Angostura Grand Reserve 1919

Introduction

For me Angostura Grand Reserve 1919 occupies a strange, empty space in the rum market. To the uninitiated, it’s a Premium rum from Trinidad and Tobago. It’s a fixture on quite a few “luxury” backbars the world over.

It is one of the few Caribbean rum producers that are omnipresent on the world market but are not owned by giants like Diageo or Pernod Ricard. It owns distillers in USA, Canada, Bahamas and….Suriname?

Until fairly recently you could find Angostura Grand Reserve 1919 in Sainsburys supermarket. Which is where I first came across it some years ago. I recall it had a sweet buttery yet slightly synthetic taste to it. It looked nice enough in the fancy bottle but it was all a bit meh.

To be honest my best experiences with Angostura have been below this rum in the brands portfolio, with the 5 and 7 year old. The White 3 Year is terrible, as have been all the rums above the 1919 in the portfolio.

I’ve never bought one. I’ve only ever bought any Angostura bottlings when they have been on sale. A lot I have acquired as samples from those daft enough to buy their wares.

The brand uses a specific narrative to sell this rum. The name 1919 references a 1932 warehouse fire that allegedly spared a cache of charred barrels filled in 1919. That’s the official brand story. It’s a compelling narrative of survival and heritage. But it’s not independently verified by government records, or historical archives. It’s marketing lore. Most importantly, the liquid in the bottle isn’t from 1919. It’s not even from 1932. It’s a modern product of Trinidad Distillers Limited (TDL). The story provides a romantic history. I seem to remember another Caribbean producer have pulled a similar marketing trick only they Forgot about their barrels as well……….

Trinidad Distillers Limited operates a massive multi-column distillation facility. This allows them to produce a variety of distillates, which they then balance with surgical precision. The resulting 1919 is a blend of molasses based rums aged in ex-bourbon American white oak. The official minimum age is 8 years but the blend typically incorporates stocks ranging from 5 to 14 years.

Tasting

If you have ever wondered what it’s like to drink liquid apathy, look no further than Angostura 1919. It’s the ultimate safe choice. It’s the rum for people who are terrified of actual flavour and it’s proof that you can take good sugarcane, run it through a world-class distillery and still end up with something that tastes like a wet stick.

Nosing the 1919 is an exercise in staying awake. It doesn’t evolve. It doesn’t challenge. It just sits there. It radiates a flat vanilla note mixed with damp logs and bitterness. It is difficult to say too much about it as so little is really happening. They have removed a lot of the “sweetness” that it previously had. around 12-14 g/L of additives down to <3g/L.

Much like the unadulterated Diplomatico releases of a few years back I’m left seeing exactly why they add the sugar syrup!

The palate? It’s an all out attack of smooth blandness that feels like it’s trying to apologise for even being bottled. Angostura Grand Reserva 1919 enters the mouth and passes over the tongue hardly leaving any other impressions beyond light vanilla and some slight hints of ageing. Then it exits just as meekly leaving you wondering if you did actually drank anything at all or just simply forgot to pour a tot.

The light vanilla that initially hits the tongue on the sip is the only thing that really changes. As you move into the mid palate you get less of it. It starts to disappear and the bitter woody notes become more prominent. Oh hang on there is a bit of light cheap toffee coming through, just.

The finish is brief. Fleeting almost The wood and the slight toffee/caramel dissipates rapidly, leaving behind a dry, slightly bitter oak residue. There’s a distinct lack of depth, and the experience concludes as abruptly as it began.

Its all very thin from the start to the end.

Verdict

Calling Angostura 1919 a bad rum is probably missing the point. I’m sure plenty of the hangers on in the industry will say I’m wrong and missing its nuances and greatness.

By industrial standards, it’s a triumph. It’s consistent, clean, and perfectly geared for mass appeal. It does exactly what it was designed to do provide a familiar, premium-feeling experience that rarely surprises to people who know no better.

I have NEVER heard a single rum enthusiast say or write anything overly positive about an Angostura rum. Most reviewers ignore it, snobby single cask enthusiasts turn their noses in digust, my mate from work would rather be drinking Captain Morgan at half the price……who buys this is my biggest question?

Some may say its a bridge for drinkers moving from mass market spirits to the “Premium” category, but ultimately it’s a cul-de-sac.

It doesn’t lead the drinker toward a deeper understanding of the rum category, it just keeps them within the comfort zone of a dull corporate approved flavour profile.

If you are looking for an honest, complex, and unadulterated exploration of what a Trinidadian column-still can produce, the 1919 is not that rum.

Final Thoughts: A rum for people who find water too spicy.