Botran Ron Anejo Solera 1893 Sistema Solera 18. I’ve lost count the amount of times Botran have changed the presentation of their rums over the past few years. With the various different Solera ages and the re-naming of the various rums as well, I’m not totally sure where this one stacks up in the pecking order.

I do know its pretty much nearer the top of the tree – though I’m not 100% if this bottling which I picked up in late 2017 is the current one…..

Botran Ron Anejo Solera 1893 retails at around £45-50. The 18 on the label is quite prominent and it is often listed as 18 years old. Nearly as prominent on the label are the words Solera – which mean the oldest rum in this bottle is 18 years old – some of the other rum in the blend can be a lot younger. Their own marketing states between 5 and 18 years old. The ABV on this rum is 40%.

I’ve covered a couple of Botran rums in the past. They are very much aimed at the pretty bottle brigade. Having said that although their rums have been found to have some additives (they make sure the Hydrometer can be fooled though) such as glycerol.

I’ve always found them to still be “rummy” enough to still take them seriously. True they are very much in the Latin Style of Light Column Distilled rums but they do actually show some good signs of cask management and genuine ageing. They do however still insist on using the “Virgin Sugar Cane Honey” marketing nonsense though.

Presentation wise as mentioned this is department store “Premium” rum. The gold and black colourway can be a little difficult to read (its not very easy to get a good photo either) but its kind of what you expect. I like the stubby 3/4 size bottle and you get a decent synthetic cork stopper. I think this has been updated to the presentation in the picture further on this review but I’m not totally sure to be honest. It appears the 18 has been removed or is less prominent on the bottle now.

Anyway despite the poor photography and me being unsure what bottle you might find – lets see how the bottle I have tastes.

In the glass Botran Ron Anejo Solera 1893 is a dark mahogany colour. It will be coloured but most commercial bottlings are.

The nose on the Botran Ron Anejo Solera 1893 is quite sweet with some strong notes of smoke and tobacco leaf. There is a decent amount of oak as well though not much in the way of spiciness. It’s light and slightly floral. A little chocolate and a touch of caramel. It’s not particularly fiery but its nicely balanced and not at all unpleasant.

Sipping this rum you initially get a good weight of tobacco, oak and dark chocolate. It’s much spicier on the palate than the nose. It has a very nice bourbon like sweetness in the mid palate which is as nice as it is surprising.

There is a note of Demerara sugar in this. Particularly on the entry. This does fade and reveal more of the tobacco and smoked notes. There is a nice oak note halfway down the sip which is good but unfortunately doesn’t last long. This moves into a gentle fade of bourbon like spice and a touch of slightly bitter red wine.

Despite the lightness of the nose and the overall profile of this rum it does deliver quite a lot of alcohol notes, especially compared to a lot of rums made in this style. It’s not been heavily dosed and been “muted”. At 40% ABV its not hugely boozy. It does have a kick, which so many Latin Style rums lack. For me this is a positive. I am not so sure how the target audience might see this “burn”. Some people have very funny ideas about what rum is!

For a change of pace and a good example of a decent aged Latin Style rum you can do a lot worse than this. It’s not badly balanced overall. It may have a slightly floral note to it that doesn’t totally agree with me. I can still enjoy a glass or two or though.

Not bad at all.