jstar

Mr. 10,000
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A long time ago, together with the Caribbean islands, the Netherlands East Indies were an important producer of rum. And the product had a rather good name.

One of the few -if not the only- producers left on Java is Naga. Well, so I thought. But then I found out via a French website it is in fact produced over there?! A bit like some of the Abbey beers in Belgium that are based on original recipes and still controlled by the monks, but produced at commercial breweries. I hope it's not like these Chinese watch companies that buy/use European (sounding) names.

On their website they give quite some interesting info about the history of the rum: http://www.nagarum.com/En/

xnaga-rum-.jpg.pagespeed.ic.OlHqyI9Rs_.jpg

I can't seem to find it outside of Europe. (Obviously I guess if you see the production location.) Where it is quite expensive btw, more than €40

There is a version called Batavia Arrack which you can buy on international websites and even in some Balinese resorts but I'm not sure if it is really the same (they avoid the word Rum) and whether that one is really produced on Java. (It really seems to be the 'Chinese watch' fake marketing example.)

rum_bat1.jpg


Did anyone try it before? Any other known products?
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International brands produced locally for the Indonesian market:
Heinekin, Guinness, and Carlsberg beers
Smirnoff vodka, Captain Morgan's Spiced Rum, Captain Morgan's White Rum

Local brands of hard liquor:
Vibe (various forms of vodka and other liquors), Arak Bali, and Iceland Vodka.

Local beers:
Bintang, Anker, Bali Hai, Prost, and others.

Local other alcohol:
cap tikus and various other offerings (some having very questionable safety).

I intentionally left out wine because I am disgusted by the prices charged for even the cheapest bottles.
 
Thanks Eric.

I was aware Captain Morgan distillery was moved from Puerto Rico to one of the Virgin Islands, but I didn’t know they also produce in Indonesia?

When I order a BaCo, the Captain Morgan’s White comes closest to the Bacardi I prefer. Weird that brand never made it over here.
 
I was aware Captain Morgan distillery was moved from Puerto Rico to one of the Virgin Islands, but I didn’t know they also produce in Indonesia?.
They produce in Bali, same pabrik than Smirnoff. Contact PT Langgeng Kreasi Jayaprima in Tabanan. We sell both Smirnoff and Captain Morgan in the 250K range

There is also Balimoon which produced a Rum Blanco and of course Mansion House which produces a "Jamaican Rum" (under license of Herman Jansen in the Netherlands). For the later, contact PT Industri Semak in Tangerang
 
I intentionally left out wine because I am disgusted by the prices charged for even the cheapest bottles.
How much you are talking about?
Anyway I think I understand where you come from. I am used to survey every week what is going on with the F&B market of my city. A new wine shop opened recently in one of our Transmart. When I passed the door, the staff tried to persuade me to buy a bottle of Two Islands for Rp 338K. It chills him whem I told him we were retailing imported Chilean Cabernet and Merlot for well under Rp 300K.
Same goes with Plaga and the rest of Balinese wine. I was used to buy bottles at just above Rp 100K direct from Indowines but in my city retailers were trading it at Rp 200K claiming it was a fair price! Come on, I use plaga for sauce and it has little to compare with a decent wine.

The main problem here in Indonesia is that beside the high level of taxes, there are a sh*tload of middle men and many operators think that consumers are fools.
 
They produce in Bali, same pabrik than Smirnoff. Contact PT Langgeng Kreasi Jayaprima in Tabanan. We sell both Smirnoff and Captain Morgan in the 250K range

There is also Balimoon which produced a Rum Blanco and of course Mansion House which produces a "Jamaican Rum" (under license of Herman Jansen in the Netherlands). For the later, contact PT Industri Semak in Tangerang


There is also Tanduay dark rum smuggled from The Philippines. Not hard to find, but obviously not in the front shop.
 
Come on, I use plaga for sauce and it has little to compare with a decent wine.

Héla héla héla! I had a chef who used to say: "Si vous ne buvez pas un vin parce qu'il est inférieur, ne l'utilisez pas non plus pour la cuisine."
 
I tried to drink Mansion House a few times. I know it's a cliche to compare cheap alcohol to paint thinner, but I think that was about right. I threw the stuff out, it was that bad.
 
I tried to drink Mansion House a few times. I know it's a cliche to compare cheap alcohol to paint thinner, but I think that was about right. I threw the stuff out, it was that bad.
I will confess that I did the same thing years ago when I discovered it and I have never been berani enough to try it again to check for any improvement. The color itself is a bit weird to me (when seen in the light there is some pinkish reflections which always leave me in bewilderment).

However there must have some people liking it because we sell quite a few cartons of the poison and it isn't only for pastry purposes.

With the Mansion House products ("Brandy", "Whisky", "Vodka", "Gin" and "Rum Jamaica"), only the Gin is drinkable when generously accompanied by tonic. Stay away from the rest out of respect for your liver.
 
Héla héla héla! I had a chef who used to say: "Si vous ne buvez pas un vin parce qu'il est inférieur, ne l'utilisez pas non plus pour la cuisine."
It is definitely true.
Anyway I exaggerate about Plaga. It is not good, but you can still drink it, unlike some of the local spirits, as long as it is super chilled. It also has a very strange feature: you open a bottle today, get a glass of it, put the rest of the bottle in the fridge and leave it for 3 weeks. I certify you that the taste will be exactly the same than when ou opened it. It's a bit frightening imho. :)

Also don't keep any bottle over a few months, even if you have decent storage conditions, unless you like adventure.
 
Well, one of the good things of this country is that I have dramatically cut down my drinking....
Prices of imported spirits or wines are crazy, and local stuff will probably make me crazy !

And there is only a limited amount of Bintang that my stomach accepts....
 
...And there is only a limited amount of Bintang that my stomach accepts....
Well, to be fair, beer (in the generic sense) is a reasonable choice of drink. Its high water content helps avoid the dehydrating effects of alcohol. Bintang is kind of like budweiser: never the best, but not the worst either. It is generally a good weekend drink. I like Bintang more than Chang, Singha, or any of the other regional "national beers" of our neighbors.
 
International brands produced locally for the Indonesian market:
Heinekin, Guinness, and Carlsberg beers
Smirnoff vodka, Captain Morgan's Spiced Rum, Captain Morgan's White Rum

Interesting, is the vodka and rum truly up to the international quality? (not that they're particularly great in any country)
 
I do taste it if the rum is not Bacardi, even in a mix. But I can't find any 'fault' with the cheaper whites here compared to other countries, unless we talk about ice etc. of course.
 
@jstar
Beside Captain Morgan you now have the possibility to have another decent alternative with a new brand called Manta. It comes in three variant, White, Spiced gold and Dark and is "gently" priced (for Indonesian market - should be around 300K/350K for a 700ml bottle which is the price we've been marketing it since the launch).

The aestetic and design of the bottles are nice and the taste is fair for all three.

It is distilled in Tabanan by Asti Dama Adhimukti, the makers of Empire Gin and Iceland vodka.
 
After a swim I find a single small Bintang Lemon quite ok and buy the Bali vodka at 18500 for a 750 ml bottle affordable. It goes nicely with manggo, orange or other juices.
 
@jstar
Beside Captain Morgan you now have the possibility to have another decent alternative with a new brand called Manta. It comes in three variant, White, Spiced gold and Dark and is "gently" priced (for Indonesian market - should be around 300K/350K for a 700ml bottle which is the price we've been marketing it since the launch).

The aestetic and design of the bottles are nice and the taste is fair for all three.

It is distilled in Tabanan by Asti Dama Adhimukti, the makers of Empire Gin and Iceland vodka.

Thanks!

Looks good

images
 
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Tokopedia has Mantra White at Rp450,000, Spiced at Rp450,000, and Dark at Rp500,000. All the same supplier in Bandung. Even Myers Dark rum list at 600,000 to 1,100,000 for a 750. We buy that in a baking goods store for 320,000. Wife likes it and cooks with it. We keep spiced rum in the house for my wife and will stick with the capt morgans for 280,000.
 
Tokopedia has Mantra White at Rp450,000, Spiced at Rp450,000, and Dark at Rp500,000. All the same supplier in Bandung. Even Myers Dark rum list at 600,000 to 1,100,000 for a 750. We buy that in a baking goods store for 320,000. Wife likes it and cooks with it. We keep spiced rum in the house for my wife and will stick with the capt morgans for 280,000.
If one buys spirits or wine on Tokopedia it is at least in third hand which explains the grossly inflated price.
Manta and Captain Morgan should't exceed 350K, even in the far provinces. Captain Morgan is a bit less expensive when bought to source compared to Manta, but it shouldn't be long for Manta to understand that 10K or 20K on a bottle makes a difference.
This is particularly true for the spiced gold compared to the white rum.
Production of the Captain Morgan white can not sustain the demand so Manta will come handy, even if they are slightly more expensive.
However, the Captain Morgan Spiced Gold is almost always available, with very little limit. Therefore the difference in price will be a problem for Manta sooner or later.
 
However, the Captain Morgan Spiced Gold is almost always available, with very little limit. Therefore the difference in price will be a problem for Manta sooner or later.
Capt Morgan Spiced Gold runs from 275,000 to 280,000. If was in Jakarta, perhaps a bit less since I have to add shipping which isn't that much. Lampung has no liquor outlets except a couple clubs that will hit you over a juta per bottle of the cheap stuff. At least it comes to me in wooden crates that can be reused.
 

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