to rum and with over 100 brands, they must have the largest selection in the state.  Their range is impressive with a variety of styles and price ranges represented.  Though a full line of mixing and flavored rums are available, the real emphasis has been put on the selection of premium rums.  Gosling’s Old Rum, Mount Gay XO, Zacapa, Barbancourt 15, and the full Flor de Cana and Clement lines were among the more impressive selections.

For me, part of the fun of exploring the shelves of smaller shops is the possibility of finding a nicely priced closeout rum or even something that’s not being produced any longer.  In this regard, the Milford Party Pack did not disappoint.  I scored a Guatemalan bottle of  Zaya, something I have not seen in quite some time, and a bottle of Cohiba, a rum that’s been discontinued because of a trademark dispute with the cigar folks in Cuba.

Guatemalan Zaya
Zaya score

So, next time you’re driving up State Road 15 in Milford, IN, stop by the Party Pack and say hello to Jim and Don.  You will gain a few new friends and surely pick up an addition or two for your rum collection.  Cheers!

Milford Party Pack

State Road 15

Milford, IN

(574)658-9375