Rhum Barbancourt 5 Star 8 Year

Nose of oak, mango, grass, sugar cane, ash, angelica. Palate burnt caramel, oak, sugar cane.

Nose shares the grassy oak, orange and vanilla of the 4yr entry. Things take a step forward on the tongue, with more pronounced notes of caramel, milk chocolate, marmelade, vanilla bean and oak. Grassy sweet finish.

It is copper with an aroma of vanilla. It has string vanilla with some fruitiness. It is a little boozy but smooth.

I was expecting a funky rhum, but I'm convinced the bottle is filled with brown food coloring. It is so uninteresting, I'm sad I spent $25 on it. Any other rum / rhum / cachaca on the shelf is better than this.

Smooth as silk, very little alcohol burn. Weird acetone smell that isn’t corroborated by the taste, which is itself light and dry but a bit sugary, hint of vanilla. Finish is heavy oak. It’s kind of like a sweet whiskey. Doesn’t have the depth or richness that I ideally want from a sipper but it’s pretty pleasant. Any mixed drink calling for an aged rum would benefit.