My rum cabinet features mainly English style and some French style rums.
I want fill this gap a little.
What’s your favorite Spanish style Rum?
My favorite distillery is Serralles (Don Q), because they don’t overpower their light distillates with heavy barrel influence, but I’m missing High-End-Releases on their side.
Both are very similar and on the edge of the spanish style -already bolder an more intense than the mainstream of the style. Rather British column Stil. similiar to some of the Guyanas, not the cask driven juice representing the spanish style maimstream.
I was pleasantly surprised by two new releases at WL that were spanish style : Rum Sponge Nicaragua RX21758 & The nectar Dominican Rep RX17241. I wasn’t expecting to find them good but they are. I don’t know the price they will be sold, but maybe they can be worth a purchase for someone that wants a spanish style but with taste and personality, without sugar.
I do agree with Belize, personally for me it’s close enough to Spanish style but yet very different. FS is a bit of a unique one for me, my palate doesn’t quite recognize it as so close to what I identify as a Spanish style rum.
Personally not a big fan of Panama Rum releases, but I did enjoy the Tiba release by Tamosi.
Schau Dir mal die Abfüllungen von Feller (Rumreich) an. Die letzten drei sind aus Nicaragua und für mich mit die Benchmark aus dem südamerikanischen Raum. z. Bsp.: RX21531
Ein Sample könnte ich Dir zukommen lassen
I believe the Rasta Morris Columns are all very good. Additionally I was extremely pleasantly surprised by RX21784. I didn’t review this last one at the time, but I remember it being really deep in flavour with resinous and flowery notes, specifically violets.
I’ve also been recommended RX13090. But can’t attest to this one.
Bei Feller kommt nur die Melasse aus Nicaragua. Alles andere geschieht hier. Es ist also quasi ein deutscher Rum.
Werner Huber hat hier ja extra für uns Nerds mit Dunder usw. experimentiert. Sozusagen deutscher High-Ester-Rum angelehnt an Jamaika.
Zum Thema kann ich sonst nicht viel beitragen. Klassische Spanier gefallen mir bis jetzt nicht bzw. noch keinen gefunden. Foursquare ist für mich klar britischer Stil und Belize im Grunde auch.
I was offered a bottle of Malecon Rare Proof 13y (RX6819) and despite not drinking it often, I have to admit I was rather surprised. It’s a really decent sipper.
ich habe den RX823 früher gerne getrunken. Ist aber lange her. Fand immer das er einen schönen Kompromiss bietet, da er zwar definitiv auf der süßen Seite ist, aber mit den 48% schon etwas tiefe hat. Für mich immer noch der spannendste aus der Rare Proof Reihe. Wobei ich dem ganzen Malecon Marketing eh nicht ganz glaube.
Well… Belize is not truely “spanish-style” in my books. (it was a british colony…) To me its pretty close to Antigua / English Harbour, Foursquare, and even some column still Guyana or even light Trinidadian rums such as light TDL, or light Caroni ! (of course, not the Heavy ones !) You can also think of the Monymusk “MBS” that are light column still… Long story short : a lot of “english rums” are column still with a heavy bourbon cask influence.
Panama, Venezuela and Guatemala are often pretty good, if you manage to find good casks with no additive / sugar. But it is always a bit of a gamble… Anyway, I could recommend to avoid all the ageing and finishing in “not bourbon”-casks (Sherry & co) that are often an excuse to add “a bit” of sugar.
For precise references, you should tell us more about your budget and the type of rum your looking for : single casks or bigger batches ?
I’ve had a pretty good surprise with an Abuelo 12, that wasn’t as sugary as I feared, and I think I’ve read somewhere the 7 contains less sugar. Anyhow, it was a pretty easy-sipping rum and the sugar did not bothered me. (but maybe it was just “a good day” for a sugar-rum ^^) Same for the Ron Santiago de Cuba 11 (I think this one has a bit of sherry casks).
Flor de Cana / Nicaragua are often pretty “dull” and neutral, in a cuban-way, but it seems the IB can find good casks (Famille Ricci have a good one this year in the Zodiac serie)
You have a few cuban rums that are pretty OK too : Eminente, La Progressiva Vigia…
Old Brothers and Ferroni (french IB) each released a white Panama rum a few years ago that were very interesting and different of what you would expect of “spanish rums”.