Thomas Tew, from Newport, Rhode Island
Not a winner. 4 of us all agreed that it was a little off. It did have quite a bit of bourbon tastes, presumably from the barrel, but also something else that was somewhat unpleasant. After many sips and some thoughts, it was decided that this unpleasantness was best described as “apricots gone bad.”

Flor De Cana 18-year-old
Damn fine rum, quite dry, that comes out a bit after resting. Alas, nobody was enamored with this rum. It was good, but not immediately remarkable. I’m not about to write this rum off though, since I feel it needs some resting and some proper exploration.

Havana Club 7-year-old
Very nice, with a great complexity once it rested for a few minutes. There was a slight tinge of something a little weird – not enough to destroy this rum, but it was a taste that was simply out of place. All in all, it was very very good, and would certainly get a spot on my shelf if I could manage to get a bottle.

New Orleans – gold, amber, premium, whatever they call it
This rum was amazing. In it’s burn and harshness. Wow. I seriously think they added stuff to make this taste worse. I am *so* glad that I didn’t buy this one myself.

Santa Teresa Gran Reserva
The winner of the night. Although nobody really approached this as a contest, this rum easily got the most accolades and positive comments. A mix of 2- and 5-year-old rums, this was surprisingly smooth for such a young rum. It had some nice complexity for a young rum, too. It does benefit from a little bit of a rest before drinking, as the initial smells are quite medicinal. But 2 or 3 minutes later and one can find different smells and tastes, a touch of sweetness, and a citrus that I though hinted at apricot. Considering that I paid $18 for this I am quite happy with it.