18 November 2022

What's a bottle split? Learn how to taste many rums for little money.

Definition

In a bottle split, a bottle is shared among enthusiasts by filling it into smaller bottles, also called samples. As the group shares the cost of the bottle, they can enjoy rare rums at a manageable price. So bottle splits are the most economical way to taste a wide range of different spirits.

Example

I buy a bottle for 70€ (0.7l) and 6 of my friends want to experience this rum as well. Each of us gets a sample (0.1l) of the rum for a price of 10€. Instead of having a whole bottle of the same rum, we can enjoy 7 different rums for the cost of a single bottle.

Why are bottle splits so popular in the rum community?

Bottle splits benefit both beginners and advanced enthusiasts:

As a beginner, you can discover the diversity of rum by trying samples from different countries. This way you can compare the different styles side by side and explore your personal taste. Instead of buying single bottles blindly, you can find your favourite rum through small tasting experiments and only buy the bottles you like best to start your rum collection. The easiest way to get a rich sample set is to contact active community members who offer samples of their bottles:

Get your sample set

As a connaisseur, you get the chance to taste rare and out of stock rums. Many releases are hard to find nowadays, especially in the high-end rum sector, due to FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out) effects. The high demand (also from investors) causes the small stocks at the shops to be sold out in just a few minutes. Especially in the case of single cask releases (less than 300 bottles), only a few bottles end up in the hands of enthusiasts who want to open and enjoy the bottle (right away). Bottle splits organised by the rum community enable more enthusiasts to taste and appreciate the rums that have been lovingly crafted by the distilleries and selected by independent bottlers. And ultimately, that's what our favourite hobby is all about, right: Enjoying and sharing great rums.

Check out current bottle splits

How can I take part in a bottle split?

A wide range of bottle splits are organised and carried out in the RumX community on a daily basis. Whether you're into floral rhum agricoles, spicy Demerara rums, or funky Jamaicans, there's something here for every taste. Our motto is: From the community, for the community. Therefore, commercial offers and splits for profit are explicitly prohibited.

Taking part is easy. Just register in the forum (use the same email address as in the RumX app to automatically link your accounts) and check out the Bottle splits area where you'll find all the current bottle splits listed. The shipping options are indicated in front of the title: For example, the identifier "DE/EU" means that the organiser of the split is located in Germany, but they are able to ship samples all over the EU. Join a bottle split by simply commenting on the post to show your interest. When the bottle has been successfully divided, the organiser will contact you to discuss the details on how to proceed. After a few days, you will receive the rum(s) at your door step and you can share your tasting impressions in the RumX app.

In a nutshell:

1. Sign up in the forum (same email address as in the app)
2. Visit the Bottle splits section
3. Find an interesting split and leave a comment to join
4. Wait until all sample slots have been booked
5. Receive a message from the organiser with details about shipping and payment

Besides searching directly in the forum, you can also use the Bottle split feed integrated in the RumX app for an even better browsing experience. Just open the Splits tab to find the latest bottle splits, including community ratings and rum details. Activate notifications for new bottle splits in your user profile so you never again miss the split of a treasured rum.

Download the new RumX app for free from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store and give it a try:

How can I organise a bottle split myself?

Do you want to actively contribute to the community? Are you afraid to open a expensive bottle and bear the costs alone? Then simply organise your own bottle split at cost in the RumX forum and enjoy the bottle with the community. First, get the necessary materials, such as empty sample bottles, sticky labels, and packaging. The community has already compiled tips and recommendations on where to obtain these items.

Once you get the materials you can log into the forum and create a new topic in the Bottle splits area. A template will open where you can enter the details of your split:

1. Link to the rum you want to share (use website search)
2. Your purchase price of the bottle
3. Bottle size and quantity to share
4. Sample sizes and prorated prices
5. Shipping options

Now click on Create topic to publish the bottle split in the community forum and in the RumX mobile app. As community members join the thread, simply add them to the list of participants, making who has been successfully enrolled and how much of the rum is still available transparent.

When enough members are gathered, you can close the split and send messages to the participants to ask for their shipping addresses via the forum messaging system and give them your payment options (e.g. PayPal, bank transfer, swap). Now you just need to split the bottle into samples and take them to the post office.

Create a bottle split

Comments

Have you already participated in a RumX bottle split? What was your experience? We appreciate any feedback to keep this great part of the community growing. #RumIsForDrinking