Cruzan Single Barrel Estate Rum has been produced on the largest of the U.S. Virgin Islands, St. Croix, since 1760. Cruzan Rum is also the only distillery operating in St. Croix today.

Cruzan Single Barrel is decanted in a tall bottle that has a frosted glass effect and a wooden cork. Around the long neck there is a small label, where the number of the bottle and the number of the barrel has been written.

Little details like this are fun to have as they allow me to find rum from a different barrel for taste comparisons.

Mount Gay is widely recognized as the world’s oldest rum producer and they don't seem to be too coy about it either.

On the front label, of the heavy bottle with a classic bubble neck, is printed a map of Barbados where it says Mount Gay has been producing rum since 1703, which would make the tradition of making rum over 300 years.

Rare spirits went for record high prices at Christie's New York auction house on Saturday with one bottle of 1926 Macallan Scotch selling for $54,000.

It became the most expensive bottle of Scotch whiskey ever sold by the auction house, said Christie's, which has been holding similar sales in Europe for a decade.

Bought by a private New York investor, the Macallan was bottled in 1986 after spending 60 years in a wooden barrel. It had originally been expected to sell from between $20,000 and

$30,000.

Short & Sweet: A Tour Of The Pyrat Rum Factory

During my most recent trip to the Caribbean, I had the opportunity to do something I’ve wanted to do for quite a while: get an inside look at rum making in the islands.

The island of Anguilla lies just to the north of the French-Dutch island of St. Martin/St. Maarten, accessible by ferry from the French town of Marigot.  The island is British territory, roughly 16 miles (25 km) long and 3 miles (just under 5 km) wide at its widest point.  It boasts 33 white, sandy beaches and a peaceful island atmosphere for its 12,000 residents and many visitors.

The island is also home to the Anguilla Rums Ltd.

Located just to the east of Sandy Ground (on the northwestern side of the island) is a small, yellow building with brown shudders and a blue sign containing the image of a single bottle of Pyrat XO Reserve rum. This is the home of Anguilla Rums Ltd., makers of Pyrat Rum.

Like many rum manufacturers, Anguilla Rums allows for tours of their facility – provided you have an appointment.  Visitors are allowed in to the tasting room any time, but if you have the desire to see a few details of how their operation works, you need to call ahead.  I setup our appointment about a week prior to our arrival with no trouble whatsoever.

Evan Williams Single Barrel Vintage 1996 is bright brown with core highlights that are nearly red in this refined decanter. The cork is protected by a black rubber seal that goes all the way down to the end of the bottles bubbled neck.

Markings on the front label clearly indicate the whiskey was put in oak in 1996 as do the handwritten notes, which add a touch of individuality, on the back label.

Around the neck is a small booklet praising the quality of Evan Williams Single Barrel and listing some awards it has won over the years. All these little details make the bottle of Evan Williams Single Barrel very inviting and attractive.

The Islay Blog wrote: "Renegade Rum, that was the title of the mail from Bruichladdich I received yesterday. Rum? I thought Bruichladdich was a whisky distillery? What do they have to do with rum?

Most people will associate Islay with the famous Islay Single Malt Whiskies, not rum. But it certainly made me curious, even though I don't drink rum.

An individually numbered square bottle with rounded shoulders and a big black wooden cork that makes itself stand out in the middle of other bottles. This is a bottle that makes you think you're in for something really special. The box itself where Angostura 1919 came in is quite nice too with its embossed flower pattern in the front.

Before opening the bottle and pouring the rum in a glass I can already see that the clarity of Angostura 1919 is spectacular! You can clearly see through the golden liquid when looking through the bottle.