Ron del Barrilito 3 star. This is perhaps one of the most misunderstood and controversial “rums” in the rum world. On researching this rum, it seems history has been re-written time and time again with regards as to what exactly this rum really is.

A lot of the confusion is caused by “word of mouth” and people passing on information from brand ambassadors, fellow enthusiasts and on occasion the actual producers of Ron del Barrilito. If you try and research this rum you are left with the impression, this could be anything from the greatest rum ever, to a very average “spiced” rum. As with most things, the truth when such polar opposites exist is perhaps more somewhere around the centre of the argument!

At this point I am going to make a disclosure with regard this rum. Anything I write after this regarding its composition, could be complete rubbish. My tasting notes and the Hydrometer Test I conduct are the only parts of this review I will stand by. Anything else can (and will) be changed if someone can convince me I have got something wrong.

Ron del Barrilito 3 Star is not readily available here in the UK. It is easier to find in Europe but its easiest to find in the US. From what I can see it retails at around $30-35. Were it to come to the UK, I would probably expect to pay the best part of £45 for a bottle. Ron Del Barralito when it does appear tends to be in a US sized 75cl bottle. Rather than the standard metric 70cl UK/Europe bottle. It is bottled at 43% ABV.

It is understood to be a rum produced by Serralles (Don Q).However, more up to date information suggests the company behind Ron del Barrilito source their base rum now from Bacardi. Ron del Barrilito 3 star is a blend of column distilled rums aged up to 6 years. It is “blended” and aged in “seasoned sherry casks”. The hydrometer detects around 8g/L of additives – so this would suggest the “seasoned sherry casks” are not 100% clean when the rum is blended………

The brand have their own website. Upon entering this you are first hit with the fact that Ron del Barrilito is Puerto Rico’s Oldest Rum. It also notes the 3 star as being a blend of rums aged between 6 and 10 years old. As I said earlier researching this brand has proved very…..interesting/frustrating.

The website also states the following “Every single bottle of Ron del Barrilito holds premium rum that has been crafted by hand using the same methods since 1880. It’s always been made in very small batches. Absolutely no artificial ingredients or colorings are used. It’s aged to perfection in vintage american white oak sherry barrels.”

Ron del Barrilito is produced by the Fernandez family at the Hacienda Santa Ana. They state that both their “regular” rums, the 2 and 3 star are produced in small batches. Last year they released a very expensive 5 star version, which again proved quite controversial and provoked a lot of very differing opinions! Mostly due to the price point! You can read about the 5 star in more detail here. $750 per bottle though…..

Presentation wise Ron del Barrilito 3 Star comes in a standard bar style bottle with an old style “Cuban” kind of presentation. I quite like its vintage look and I would probably pull a bottle from the shelf if I was out shopping.

In the glass we have a dark brown spirit with an orange hue. Nosing Ron del Barrilito 3 star is a pleasant experience. It is a very “Cuban” style of rum with lots of tobacco, tar and some sweet milk chocolate notes.

Further nosing reveals some sweet sherry which become quite dominant on the nose. It’s a very fruity nose with lots of raisins and currants. There is a slightly peppery spice mingling alongside the sweet sherried notes.

It’s all quite nicely balanced and overall quite pleasant.

Sipped Ron del Barrilito is very smooth and very easy to sip. It has a mouthfeel which is perhaps a touch more oily than I would like and it has a confected air to it. It’s a pretty sweet rum. The tobacco and tar that were evident on the nose have been totally taken over by the sherried fruit sweetness. This does in many ways taste like an aged sherry rather than a rum.

The initial sweetness fade into a fairly short mid palate which has a little ginger and cinnamon. The lightness of the spirit means it quickly disappears and has a fairly short finish. Tobacco and smoke and a very quick fade.

I found this okay as a sipper, though for me it’s just too light. As a mixer it works nicely with cola making a very pleasant rum and cola or rather sherry and cola. If you are familiar with aged sherry such as Torres 10 Year Old you will find a lot of similarity with this rum. If you like a brandy and cola you will find comfort in this rum.

Overall it’s not a terrible experience and I can understand why it has so many fans. Unfortunately, it doesn’t really taste all that “rummy” to me and has a confected air to it and the sherry influence is just a little bit more than I would like. We aren’t in Dos Maderas territory here in terms of additives but its still quite a sweet spirit.

I’m pleased I have tried this rum. That said I wouldn’t break my back to try and get a bottle in the future.