Don Q Reserva Anejo 7 Anos. The Don Q range has undertaken quite a re-vamp over the past few years. They have both expanded and re-categorised their range of rums.
So we now have the “Traditional Range” which comprises their Gold, Cristal and 151 rum. The “Flavors” comprising Naranja, Coco, PIna and Limon. Finally we have the “Serralles Collection” which seems to house pretty much everything else.
Bacardi Facundo Exquisito Rum. This rum is part of Bacardi’s Facundo range. The range is named after the original founder of Bacardi Don Facundo Bacardi Masso. Bacardi Facundo Exquisito Rum is the mid tier of the range.
Bacardu Facundo Exquisito Rum retails at around £100. Which is slightly less expensive than their flagsip Reserva Limitada. Bacardi Facundo Exquisto (meaning to be free) is distilled on multi column stills in Puerto Rico. It is a blend of rums aged between 7 and 23 years old. It has been bottled at a very conservative 40% ABV. The rum is aged in ex-bourbon casks before being blended and aged for a further month in ex-sherry casks.
Bacardi Anejo. Aside from the usual Bacardi bottles you find in the Supermarket and Duty Free a trip to the continent (and further a field) can often throw up a few more variations from the Puerto Rican rum powerhouses.
I picked up this bottle of Bacardi Anejo in May 2019 on holiday in Salou. I think the 1 litre bottle was around €15. I’d not seen this particular expression before. I could tell from the presentation (and the dustiness) of the bottle that it was not a “new” release.
Don Q Double Cask Finish Puerto Rican Rum Finished in Sherry Casks. Snappy little name for it eh? Maybe not but at least it goes some way to describing the contents of this bottle.
Which is a lot more than can often be said for the lighter latin style of rums from Central and South America. This is the second Double Cask Finish rum Don Q have released in recent times. The Vermouth Cask finish, I have yet to review. I’ll get round to it though don’t worry.
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!
Don Q Oak Barrel Spiced. Don Q are a rum producer from Puerto Rico. Availability of their rums has increased dramatically over the past couple of years. Thanks, in no small part to the efforts of Global Rum Ambassador Alexx Mouzouris. Don Q rum is now widely available in the UK and I would recommend trying their range to anyone interested in trying a light column distilled style of rum without additives. Which is a bit of a rarity these days.
Don Q Cristal is the brands entry level white rum. Don Q hail from Puerto Rico like Bacardi. Like Bacardi they also distill their rums using column distillation. Unlike Bacardi they are quite well thought of particularly in their native country.
Around 18 months ago Don Q had a major re-brand and began marketing and distributing their rums to wider global audience. Don Q’s range is now readily available in the UK through mail order and sprinkling of stores. I’ve previously reviewed their “dark” rum range but never quite got around to writing about the Cristal.
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