Rum Runners - Balcones, Barrel Craft Spirits, & Gregarious Grump!

You can skip ahead, but you’ll miss a lot of great information along the way!
Shortcuts/Timecodes:
0:00 - Intros
5:45 - Barbados 19 Nosing
6:23 - Barbados 19 Tasting
7:39 - Belize 14 Nosing
8:28 - Belize 14 Tasting
9:20 - Balcones White Nosing
10:03 - Balcones White Tasting
11:30 - Balcones Aged Nosing
12:00 - Balcones Aged Tasting
13:33 - Barrell Rum Nosing
14:26 - Barrell Rum Tasting
If you know me - or have watched my channel over the years - you know I love good rums! Well today I’m going to share with you what I consider to be “heavy hitters” in the rum world. Some may not surprise you, but I’m sure a couple will. And if you’re a patron of mine (at patreon.com/liquorhound) I’m going to give you some bonus content which will showcase 3 of my absolute favorites - that most people don’t even know about and are still out there! As for the rums that will be featured on my UA-cam review, most can also still be found on shelves, but some are single casks so the cask you find may be slightly different than the ones I have. Just know that these are solid lines, and it’ll be very hard for you to go wrong. Now let’s introduce the players.
The Gregarious Grump line of rums are cask strength single barrels that are age stated. They were first released in a round-shouldered bottle back in 2020 with 3 Guyana barrels around 16 years old, 2-3 Barbados casks, and a 14-year 130.2 proof Belize rum. Then in late 2021 the bottle changed slightly to a more squared shoulder and a new line of single barrels were released. Those included separate 15, 19, & 27 year Jamaicans, 16 & 19 year Barbados, a 20 year “non-disclosed” (Mount Gay), and a 15 year Belize bottling. In Texas, they're found in Specs as well as some smaller shops around the country. I’m reviewing one of the old and one of the new.
The first one is from the newest lot of single barrels and is a 19-year Barbados at 110.8 proof and retails between $100-$150.
The second one is from the original release of barrels (which I still see occasionally in Specs) and is a 14-year 130.2 proof single cask from Belize (the Travellers Distillery) retails between $100-$140.
Balcones from Waco, TX has been focusing on their Single Malts lately, but that doesn’t mean that they’re not down for the rum funk. Their rum program (and Andalusia's out of Blanco, TX.) have been improving over the years and the two bottles I picked up recently really impressed me. The Texas White Rum Still Strength I found at the distillery and is their “most dundered” to date and it wasn’t chill-filtered. It’s in celebration of their 15th anniversary and came off the still at a whopping 138 proof! Retail priced at only $52 it was one I couldn’t say “No” to.
I’m also reviewing their aged single barrel rum that was in a new American Oak barrel and finished in a used Bourbon cask for a total of 78 months (6.5 years). It's bottled at 117.8 proof and again was a value buy at only $65!
Barrel Craft Spirits Rum blends vary store to store, but this is a blend of Barbados, Jamaican, Guyana, & Martinique rums. It's Blend # 13846 and was a hefty 131 proof that retailed around $100.
For Bonus Content, I’ll also be showing 3 showstopper rums at www.patreon.com/liquorhound. So join us there to get bonus content like that, all my videos add-free, and a large private video review library that's never been on UA-cam! It's ONLY with the support of my Patrons that I'm able to continue this channel by self-purchasing the bottles I review to give you unbiased, straightforward, & honest reviews!
As of June/July 2024, my current bottle count is over 2,800. I am a Certified Specialist of Spirits and have also been accredited by the Tequila Regulatory Council (CRT). I've been actively collecting for three decades and what started as a small basic home bar has transformed (with the help and understanding of my wonderful wife) into this collection and career. Speaking of my career, I’m super proud to announce that my “Saints Alley “Nobleman” Rye Whiskey was named “Best American Rye” at the 2024 World Whisky Awards! Fortunately, we’re still aging up more barrels of it, and as soon as they’re ready, I’ll work the next batch. But until then, don’t forget, that our other Bourbons have also won multiple awards and are on Total Wine shelves now (be sure to ask for a sample when you're in the stores)! So, also keep an eye out for our bourbons with amazing finishes like our Flagship Port & Cognac, the “Herald” an Armagnac finish, the Special Edition White Port & Cognac finish, and our Special Edition "Herald" that adds Pineau Des Charentes casks to the standard's Armagnac alone. It was just named "The Best Overall Bourbon" in a blind competition at Tales of the Cocktail's - 2023 New Orleans Spirit Competition! Given my decades of consumer/reviewer experience, you know I’m working hard with my team to continue bringing you whiskeys that we’re very proud of! Thanks for watching and please remember to drink responsibly. Cheers!

[@shaunfarrier9060]

I always enjoy your reviews LH. Thanks for keeping it going.

[@HeathInHeath]

Another great review my brotha. We need to taste some of these soon.

[@LiquorHound]

Yes we do and cheers!

[@christinecamley]

Not a huge rum fan at all but I do like Barrel!

[@onernorething]

I thought Gregarious Grump was defunct as a brand

[@LiquorHound]

I’m not sure tbh. But I still see it on shelves a lot. Cheers!