Bacardí Reserva Limitada Rum

Vanilla, spicy, rich and a slight banana flavor

Rating: 15/23 N: On the dry side with what smells like many years of mellow wood. I get sort of a faint sherried fruitiness and also faint burnt sugar. It's not a super full nose. There's a bit of wet paper mustiness. The complexity is decently here, but it's subtle and the nose is pretty light. P: This is sweeter and more aggressive than I'd expected. There are lots of fruits here, though the pineapple does bring in a bit of a drying quality. There's sort of an aged in wood maturity going throughout that I'm having trouble describing, but it's like being aged in tired barrels. The fruits include bananas, mangoes, pineapple, orange, hints of lime, and maybe some others (faint honeydew and lychee?). Sweet sugar going into vanilla is there. Not much in the way of caramel, though the wood does have a little burnt sugar quality to it. There's a very faint oily, nutty quality as well that reminds me of Plantation 20th Anniversary. The balance here is good, but a bit aggressive. I'd like some more fullness as well. The complexity really does come through though. Plantation Xaymaca is rougher around the edges, but much fuller and more vibrant. F: Not as full as I'd like and most of the complexity disappears. It's mostly some vague tired wood barrel with the faintest notes of the other flavors from the palate coming out at times. - Conclusion - Plantation Xaymaca may be fuller, but there is some really nice elegance here. Everything just kind of fits together. The complexity here also outclasses Appleton Estate 12, but that weak flavor still proves to be a problem. A dash more alcohol shows through here, but it's really minimal. This has less subtlety to its complexity than Plantation 20th Anniversary and I think that this about gets it right. The Plantation is fuller and a tad smoother, but it is not the clear winner here. This is really going in the right direction. It's elegant, balanced, and very approachable. If I were looking for an intro sipping rum to recommend, this would be up there on my list for sure. I've gone from a 14 to a 16 on this and I've decided on a 15. I can imagine that 16, but I'm going for the 15. This just doesn't strike me as significantly enough different in quality from Plantation Xaymaca and Appleton Estate 12 to warrant a 16. It's a shame that the palate is so thin because if the flavors were just fuller I can see giving this a 17 to 19. The core profile here is really good, but there just isn't enough of it.

Muted, herbal and floral with a hint of spice. Some smokiness on the finish

I like the bottle and the tradition of Bacardi rums. This Gran Reserva Limitada was in my inventory for a while before I opened, expecting a smooth experience. I was a little disappointed. The aroma is strong and the color is rich and dark. But for the price, of nearly $100, there are more options out there, especially if you are looking for a sweet experience. The Zacapa Solera 23 is a great option.

Smoothest so far...