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Ron Centenario 20 Fundación
Distiller Score 85
The aroma has a strong caramel aroma with notes of oak, vanilla, and black pepper along with a hint of cinnamon. The first sip reveals the caramel, vanilla, and cinnamon found in the aroma along with rich cocoa and toffee. Additional sips reveal toasted almonds and soft mineral notes as the rum settles in a light sweet finish.
Reviewed by Paul Senft
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Foursquare 2004
Distiller Score 96
The aroma of the rum delivers notes of alcohol and dark vanilla, fresh-cut apples, pears, charred oak, and toasted nuts. The first sip of the rum delivers a punch of ethanol in a swirl of vanilla, and oak tannins. This conditions the tongue of the imbiber to enjoy the complexity of the rum. Additional sips reveal notes of cocoa, more fresh-cut apples with a hint of pears, leather, raisins, dried apricots, pepper and dark toffee. As the rum begins to fade notes of toasted walnuts and tobacco leaf linger and balance in a nice long finish.
Reviewed by Paul Senft
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Bristol Port Morant Demerara Rum 1999
Distiller Score 94
If you crave deep, full of character, heavily-bodied rum, this is for you – an absolute monster, despite being “only” 92 proof. The nose hunts you down well before lifting your glass, bringing to mind leather, tobacco, and oil, in the best possible way. Those flavors continue on the palate. Although in no way sweet, its time in port barrels lends a pleasing roundness without verging into “sherry bomb” territory. There’s a touch of burn, and the finish lasts seemingly forever. Doing anything with this rum beyond savoring it neat would be a crime against the spirits world.
Reviewed by Matt Pietrek
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Dictador 20 Year Solera System Rum
Distiller Score 86
Although a little hot, there is a lovely density to the nose. It exudes fresh-cut sugarcane, roasted carrots, amontillado sherry and a mild and well-integrated note of chlorine. The palate feels a little lighter but not too much, with fresh apple, toffee, coffee and fruit cake.
Reviewed by Omari Wheat
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Revelation Rum
Distiller Score 90
There tons of complexity on the nose: charred wood, demerara sugar, citrus, and a faint vegetal note. The initial palate is hot but the burn dissipates quickly to reveal citrus and dried fruits along with some barrel and baking spice The weight on the palate is lithe and leads to a long finish of vanilla, milk chocolate, plum, passionfruit, and guava. This almost brandy-like rum begs to be paired with a fine cigar.
Reviewed by Paul Belbusti
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Don Pancho Origenes 18 Year
Distiller Score 87
The aromas begin with clean honey, excellently extracted tea, soft/ripe tree fruit and interesting spices playing in the background. The palate entry is sweet and supple starting at vanilla, building to brown spice, caramel, and roasted nuts. The finish is long, rich and layered. The sumptuous depth and inviting complexly make this a lovely rum.
Reviewed by Forrest Cokely
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Privateer The Queen's Share Rum
Distiller Score 91
The liquid in the glass is a medium gold hue. The nose is wood forward and dry, bringing to mind a custard-filled doughnut. Once the initial ethanol heat passes, the flavors are challenging to pull apart as there’s a lot going on here. Caramel and dried fruits dominate, with a pleasingly rich, viscous mouthfeel. Since this is aged in new American oak, it’s vanilla forward, similar to a bourbon. This is a rum you’ll want to add a wee bit of water to and take your time to ponder what you’re tasting. Massachusetts-based Privateer may be small in scale, but they’re proof that in the right hands, New England rum can go head-to-head with renowned Caribbean producers when it comes to big, bold rums.
Reviewed by Matt Pietrek
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Don Q Gran Añejo Rum
Distiller Score 84
The aroma of this rum is distinctly reminiscent of lemon olive oil cake as well as some vanilla crème brûlée. The mouthfeel is lean and light and so are the flavors: light brown sugar, mild tobacco, pink and white peppercorns. It finishes dry and invites another sip.
Reviewed by Paul Belbusti
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Brugal 1888 Rum
Distiller Score 85
The nose is heavily influenced from the oloroso sherry cask. Find a complex and highly aromatic bouquet with red fruits, coffee, tobacco, candied fruits, nutmeg and cloves. On the palate, find a spice-dominant profile with rich sherry notes, and a woody, oaky and earthy background. A long, warm finish follows. The palate is just a touch one note after the tantalizing, dynamic nose. Would be well enjoyed as a post-dinner sipper.
Reviewed by Jake Emen
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Panamá-Pacific Rum 23-Year
Distiller Score 96
On the nose, there are initial notes of vanilla, molasses and caramel, along with pineapple and oak. The velvety palate offers caramelized sugar, butterscotch, milk chocolate, molasses and tropical fruit, giving way to softer notes of oak, tobacco and subtle hogo. The finish is long and dry, offering vanilla, molasses, oak and orange zest. This is a sublime rum that’s well worth seeking out.
Reviewed by Daniel Djang
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Cap Savanna Rhum Vieux 7
Distiller Score 94
The nose is most unusual and enticing – stone fruit, leather, barbecue spices, and a touch of acetic acid. No need to rush to taste it, but when you do, the flavor explodes in your mouth--a quick burst of sweetness before the woody, French oak tannins take over for a very long finish. It’s almost as if you were sipping a fine calvados rather than an aged rhum. A rare treat for rum connoisseurs.
Reviewed by Matt Pietrek
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Foursquare Criterion
Distiller Score 94
The aroma of the rum is a complex swirl of fruit and spices with notes of baked cinnamon apples, ripe bananas, ginger, honey dipped pineapple, nutmeg and lemon zest. Lite notes of smokey oak and deeper char notes with a nip of alcohol punctuate the experience. On the palate the spicy apple and banana notes from the aroma are front and center with a bite of citrus taking the high notes. Dark chocolate, roasted coffee bean, tobacco leaf, and charred oak form the baseline while notes of dark caramel, toffee, nutmeg, menthol, old leather form the middle. As the rum begins to fade the bitter sweet notes of smokey oak tannins, cooked apples, boosted by a hit of alcohol linger in a long mineral rich finish.
Reviewed by Paul Senft