Bacardi Select
www.bacardi.com

Bacardi has long been at the forfront of rum, at least so far as nightclubs and bars are concerned. A staple of mixed drinks, I've long avoided drinking the stuff straight. But having explored rums far and wide, it seems high time I finally take a swig or two of what's been readily available from day one.

I'm unclear which is meant to be Bacardi's premiere sipping rum - either Bacardi Select or Bacardi Solera. For this review, I tried the Select. I bought a bottle, poured a glass, and gave a long overdue fair shake to this rum I've so long avoided. And the result?

C'mon, Bacardi. Is this really the best you can do? The largest existing distillery with the greatest resources at your disposal, loads of heritage beneath your wings, and you call this retch "Select"? Gosling's Black Seal probably dumps better rum than this down the drain - and sells a better product for half the price. So do others, for that matter.

To the nose, Bacardi Select is sickeningly sweet - more like cough medicine than anything one would willingly ingest. Beneath the sweetness is a hint of bananas, along with other varied over-ripe fruits and berries. The taste is similar, being what a milkshake would be like, were it made from molasses, and whatever fruits had turned brown on your shelves. It's an experience that screams "imenant hangover" with the first sip.

For those that have difficulty reading between the lines, I did not care for Bacardi Select Rum. Each sip caused my nose to twitch to one side, and not in a good way. I have never held Bacardi Rum in high regard, and their "Select" rum has only reenforced this opinion.