Is This The Best Value in Rum? 

I think Old Brigand’s rummy quintessence is specifically speaking to how much “rummy” centers on English style rums more than Spanish or French. JM’s Terroir Volcanique is a comparitive for me within the French Style, for example, but I wouldn’t say it precisely hits that target for stereotypical “rummy” flavor when considered from outside of the rum category (think rum raisin gelato for example.)

Great vid, spotlight on Ol' Brigy! I was sold on this rum when I learned that a Brigand is "A land pirate, a robber, sometimes of a gang from forest or mountains." I love the cheesy label and his stripy hat. And of course, as you point out, its hard to beat this kind of flavor at that price point.

my fascination with pirates is what introduced me to rum. my palate has since matured from the typical pirate-themed spiced rums, but the old brigand gives me an excuse to always have a quality pirate-esque rum stocked. thank you for the recommendation.

Old brigand is great but with how much easier it is to find and how I prefer it a bit I gotta give the title to Appleton signature

My favorite Rums under $25 (prices vary by location; many of these are under $20 in my area), in no particular order: Ron del Barrilito 2 Star, Gosling’s Gold Seal Rum, The Kraken Gold Spiced Rum, Mount Gay Eclipse, Sailor Jerry Spice Rum, Don Q Gold Rum, Bacardi 4 Year.

Picked up a bottle today - thanks for the recomendation

Great video. I need to give this one a try sometime.

Great video ! It’s because of you on an earlier video you posted, I went out and bought this bottle. Such a hidden Gem 💎 great for mixing and sipping 😊 please do more reviews on hidden gems like this. Thank you 🙏🏻

Old Brigand has been my go-to everyday rum for the last six years, such a delicious rum for the price!

I’ve been enjoying Old Brigand for a while now. Great price point and very sippable.

Believe it or not, this is the preferred rum of old rum drinkers in Barbados. It’s affectionately referred to as “The one eyed man”.

Hamilton Zombie rum is probably the best value in rum currently and has the abv behind it and can be found in SoCal for around $35 still. It's by far the best Hamilton collab rum to date and the price has stayed great. R.L. Seale's 10 was the best deal until Total Swine jacked it up to $30. it was $18 to $20 for ages. Stolen Overproof for $18 is another steal that is still readily available in SoCal

This is great info and a fun video!!! Can’t wait to try it! That label reminds me of my grandmas basement! Haha

"A great way to start the day" 😆 Thanks for the heads-up on this. My go-to for a sippy Barbados rum is Doorly's 12-year, but $40 ain't chump change for me. I will give this a shot and look forward to trying it in a Corn & Oil.

Thank you for the consistently high quality vids.! I've wanted to try this one for awhile. Alas, my local south bay TWMs do not carry it, assuming it is some kind of distribution boundary that keeps it out of our hands here? Dunno. Nearest available is in Pleasanton and I don't get out that way but once every handful of years. 😵‍💫

Heads up. If you live near central NJ and are looking for El Dorado LBI / DHE, Bottle Republic got a case of it in both their Somerset and Franklin Park stores.

I like the hook, good tasting notes, fantastic rum! I will point out the doorlys xo is remarkably similar to that one. I think the old Brigid, Appleton 8, Doorlys xo, Smith & Criss, and bacardi 8 are all great budget rums that can be versatile in an averages home bar.

I love Old Brigand for its value and "rummy" taste when I make eggnog by the gallon for friends and family at Christmastime! I literally bought out all the Old Brigand at my local Total Wine locations, last year. 😳

When you say "it tastes like tequila tequila," I think it refers to the distinctive flavor of blue agave in particular. With rum, it could be explained by the raw material (sugar cane), the process, and the barrel aging that gives that unmistakable flavor to "rum," which might seem generic but doesn't imply a bad taste, rather a well-crafted product

I just saw you on Make and Drink and then I subscribed to you and found this video. I went digging thru my rum stash and I found a bottle of this rum. I probably bought this 6-8 years ago and it is only 40 proof. The rest of the label looks identical. I did sample a glass and yes, I agree this is decent sipping rum. I had only previously used it when experimenting with Tiki drinks over the years. I look forward to seeing what else you discover on your journey!

About a year back I happened across that podcast blind you were talking about and agreed with their findings on Old Brigand. I first started sipping neat Old Brigand ~2015. (Back then it was 40%, it just became 43% a few years ago.) I prefer it over all the Doorly's I've had including the 12Y and XO (have not had the 14). I also prefer it over Seale's 10 (have not had the 12). As far as history, I looked into it a half dozen years back and there wasn't much. I think I ran across that there was a "Brigand" that was a few years old and also this "Old Brigand" which is at least 5 years old. There's another rum you should try for sipping: the Alleyne Arthur's Special Barbados. Just like Old Brigand it's a Total Wine exclusive from Foursquare. It, too, is 43% but (per a statement from Richard Seale in 2013) is a blend of 2 to 3 years olds. And is even less expensive than Old Brigand. You'll be surprised at the flavor and viscosity for the price! Depending on the day I've had it holding its own in blinds with more expensive rums.

I was wondering if you were convinced by the Rumcast. I remember when they tried a bunch of Barbados rum blind and I was blown away by how well Old Brigand faired.

All the Doorley's are a great value. The Old Brigand has kind of disappeared in a lot of the Total Wine's around me in Texas, but I can still find it. Another great value is the Doorley's 14. Although $52 it is as good as some of the ECS series.

Hamilton White Stache is around 25 bucks in Northern Jersey and you get a whole litre. Its the best option for making daiquiris or mojitos for a party.

Judges the label of the rum and assume it is not good. The rumfire hiding in the corner. Great video as always, its unfortunate that the rum is only available in totalwine. Great that they raise the abv.

Nice to get a mix of the rum's history, as well as its tasting notes. I wonder why Barbados had that law passed.

Arminder, great review! I have a question for you. What exactly is that awesome tasting glass you're using in this video, and where can I buy one? That's EXACTLY what I've been looking for--a long-stemmed tulip with exactly that elegant shape and that good-for-tasting size. Do you remember where you got it/what it's called/who makes it? Thank you!

My absolute favorite value sipping rum is, Kirkland's Signature 15 year Barrel Aged distilled in Panama.

I wish I could get Old Brigand here! Of comparable value in yet another market, France, is picking up a bottle of Clement or Damoiseau VS for under €20. The sweet spot for me in Cane Juice Rhums is the lightly aged stuff which is priced extremely competitively in French hypermarkets.

Old Brigand is great, especially when considering its price point. I've created a few cocktails with it specifically in mind. Sadly, I can't find it at my local places here in San Francisco... they just haven't carried it at the Total Wine stores here for about a year. I'll keep looking!

For inexpensive, I gravitate toward Pusser's blue label.

At least it’s a Spirits Direct offering at TW, so you can usually get $5 off or other deals, since I generally find their rum offerings under the spirits direct group lacking besides Doorlys. I’ll have to pick this up when I get close to finishing my currently bottle of Doorlys 12 to compare.

I wish that we will have in rum world something like Wild Turkey 101 in burbon world... 50,5 % ABV Blend 6 and 8 years for around 23€ in europe...

No total wines here in Illinois. What a tease

What a crazy rum, why is it so cheap! Getting very much an Almond Joy on the palate - the chocolate, coconut and nuttiness! From a label perspective its similar to Rum Fire - it looks so cliche or even comical to the untrained eye, but if you know, you know!

better than Coruba?? That stuff is a steal at $17 and that's in Oregon with the crazy high liquor tax

Alright Arminder, this vs RUM FIRE? Overall taste, value, and label.

Is it worth $34?

So it's like the Monkey Shoulder of rum, in other words :)

Smoove. 🍦