u/tjm1371

I really like Appleton 12 as my favorite neat rum sipper and I try to conserve it for that purpose (in addition to it being pricier) while using a 3:1 split between Appleton Signature and S&C for my mai tais, but I see a lot of people using Appleton 12 for their mai tais and was wondering if it's really worth the upgrade versus the cost considering the mix I use. I pay $22 for Appleton Signature vs $49 for Appleton 12 locally. I'm guessing that it's not worth double the cost to bump up to Appleton 12 in a mai tai where 0.5 ounces of S&C and the mixers (1/4 oz dem syrup, 1/4 oz orgeat, 1/2 oz PF, 1/2 oz lime) will probably drown out whatever the Appleton 12 is bringing to the table, but just thought I'd gather opinions from more experienced mai tai drinkers here on the question for folks who have tried both in their mai tais.

I'm a little over a month into my rum journey after coming over from the bourbon side. I started out trying El Dorado 12, Appleton 12, Doorly's 12, and some Venezuelans (Diplomatico and Santa Teresa 1796) neat and basically liked them all but really liked El Dorado 12, Appleton 12, and ST 1796 the best out of those. I then went on to making a bunch of different Mai Tais and Painkiller variations as my cocktails of choice and added OFTD, Appleton Signature, and Smith & Cross to the collection as mixers. I really like Smith & Cross and Appleton Signature for mixers, but also mixed El Dorado 12 and OFTD into some Mai Tais as a split base alongside my Jamaican favs (AP12, AP Sig, S&C) and found them to add a depth and unique sweetness that I really enjoyed. I've come to find El Dorado 12 as a standout favorite both neat and mixed and am trying to find other Demerara-style higher proof mixers and maybe some lower-priced/equal-proof mixers as well so I can save my ED12 for neat sipping. So far I am thinking Pusser's Gunpowder Proof may serve as a good slightly higher proof mixer, and Lemon Hart 151 as a high proof mixer. I do like OFTD, but would like a full on Demerara closer to ED12 rather than OFTD as I really like the deep/sweet/dark molasses profile that I get from ED12. Do Pussers Gunpowder 109 and Lemon Hart 151 fit the bill for this on the higher ends of proof? Both are available locally. Also, is there cheaper 80-86 proof substitute for El Dorado 12 that has the same flavor profile and thick mouth feel, or at least one that comes close? I have El Dorado 5 locally (no El Dorado 8) but I've heard it's a lot thinner and not as rich in flavor (maybe that doesn't matter as much for mixing, but I'm still a novice). Any thoughts and/or recommendations from other more experienced El Dorado/Demerara fans here?

First time poster and new to relatively rums and rum cocktails. I do love rum cocktails and want to start making some on my own, but don't have access to a lot of the recommended rums, specifically Smith & Cross. I'd like to try to mimic its profile for making Mai Tais and other similar cocktails, so I'm looking for ideas here. I understand it's a pretty funky Jamaican rum, and the funkiest rum I think I can find locally is probably going to be Plantation Xaymaca. The overproof rums I have access to locally are Hamilton Navy Strength 114, Plantation OFTD, and Wray & Nephew. Anything in that group stand out as something that would make a good substitute, even if combined?

Also curious about split bases for some cocktails like a Mai Tai and was thinking about doing 3:1 or 2:1 Xaymaca to OFTD and wondering if anyone has had success with this combo before? Bottles I currently have at home are El Dorado 12, Doorly's 12, Diplomatico RE, Plantation Xaymaca, and Santa Teresa 1796. I plan to pick up some Plantation 3 Star and OFTD on my next stop at the store for mixers (3 Star for Cuba Libres, OFTD for dark/Demerara cocktail backbone). Thanks in advance for any advice!

I get bad migraines fairly regularly, and it comes from the bruxism I have that's under my service connected mental health rating umbrella. I'm wanting to file for the migraines secondary to my bruxism/MH rating, but I'm worried about potential decreases to my MH rating from what I've heard about happening to other people here (any secondary claims to MH get a MH review and can get decreased from what I understand). I'm just past my 5-year window on my mental health rating so I understand that it would take more than just a single C&P exam for the VA to knock it down, but what's the reality of the risk of the VA just arbitrarily saying that I've "gotten better" for whatever reason? My tooth enamel has been worn the fuck down from the bruxism over time to the point where I barely have any on the tops and I'm starting to get TMD symptoms, I still have persistent nightmares and yelling in my sleep that wakes up my wife and then she has to wake me up to stop it, I still have depression and anxiety that affects my daily life (especially the anxiety), and I still avoid any crowded places and have issues maintaining social relationships, etc. Am I over-worrying about the risk to my mental health rating here if I file for migraines secondary to my bruxism/MH stuff? The migraines definitely come from my tooth grinding and I can get a nexus letter from my primary that says as much. I wake up with them some days and other days I develop them mid-day from stress (I subconsciously grind during the day when stressed and wear a night guard for when I do it at night). Just wondering what folks here with more experience than me dealing with the VA system would say about my concerns here.

I'm filing a tinnitus claim that stems from my service as a USMC combat engineer between the years 2004-2008. In my personal statement and in the nexus letter from my PC they cover the acoustic trauma and hazardous noise I was exposed to both in training and in combat across 3 deployments (machine gun fire, explosives employment, IEDs going off, controlled detonations on UXO, jackhammers/generators, etc.). My service medical record doesn't include noise complaints, but I have a formal diagnosis from my PC for recurring tinnitus and she has cited my work in the Marines as the only exposure in my life that could cause this condition (the "more likely than not" phrasing was included there). I also mentioned that in training I was issued those yellow/green 3M ear plugs that were later found to be faulty, so didn't have full ear protection even when trying to protect it during training. That's the broader context of the claim, but there are also specific instances I cited in my personal statement and I'm wondering how helpful some of the photo evidence I'm considering including would be.

I have photos of examples of the controlled detonations we did in country that I cited as a source of hazardous noise, namely lots and lots of uncovered artillery shells that insurgents would use to make IEDs and we'd blow them up in place after we unearthed them ("controlled detonations" where we "blow in place" long stacks of live ordnance with C4, I did a countless number of these across 3 tours). I have one photo (a "picture of a picture" where I snapped a digital of a polaroid I have) of me with my mine detector in front of a fairly large cache I uncovered in 2005 that included multiple machine guns, a mortar system, mortar rounds, and other IED components as evidence that I was doing these things personally, not just taking pictures of them. I also cited several attacks I survived, including an RPG attack in 2006 on my vehicle (we had just dismounted for a patrol and the PG-7 went into the driver's side windshield of the vic I was dismounting from), a suicide bombing that kicked off a complex ambush that included mortar and machine gun fire (SVBIED that EOD assessed to be 500+ pounds net explosive weight after the post-blast analysis), and an IED that went off on my MRAP when I was doing mounted route clearance missions (IED hunting basically) on my last tour in '07/'08. I have photos of what my MRAP looked like after it was hit by the IED but I'm not physically present in those photos as I'm taking the pics personally, but I do have photos of me inside of that vehicle on other days on that deployment that I would include as evidence that it was my vehicle (a "Buffalo" MRAP that we'd dig up the IEDs with using its robotic digging arm). I have several pics of the aftermath of the suicide bombing attack from Thanksgiving day '06 (an SVBIED in an SUV that was completely destroyed except for some of the engine block and scattered fragments of what it used to be), but again, I'm not present in these photos as I'm the one taking the pictures. I also have a pic of me standing next to the humvee that got hit with the RPG after it had been towed to Camp Fallujah with the RPG damage still there. I also have a CAR in my service record and my MOS is listed as one of the high-risk MOSs for tinnitus (I mention this in my personal statement as well).

My question is: would these pics be helpful as evidence or would they not be considered sufficient evidence and are not even worth including? If they're not worth including, should I pull the specific instances I cited in my personal statement (the RPG attack, the SVBIED attack, etc) or should I keep those included? (I listed the dates for these attacks and they correspond with the digital photo timestamps). I used up all the space in my personal statement describing my MOS, noise exposure, and the symptoms I now have (the ringing in both ears that is persistent throughout the day and that I can hear the most in low ambient noise environments like when trying to sleep at night or meditate to ease anxiety, etc.), but maybe I can write another personal statement that would give context to the picture evidence I would include and that would make it more usable? Any advice here is appreciated. I'm trying to get this claim out the door ASAP being that there are potential upcoming changes to how the VA compensates tinnitus claims via the "Take Care of Veterans Act," but I also want my claim to be as thorough as possible so as to lower the chance of getting it rejected since things may change in the near future. Thanks in advance for any advice you all can offer.

I have an intent to file on the books and am getting ready to submit two claims (TMJ disorder & tinnitus), but in light of the provision about cutting tinnitus ratings in the forthcoming Star Act, should I split the filings and file for tinnitus immediately or would I be grandfathered for my tinnitus claim since the intent to file is dated prior to the proposed legislature passing?