On Impermanence and the Pursuit of Happiness

 

Once upon a time there was the Perfect Rum ...

It was golden-colored and not too harsh, with notes of caramel, marshmallow, and maybe a hint of orange.  It even had such a reasonable price that you wouldn't feel bad about using it in mixed drinks.

It came in a cool, hand-blown glass bottle with a real cork cork and a Hoti Buddha medallion ... I'm still not clear on the reasoning behind the medallion, but it was cool so I didn't care much.

It was bottled in Anguilla by a little company that bought rum from distillers, blended it, aged it, and put it into the cool bottles.  They even hand-numbered each bottle.

Sadly, all good things must end, and the Perfect Rum was no exception.  The original owner of the company liked Anguilla and wanted to provide jobs there, but when he died the new owners decided to move production to Guyana in order to cut costs and increase profits.

The rum that had been my default for years no longer tasted as good.  It was still a bit better tasting than Bacardi, but so is most shaving cream.  After a couple of disappointing months I realized I needed to let go of the Perfect Rum that no longer was, and try to find a new one.

I haven't found it yet, but this one is close.

Don Q Reserva isn't bad.  It's golden colored and has a nice flavor of caramel, not too much of a bite (though more than Pyrat used to have), has a cork (though not a real cork), and comes in a nice bottle (though nowhere near as cool as the Pyrat bottle).  It also is reasonably priced.

It's not the Perfect Rum, but that no longer exists.  It's good enough for until I find the New Perfect Rum.