Angostura 1919 Rum

Nose: French vanilla ice-cream, cherry cola, ginger, caramel, honeysuckle, orange blossom water and coconut. It's somewhat reminiscent of some bourbons. (PS - the dry glass is surprisingly smoky). Palate: A very sweet arrival but not the heavy sweetness of molasses, much softer and lighter. It may still be overpoweringly sugary for some palates - sort of like suffocating in cotton candy. It turns spicy around the tongue as it develops with cinnamon and orange peel and then becomes relaxed and warming. Finish: Vanilla, vanilla, vanilla ... spices and a bit of cocoa filigree throughout the fairly short but pleasant finish. Some orange again in the aftertaste. What a fun rum - this is a hippy chick, dancing in white muslin at Perissa beach on Santorini (sigh, I wonder where she is now). It’s not a profound experience by any stretch of the imagination, and I can absolutely get how some people would find it almost undrinkably sweet and vanilla-heavy (seriously, it's almost like vanilla essence has been added). However sometimes a light-hearted candy-cane spirit can be most enjoyable. It's smooth, incredibly sweet but not heavy, just spicy enough to be interesting, has no burn at all and a silky and beguiling texture. Some rums are light and purely for mixing. Others are serious, demand attention and need to be taken in small doses or with a cigar to balance their heft, but this one can be enjoyed at any time (as long as you have a sweet tooth). Think of it as a light vanilla-flavoured rum liqueur and you're getting the picture. “Average” : 78/100 (2.75 stars)