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Ron Abuelo 12 Años
Distiller Score 92
This is a rich and toasty rum, with butterscotch, vanilla, mango and banana flavors. It's a super smooth sipper that finishes with a creamy brown sugar sweetness and a hint of herbaceousness. It's delicious neat, doesn't even need an ice cube or water to open up, but it would also make an incredible dark and stirred cocktail such as an Old Fashioned.
Reviewed by Amanda Schuster
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Foursquare Port Cask Finish
Distiller Score 92
This is an exceptionally well-balanced rum with a tart, tangy grape flavor from the port finishing that heads off its sweetness at just the right point. Maple, brown sugar and rich, roasted coffee settle in with luscious orchard and tropical fruits, vanilla and some gentle sweet spice. A tinge of herbal funk cuts in playfully throughout.
Reviewed by Amanda Schuster
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Papa's Pilar Marquesas Blend Rum
Distiller Score 90
On the nose, this richly hued rum has aromas of wood chips, sweet orange and a twinge of spearmint. It has lovely flavors of maple, vanilla, cocoa and candied orange peel. This would make a fantastic Old Fashioned sweetened with a touch of maple syrup, and it's also a great sip on its own.
Reviewed by Anna Archibald
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Brugal XV Rum
Distiller Score 86
The nose offers citrus, including orange peel, along with a honey sweetness, a rich molasses, and hints of chocolate and coffee. There’s some spice and oak on the palate but it’s not overpowering. It's rounded, also offering sherry notes, red fruits, and an overall richness. Finish is warming, but as intended, quick and doesn't linger long. Drink neat or mix fresh tropical juice for a refreshing beverage.
Reviewed by Jake Emen
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Plantation Isle of Fiji
Distiller Score 85
The cognac comes through on the nose most notably rather than the taste. The rum feels warming on the palate with a molasses flavor coupled with tropical fruits and baking spices. There's a coppery tinge to the taste. The rum is medium sweet and has an average length for the finish. Would use in a punch or in cocktails
Reviewed by Stephanie Moreno
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Ron Diplomático Mantuano Rum
Distiller Score 87
Coffee, caramel and spice come on strong at the outset. There are grassy notes along with orange peel, banana and vanilla on the back palate and oaky bitterness toward the finish, which comes on a bit hot.
Reviewed by Amanda Schuster
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Mezan Panama Rum 2006
Distiller Score 87
This dark and concentrated rum has a soft, sugary sweetness that dials up on the palate into the burnt caramel realm. Roasted toffee and coffee flavors are tempered by sage and rosemary. Further sips reveal tangy apricot, papaya, and tart orange mixing with the sweet and savory notes.
Reviewed by Amanda Schuster
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Plantation Panama 2000
Distiller Score 85
In the glass, this rum has a moderately dark gold color. Nosing it reveals a slightly subtle aroma with hints of banana, almost like a Jamaican rum; there’s also the barest hint of menthol. The first sip is classic Plantation rum house style – a burst of sweet fruit. In the mid-palate, it turns slightly oily before transitioning to a long, pleasing finishing with traces of eucalyptus. Despite its aging, it doesn’t have much in the way of classic Spanish wood flavor. Plantation’s house style is to add a bit of sugar to their rums to accentuate flavors, and this rum is anything but dry. It’s best enjoyed neat to savor the complexity of flavors.
Reviewed by Matt Pietrek
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Flor De Caña Centenario 18 Rum
Distiller Score 88
There is quite the juxtaposition of flavors and aromas here. The nose captures everything from dried flowers to cherry jam, cinnamon and ink. The flavors are a bit more typical with notes of cane sugar, tobacco and molasses on finish. Medium bodied with a hint of funk and sweetness.
Reviewed by Omari Wheat
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Angostura Cask Collection No. 1 Rum
Distiller Score 92
This is a very balanced rum with tart mango, red apple and pear giving way to brown sugar and vanilla. A delicious cocoa note appears after a couple of sips, with some toasted grain flavors. This is a terrific sipping rum that's dangerously easy to drink. Would be a shame to waste it in a cocktail.
Reviewed by Amanda Schuster
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Two James Doctor Bird Jamaican Rum
Distiller Score 92
The rum delivers a funky sweet ester-rich aroma of passion fruit, coconut husks, and dried lemon peel. Additional notes of pineapple, pencil lead, and ripe strawberries also appear. As you sip this dense spirit these aromas appear on the palate along with dark caramel, grapefruit pith, and charred oak. The long finish is a swirl of the ripe strawberries, oak tannins, and copper mineral notes that linger on the tongue long after the rum is gone.
Reviewed by Paul Senft
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Mezan Panama Rum 1999
Distiller Score 95
The first few sips of the Panama 1999 give just a hint of wood--nowhere near as much as you might expect after spending a decade or more in a barrel. As it opens up in the glass, it transforms into something spectacular, honey and peaches dancing on the tongue. The body is light with no added sugar, letting you sip this rum repeatedly without getting sugar fatigue. The finish is relatively short and returns to just a hint of wood. Enjoy this rum neat -- you won’t be disappointed!
Reviewed by Matt Pietrek