For the recurring visitors and active contributors to either our RumX community or other forums for rum enthusiasts the controversial debates about the top-ranked names in our lists are nothing new. While some lovers of sweet rums passionately stand in for Don Papa, A.H. Riise or Kraken and their releases, especially rum purists typically take a critical stand against these brands.
The distribution of scores reflects the controversial perception of these bottlings among the rum community. Interestingly though some of the releases listed also belong to the most tasted rums of 2021 - which means that these spirits (or spirit drinks, as those with a higher dose of additional sweeteners have to be called officially these days) made their way into almost every rum drinkers glass at some point and are either loved or hated.
The TECA 2003 was the bottom of my tasting list. Lousy 39 points. Thanks to @mto75 I got the hint (and the sample, thanks!) that the rum gets better over time once the bottle is cracked. So I trembled and took the chance.
And indeed, the TECA was now - in my opinion - much better. Very round, balanced. The “rotting dead dog on the side of the street” was still there but muted on a level it makes the rum more interesting. Complex it wasn’t anymore.
It is still not a fantastic rum, but it is good. So you may give it a try again…
