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Facundo Exquisito Rum
Distiller Score 94
On the nose, there are aromas of brown sugar, vanilla, dried plum and cherry. A hint of oak is found as well. On the palate, the sherry notes are immediately evident, with vanilla and brown sugar being complemented by the dried plum and raisin notes of the sherry. A bit of baking spice emerges, with white pepper, and fresh sugarcane detectable as well. At the finish, more oak appears, before gentle brown sugar and dried plum notes appear, giving way to a gentle Mexican vanilla finish. If you are looking for a great sipping rum, look no further. Bacardi has done an excellent job with Facundo Exquisito and this isn't one to miss.
Reviewed by Distiller Staff
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Foursquare Nobiliary
Distiller Score 96
Nobiliary is brown in color with very plummy, raisiny aromas, as well as some hints of warm vanilla and brown sugar. The influence of the bourbon casks is noticeable. Flavorwise, there's quite a lot of baking spice up front—think clove, cinnamon and cardamom. That's followed by rich stone fruit, grilled pineapple and coconut, bananas foster and a hint of pecan. The finish is mildly tingly and lingers for quite some time. This delightfully rich and complex rum gets better with each sip!
Reviewed by Anna Archibald
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Capovilla Rhum Rhum PMG Rhum Blanc Agricole 56%
Distiller Score 94
The spirit is quite dense and complex with an unrelenting array of aromas and flavors. Rubber band and nail polish (though not oft-putting), freshly cut grass and sugarcane, vegetal green beans and water chestnuts are some of the aromas you first sense. This is followed by grapefruit and orange creamsicle before mineral and metallic notes come through with an oyster brine aroma. It is quite pure and fruity on the palate with notes of raspberry, lemon zest, and tropical fruits like banana and coconut, but there’s also a hint of rubber. Despite its sometimes contradictory flavors, it is completely alluring.
Reviewed by Omari Wheat
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SelvaRey Owner's Reserve Rum
Distiller Score 90
Orange peel, mulling spices, coffee and caramel warm the nose. The palate is very roasty and a bit woody, with an earthy espresso flavor anchoring the sweeter notes of dark brown sugar and a slight citrus tartness. It's not funky, but it's definitely rich and satisfying for neat sipping.
Reviewed by Amanda Schuster
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Foursquare 2008
Distiller Score 92
Look for intense aromas of prunes, dried cherries, maple syrup and burnt sugar with more subtle notes of roasted banana. This rum is buttery on the palate, with an interesting complexity and rich fruit flavor of dark berries, vanilla, praline, cinnamon spice and black pepper. There's quite a long fade, with savory qualities coming through. Savor it a while and notice how the flavor evolves over time.
Reviewed by Anna Archibald
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El Dorado Single Still Enmore
Distiller Score 90
Excellent sipper for the rum connoisseur. Rich Seville oranges dipped in dark chocolate greet the nose while the palate is quite different. Dark demerara sugar notes, fleshy coconut, baking spices (nutmeg, cloves) with a silky mouthfeel. The finish is spicy but also dry. Enjoy neat or with a couple of ice cubes. This is a keeper for rum collectors and enthusiasts alike.
Reviewed by Johanne McInnis
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Novo Fogo Single Barrel 87 Cachaça
Distiller Score 94
If you want candy, this cachaça is for you! Dried dates, figs, mango, and pineapple rings are covered in sticky toffee and dark caramel. Malted milk chocolate provides a nougat-filled center, with a bit of a walnut, black tea, clove, and coconut. A whiff of cigar smoke tastes as though it's blowing over the glass toward the tart finish.
Reviewed by Amanda Schuster
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Bacardí Reserva Limitada Rum
Distiller Score 88
A light nose, with hints of brown sugar, vanilla, oak and fruit leathers. In the mouth, an initial note of brown sugar and vanilla gives way to hints of dried apricot and plum before a big cinnamon rush. After the cinnamon recedes, nice oak and caramel-flan flavors emerge, before ending with an exotic floral note reminiscent of tropical orchids and a gentle brewed-coffee flavor.
Reviewed by Distiller Staff
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Papa's Pilar Legacy Edition 2023
Distiller Score 85
The nose is like an pineapple upside down cake that's been baked with allspice, ginger, and pineapple. Sweet, caramelized tropical fruits dominate the palate with additional elements of dried figs and dates. Woodsy spices come through toward the finish, which is quite sugary, and a bit hot.
Reviewed by Amanda Schuster
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Appleton Estate 15 Year Black River Casks
Distiller Score 94
The nose is a gorgeous funk, with herbal aromas of fresh sage, tarragon, bayleaf, coffee and honeycomb. On the palate, there is burnt sugar and coffee (or coffee flavored crème brulée), with orange zest and sweet spices. It's somehow a bit less herbaceous on the palate than it is in the nose, but some of that fresh herbal quality is definitely there in the back palate, along with some more of that earthy funk. The rum finishes clean, balanced and spicy, with just a bit of heat.
Reviewed by Amanda Schuster
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Black Tot Master Blender's Reserve 2022
Distiller Score 92
Tropical fruit aromas mix with caramel, butterscotch, baking spices, and aromatic green herbs. The palate has a distinct cinnamon candy note mixed with buttery caramel, sage, pineapple, passion fruit, and tangy papaya. The finish is like a summer stone fruit tart topped with toffee crumble and a good hit of cinnamon and clove, fruity and rich but not too heavy.
Reviewed by Amanda Schuster
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Ron Abuelo Centuria
Distiller Score 94
The immensely appealing nose combines vanilla and molasses with chocolate and coffee. The palate, rich with syrupy cane, avoids any cloying aspects by virtue of its lively, berry-like fruit, mulled cider, baked pear and tobacco notes--many of which continue into a lingering, smoldering finish.
Reviewed by Ron Bechtol