Tastes

I never like to be one that jumps on bandwagons, but dear Lord, this rum! It has everything that you would be looking for in a sipper. Maybe a tad sweet, but highly comparable to the El Dorados. This I would say is a more enjoyable sipper than the El Dorado 15. It brings banana, caramel, vanilla, a rich, oily mouthfeel, and brown butter and sugar all together with just the faintest touch of hogo to be intriguing and just straight up delicious. In cocktails I plan on mixing this with Smith & Cross or Wray & Nephew Overproof to punch up the hogo and dial back the sweetness a bit. All in all, about as close to perfection as a rum can get in my opinion.

This rum is quite tasty and balanced and works well in cocktails, but for being hard to find, it does not reward efforts to seek it out. Not interesting enough to be a sipper and it doesn't bring anything different to the table that other more interesting rums would when used in cocktails. It is actually quite astringent when trying to sip it, and it had this burnt popcorn finish for me at times that was not altogether desirable. Certainly not a bad rum, but just kind of a forgettable one, which is surprising given how amazing the 5 Island is.

A very interesting white rum to try on its own, but even better in cocktails. In a daiquiri, the caramel sweetness carries through the middle while the funky Jamaican and Arrack flavors round it out and make for the most deliciously complex daiquiri I've ever had. For sipping, you get tarragon leaf, green banana, hogo, pineapple, and lime rind on the finish. Just a beautifully done rum. Highly recommended.