Spirits Reviews
Brilliant, crystal clear. The aromatics are hauntingly similar the the Rumson's standard Rum with a greater focus on sweet vanilla, nutmeg, and golden syrup. The palate is in full agreement with the nose offering a rich baking spice driven core supported by sweet butterscotch and sugar giving it body and weight. It's a Christmas cake in a glass. Medium-bodied with waves of sweet spices and sugar notes while never becoming too sweet. $32 – 4 Stars
Brilliant, crystal clear. The nose is unmistakably coffee offering scents of roasted coffee beans, as well as brewed coffee, cocoa nibs, vanilla bean, and mocha. The palate supports the nose adding a deep, roasted bean note on the sweet, coffee-centric core with accents of vanilla cream and sweet brown sugar. Medium-bodied and very well-balanced especially for the style as we are accustomed to these being cloyingly sweet while this offers a brilliant roasted bean edge. $32 – 4 Stars
Brilliant, crystal clear. The nose is rich and exotic with scents of butter toffee, marzipan, vanilla, lemon drops, ripe tropical fruit, and subtle spice notes. The palate echoes the nose delivering a silky, buttery texture with ripe fruit, citrus zest, nutmeg, cinnamon, and hints of clove. Medium-bodied with a lush and generous mouthfeel giving layers of fruit and spice with a bright dose of acidity to keep it balanced. $29.99 – 4 Stars
Brilliant, crystal clear. The nose is filled with scents of charred oak, vanilla, generous brown baking spices, earth, concentrated fruit, mocha, hints of black pepper, treacle, and Bourbon. The palate absolutely confirms the nose as it offers a viscous fruit and caramel core with loads of spice, oak, and Sherry. Full-bodied and quite intense with dense barrel notes, molasses, and baking spice notes lingering for minutes. $39.99 – 4 Stars
Brilliant, crystal clear. The nose is quite intriguing as the material (molasses) is quite familiar while the distillation in a hybrid pot still gives the rich, densely fruity qualities of a Caribbean pot still while being as clean and floral as a column still Rum. The palate confirms the nose delivering a dry, fruit-forward core with a silky texture. The over-proof finish gives the clove and pepper spice accents more lift as well as the charred sugar flavors that emerge on the finish. A full-bodied white Rum with lots of gusto and personality that will hold its own in cocktails. $31 – 4 Stars
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Brilliant, crystal clear. Wow! This is simply amazing and complex offering scents of dried and baked fruits, cigar box, caramel, toffee, vanilla, brown butter, cocoa, fudge, cola nut, and brown baking spices. The palate delivers on the promise of the nose being impossibly rich and creamy despite its obvious strength finishing with notes of black pepper and blast of alcohol. It's as intense as it gets while being surprisingly silky and gentle with a rich and chewy mouthfeel. $24.99 – 5 Stars
Deep amber color. Seductively smells of English toffee, marzipan, nougat, hazelnuts and butter. Off-dry tastes of dark caramel and bittersweet chocolate. It may seem too luscious to mix but try it anyway as it adds great depth to your favorite Rum cocktails. $25 – 3.5 Stars
Crystal clear. The nose is quite assertive with notes of toffee, vanilla, and molasses filling the nose. On the downside, there is also a persistent aroma of burning tires that at time masks the pretty tropical notes. The palate is quite viscous and it finishes very sweet, perhaps too sweet. This Rum is a puzzle as it has very pretty elements while it also offers some unattractive edges. $ – 2.5 Stars
Deep bronze color. A soft, rich, and sweet nose with scents of vanilla, cola, tropical fruits and coconut. The palate offers a soft and silky mouthfeel with flavors of cola, vanilla, and fruit. Ideal for beach and poolside cocktails. Not terribly complex but well delivered, pleasurable, and a good value. $14.99 – 3 Stars
Brilliant amber to mahogany in color. The nose is like nirvana to those of us who appreciate the complex and beautiful aromas of aged Rum. Scents of roasted tropical fruits, roasted almonds, treacle, brown butter, allspice, clove, cocoa, and vanilla fill the nose. The palate echoes the nose delivering a lush and silky core with generous spice notes to add intrigue and shape. A wonderful and complex Rum from Brugal. $49.99 – 4.5 Stars