I have reviewed The Real McCoy 5 before, and at first, I really didn't like it. I thought it tasted pretty much like Whiskey. I don't really agree with myself anymore. I think that it tastes like a pretty decent, though kind of bland, rum, with some notes of vanilla and spice. Maybe it was the charred barrel that was throwing me off. I have learned to appreciate that flavor through Pusser's. In general, Bajan rums just don't turn me off as much as they used to. > Note: No age statement, but Difford's Guide says it's aged 5+ years Review I will be comparing Old Brigand Black label with The Real McCoy 5, since I don't have that many bottles from Barbados, and it's about the closest in age that I have a full bottle of. Smell Old Brigand has a sweet smell of vanilla and oak, and not really much else. Pretty much the same is the case with The Real McCoy. Taste The flavor is a pretty classic bajan flavor of vanilla, oak, and something that's a touch bitter, earthy, and maybe green apple, that I associate with rum from Foursquare. It's not very flavorful, with the notes being quite subtle. Going back and forth between Old Brigand and The Real McCoy, it's really hard to tell a difference, as both have very similar and very light flavors. Perhaps Old Brigand burns just a touch less than The Real McCoy? But that's about it. As is the case with most Foursquare rums, I find that adding some sugar brings out more flavors. Though I also pulled out my bottle of Doorly's 14 for comparison, and it's not even a competition. Doorly's 14 is also basically the exact same flavor, but so much more bold and concentrated. In a daiquiri, I also really couldn't tell either apart. Both make decent daiquiris. Nothing super exciting or super off about either. Verdict {rating}/10 I give Old Brigand Black Label the same score that I gave to The Real McCoy 5 Year. Since Old Brigand tastes basically identical to The Real McCoy but costs 25% less, it's definitely the better value. However, if you really like the flavors of Foursquare, there really is no replacing Doorly's 14 or the Foursquare branded bottlings. This rum doesn't really sing neat or in a daiquiri, but it's priced to compete with Appleton Signature and is just a touch more expensive than Bacardi, in which case, it's not bad for the price.

I will be comparing Bacardi Black to Myers's Original Dark and Goslings Black Seal, since that's the competition closest in price point and availability. I didn't add Worthy Park 109 to the comparison since I wanted to give the other rums a fighting chance. For context, Myers's Original Dark is a rum from Jamaica, and is a blend of pot still and column still rums and is heavily colored. Goslings Black Seal is a rum from Bermuda, but they do not actually produce the rum. They blend the rum from various countries (including potentially Jamaica), though this is a closely guarded secret. Bacardi Black is a rum from Puerto Rico, and is completely multi-column distilled, so it cannot naturally have the typical pot still flavor you associate with a black Jamaican rum. Review Smell Bacardi Black definitely hits you in the face with alcohol, followed by a slight bit of molasses, and perhaps a very faint hint of funk? But I mostly get alcohol and molasses scent. Goslings doesn't smell much different, other than the alcohol not quite hitting as hard. Myers's is completely different, with an actual punch of Jamaican funk with overripe banana as well as sweetness. Taste Bacardi Black is not very good neat. It's just very sour and bitter and industrial tasting. If I dig deep, there's a strong sweetness along with flavors of black cherry, molasses, and maybe the slightest bit of funk? Or perhaps the contents of a bottle of rum cake flavoring from the spice aisle? Despite the high sugar content, it still comes off more as sour and bitter than sweet. In contrast, Goslings has a similar sour and bitter off-note, but carries considerably more flavor as well. It actually tastes like a proper black rum. Myers's is yet another step up, with a stronger Jamaican funk and less off-flavors. It's still not something I would sip, but it's by far the best of the three. In a daiquiri, Bacardi Black is just odd. The flavors are just muddy and not right. It's certainly better than neat, but Bacardi Superior makes a far better daiquiri, hands down. Gosling's is a slight improvement, but still kind of bitter and not quite right. Myers's is a genuinely good daiquiri. Once again, it actually carries a strong Jamaican funk that the others just lack. But a daiquiri is meant for light rums. If you're drinking black rum, chances are, it's in a rum and coke. I mixed them 3:1, and the Bacardi Black rum and coke is like a match made in... Kenosha, Wisconsin. So, not heaven and not hell, just servicable and unremarkable. This might be the only scenario where Bacardi Black might have the slightest edge over Superior. It's like a black cherry coke. I would definitely say that Myers's and Goslings are improvements over Bacardi Black, but in a coke, they really don't have the assertive flavor to overcome the soda, so all 3 just made passable rum and coke, though I prefer the Goslings and Myers's ones over the Bacardi Black. And finally, just to cover every base, even the ones no one asked to cover, how do these three dark rums fare in a single-rum Mai Tai? Of course, because I made my own orgeat, squeezed fresh lime, and used a good orange curacao, not even Bacardi Black could ruin it. It just sort of disappears and makes an unremarkable Mai Tai. Still a better Mai Tai than Cutwater, at least. Myers's is somehow also not good in a Mai Tai, with its assertive flavors of molassesy caramel and burnt rubber being noticable enough to make it taste slightly off. Gosling's is just better than the other two, mostly because it hides the best while still providing a decent enough rum flavor. But still, every Mai Tai was perfectly drinkable. Verdict {rating}/10 In conclusion, I basically don't know of any scenario where I would recommend Bacardi Black to anyone. It's worse in basically every drink than competing black rums, and if you really won't drop $35 on a handle of Goslings or Appleton Estate Signature, and only have $25 and want to buy a handle for a party, then Bacardi Superior is still pretty much superior in every situation. Bacardi Black is just outclassed in every scenario by rums at the same price point, and it's really only half-decent drowned in coke. There's a certain flavor from heavily charred barrels that I learned to appreciate, such as in Pusser's rum and The Real McCoy 5 Year, and I just didn't get that flavor from Bacardi Black. It just tasted like they paid scientists a lot of money to recreate that flavor, and they did an okay job. I didn't find it gross or want to spit it out, and in fact I thought the sourness, bitterness, and sweetness were decently balanced at least, if overwhelming. But it's just not how black rum should taste. It's just sub-par.

A little background on Mhoba. Robert Greaves grew up on his family's sugarcane farm in Mpumalanga. He studied mechanical engineering, and after failing a few business ventures, he returned to work on the farm. Every machine he needed, he built himself, and later he used his skills to build a pot still from scratch. He proudly delcares that his rum is single, pure, free of sugar, caramel, and glycerine, distilled on his pot still. Luca Gargano of Velier eventually found Greaves, and the Habitation Velier project brought Mhoba to the international market. The only flavor he ever uses is pineapple in his pineapple rum, but says that he doesn't see himself making any other flavored rums. This rum is insane. It hurts to bring it up to my face because the esters burn my eyes. I didn't really closely examine the bottle until writing my review later, and one thing immediately jumps out at me now is that its ester count is over 3000. I have trouble with most of Hampden's upper range, which starts around 600-900 g/HLAA, much less DOK, which sits right up against the legal maximum of 2000. And this is over 3000. Review I tasted this rum alongside Savanna Réunion Grand Arôme and Clairin Communal. Smell It is extremely briny, grassy, and funky, but very industrial. It makes my eyes water just bringing it close to my face. Taste I am initially hit with plastic funk and brand new sharpie. It is extremely overwhelming, and I find it undrinkable. I actually poured myself some Diplomatico Planas, since it's a pretty smooth and neutral base, and then just a small splash of Mhoba, and it let me examine the flavors more. Now I get more olive brine, and almost a vanilla cake icing but with all the sugar gone. It's high-ester, but unlike the typical Jamaican funk which is completely fruity, this just tastes... loud. Like, if loud could be a flavor, it would be this rum. As it fades on my palate, it does transition from briny to something slightly fruity, maybe a hint of the Jamaican rotten banana, but it's honestly unlike anything I have had before. As I mentioned in my previous reviews, Clairin Communal is pretty pleasant but a very typical flavor, and the Grand Arôme was an intriguing blend of wild berries, salty brine and olives, but overall is like a more potent clairin. Mhoba is in this general category too, but it's so unique. And I wouldn't say in an immediately pleasant way. This rum is a very challenging and complex rum. I tried a daiquiri with all three, and Clairin Communal is a pleasant but not groundbreaking daiquiri. It's one I feel safe ordering, knowing it's just going to be a delicious daiquiri. Savanna Réunion Grand Arôme made a more complex daiquiri, but with a slightly salty, slightly bitter, slightly berry complexity that made me stop, think, and enjoy it after every sip. The Mhoba daiquiri, however, made me stop, think, and wonder what is even going on in my mouth with every sip. Perhaps it should have been diluted more, maybe a split base with another rum. Again, I did all of this and wrote these notes before realizing the monster ester count of this rum. It's a daiquiri where every sip delivers sharpie, olive, and some sort of fruit that I can't name, but it's like a hybrid of pineapple and peach. I kept reaching for it, writing down notes, trying to find a reason to put it down. And before I could find one, the daiquiri was done. Verdict {rating}/10 It's very possible my palate isn't there yet. I was recently migrating my reviews to my new website, https://theruminator.co, and I saw that exactly one year ago I was trying Wray & Nephew and Planteray for the first time, and thinking "oh, how quaint". I hope to someday look back at myself now and think the same thing. This rum is one thing for sure, and that is one of the most interesting rums I have ever had. I don't quite have the words to describe it, and maybe one day I will unlock its secrets. But regardless, a rum that makes me sit and think so much, and delivers so much complexity and flavor, definitely deserves an 8/10.

Today, it seems like French rhum is synonymous with agricole, but its dominance really only came about over the past century. Before that, while these were still productive sugar colonies making sugar, and as a byproduct, molasses, rum made from molasses was far more common. Rhum grand arôme (in English, "big flavor rum"), is still produced today, and was used by the French to blend and flavor food and spirits much like Germans used Jamaican rum. They even use dunder from previous distillations to drive up the esters, just like some Jamaican distilleries. As you know, I am a big fan of Jamaican rum, so it was very exciting to try this kind for the first time. Review I tasted this rum alongside the Mhoba from Velier and Clairin Communal. Smell The initial hit is of briny kalamata olives. Salty, savory, and fruity. Mhoba is also rich and savory, but more industrial rubbery. Clairin Communal is lighter on the nose, and is a mix of olive brine and overripe banana funk. Of the three, Savanna is probably the most bright, while smelling both salty and fruity. Taste The initial flavor is very intense. Like when I try Hampden's higher ester rums neat, the taste is just burnt rubber as my palate is overwhelmed. Trying a little bit diluted, it opens up with wild berries and briny olives, but maintains a bit of bitterness. It has a very long finish, much like many Hampden rums. I can taste it half an hour later. Clairin Communal is quite close in flavor profile, with similar olive and fruit notes, but is much lighter in flavor, though it benefits from not having a slightly bitter aftertaste. Mhoba is not far off in flavor, but it has stronger savory and slightly plasticky notes, and it's not fruity at all. I would say it reads more grassy than olives. The daiquiris for all of these were a treat. I did say that I like Clairin Communal daiquiris when I reviewed it recently. It's not super complicated, but it's just a nice, tasty, not overly complex daiquiri. Savanna definitely makes a more complex daiquiri; I have to stop and think after every sip. The slightly salty, slightly bitter wild berry flavor really accents the sweetness and lime nicely, and in general it benefits from being diluted. Verdict {rating}/10 I definitely enjoyed this rum mixed more than I liked it neat, and I can see why this was used in blending. The raw product has so much intensity, but in a cocktail, it makes you stop and think after every sip. It's a fascinating and well-made rum, filled with so much flavor that I am still not sure if I have figured it all out. 7.75/10

I feel like whenever agricole comes up, people bring up Pere Labat 59 as one of the gold standards of high quality but affordable agricole. So, it was only a matter of time before I tried it. Père Labat is named after Jean-Baptiste Labat, a Dominican missionary to the French Caribbean. He had a copper cognac pot still shipped in from France and modified it for rum production, and the rum is currently made from 4 varieties of heirloom sugarcane. Review Smell I had HSE Blanc 40% on hand, and Pere Labat 59 very much smells like a Martinique agricole: brine and grass. However, as I mentioned in my Clairin Communal review, Pere Labat also smells exactly like a homebrew infected with Brettanomyces. It's hard to describe but it's so distinctly like a Brett infection. Barnyard, leathery, sour yeasty... not quite spoiled, but very funky. Taste It's not bad. Very grassy, a touch briny, but not fruity like a clairin at all. It's just good, light, crisp, agricole flavor. There's also a flavor that I'm struggling to pin down. It tastes like a vinegary citrus, mixed with grape soda. Not like actual grapes, but that specific chemical that they use to make grape-flavored candy and drinks. The Brett character comes through boldly, but more specifically, bitter, dry, sour brined pickles, grass, leather, barnyard funk. It has quite a long finish, and pleasant at that. Side by side with HSE blanc, HSE is just more bitter, less complex, has a shorter finish, and is just less interesting. I don't know if I'd ever actually choose HSE, but I can see myself vibing with Pere Labat. In a daiquiri, it's honestly not my favorite. The agricole flavor is aggressive and makes a really grassy, briny, Brett-forward daiquiri, which is essentially what I don't like about a lot of agricoles in general. It works better than HSE in a daiquiri, but I still don't prefer it. Verdict {rating}/10 Like Fortaleza tequila, this rum is a case where I can clearly recognize quality and craftsmanship while not strongly enjoying the liquid. It still has a very good complexity that shines right through the juice and syrup. It's just that the brine, the grass, and the funk are quite challenging flavor notes for me. If you enjoy that sort of rum, it may be excellent, but for me, it's a 5.5/10.

Of the clairins from Spirit of Haiti, I have only had Sajous and Le Rocher before this. I know there's more, but with how much rum I have in my closet, I am not exactly looking for more bottles. I also didn't really know what the names mean; I only later realized that Sajous is the name of the distiller (Michel Sajous) and Le Rocher is named after the fact that the distillery is on a big rock. I figured Communal is just another name, but it turns out that it's because it's actually the first four clairins (Sajous, Vaval, Casimir, and Le Rocher) all blended together. It's also lower in proof than the rest, at 43%. Review For this review, I compared it to the two other clairins I have, plus Pere Labat 59, since it's a related agricole. Smell As I've reviewed before, Le Rocher smells a bit like a sharpie with smoky rib rub and a touch of Worthy Park industrial funk. Sajous is a lot closer to a classic agricole with grassy brine with just a touch of citrus. I don't know what Casimir and Vaval smell like, but already Communal is between the two that I've had, where it has a bit of pickly brine scent, and a bit of the overripe banana of Jamaican funk. Pere Labat is kind of like a classic agricole, with grassy briny notes, but has the unmistakable smell of a Brett infection. I remember it from my days of homebrewing. It's a very specific sour, funky stank that is almost impossible to describe. It's like leather and barnyard. Taste Le rocher is very smoky, plasticky, and maybe slightly fruity, with a nice long finish, while Sajous just tastes like a typical agricole, with a dry, savory brine that reminds me a bit of HSE blanc. Communal is, again, an experience in between, with a bit of fruitiness, a bit of pickled olive flavor, and it comes off as a bit less dry. It actually reminds me of a sweet red bell pepper. Pere Labat is more similar to Sajous, with a dry, bitter, grassy pickle note, very complex in flavor, but I can't help but pick up the funk of Brett. In a daiquiri, Communal is light, balanced, and enjoyable. It's not plasticky or off, but I just wish it packed more of a punch. It's certainly the least controversial daiquiri of the bunch. Verdict {rating}/10 I think of clairin Communal is a nice, inoffensive introduction to the Spirit of Haiti. Perhaps it's the Planteray Xaymaca of clairins. It doesn't have the bold, challenging flavor of any one of them that makes them stand out. It's just an average of all 4, and on average, they're all fantastic. I just wish it wasn't watered down as much as it is, but as it stands, it's like a more concentrated Copalli white. I like this as an approachable representation of what high quality clairins are as a category. 7.5/10

There are tons of tiny distilleries all around Haiti, and their popularization is largely due to Luca Gargano, head of Habitation Velier, who released the Spirit of Haiti series, with Le Rocher being the fourth clairin in the series. The distillery is very rudimentary, with the fermentation featuring dunder and wild yeast, and the distillation is done in pot stills fueled by waste bagasse Review Smell It's grassy and spicy in a way that's sort of unusual for a clairin. It's like an agricole spiced with a rib rub. Brown sugar, chipotle peppers, cumin, smoked salt, and sharpie. Very earthy and a mix of sweet and savory. Taste It tastes much like it smells: smoky, grassy, and slightly bitter. There's a sweet, savory, smoky pepperiness which is not fruity, like the bright and fruity flavor of some other clairins. It is instead more like savory stewed prunes and pears, with a slight industrial flavor that reminds me of the grunge in Worthy Park funk. It's like a stew with vegetables, a few dark fruits, and a lot of seasoning. The finish is long with watermelon and green apple. It's pretty different from Le Rocher, which is basically what I expected from a clairin: a little bit of agricole grassiness, a little bit of fruity flavor, and a lot of complexity. Le Rocher is fantastic in a daiquiri. It's almost like a smoked daiquiri, and balanced nicely between sweet, sour, and smoky barbecue notes that feel like they shouldn't work together, but they do. This daiquiri reminds me of my grandma's kompot, which she often makes from smoke-dried apricots. Verdict {rating}/10 I think Le Rocher is quite different from, but equally as complex as Sajous. The flavor profile is not outright my favorite, as is the case with Jamaican funk, but it makes me keep coming back and pondering. I love a rum that makes me think, and keep coming back for another sip. 8/10

Before I really got into rum, I just vaguely knew that I preferred rum to other spirits. I liked Bacardi Superior over vodka, whiskey, or tequila, no matter how good or high quality they were. At some point, my uncle bought Bacardi 8, and I remember trying it and thinking "huh... Bacardi can actually make something pretty good". It didn't blow me away, but I was impressed that Bacardi could make such a nice product. This past Memorial Day, I wanted to bring a rum that can atone for the fact that I brought Bumbu to that same BBQ the year before. I wanted to bring something good, but also something that wasn't too complex or crazy that might scare people away from rum. So, Bacardi 8 seemed like the obvious pick. > Note: The age statement is 8 years, but it notes that the blend can contain rum that is up to 16 years old. Review I'll be comparing this rum to Ron Santiago de Cuba 8 Year and Angostura 7 Year, two other similar light column-still rums aged for a similar amount of time. Smell I get very little on the nose. No wood notes, no alcohol burn, just very clean. Maybe the tiniest hint of orange peel. Ron Santiago 8 is much more floral and green appley, and angostura 7 is more woody with bolder vanilla. Taste It's just light across the board. I get a bit of vanilla, a bit of coconut, a hint of orange peel, and it doesn't even burn much just drinking it straight. It's also pretty sweet. Angostura 7 is harsher on the alcohol, but it's bold with woody and oak flavor, with a light anise and fennel finish. Ron Santiago is bold, floral, flavorful, and incredible. It's my favorite Cuban-style rum. In a daiquiri it's fine. Light, crisp, and clean. Lime and sweetness comes through, but the rum is just absent. Even Brugal Añejo makes a better daiquiri. Verdict {rating}/10 There's nothing really wrong with Bacardi 8, other than it being sweeter than I prefer. It's not offensive, it's just a pretty boring sipper and a pretty boring mixer, and is middle of the road in every way. It really doesn't taste that much better or different from Bacardi Gold. I would much rather have a Cuban rum, and even Angostura 7 is slightly better. 5/10 As for the Memorial Day BBQ, nobody tried it. :(

If you remember my reviews of the Puntacana Club rums, you'll remember my rant about what a scam Taino Gifts is in Punta Cana. Another one of the reasons is that they offered me some free samples, and I said that they're too sweet for me, and so they tried to sell me E. León Jimenes 110 for $240, insisting that it's completely unsweetened. They did not let me try it, of course, but I did buy a sample bottle at my hotel for $10. Yes, buying 15 sample bottles would cost half as much as the bottle they were trying to sell me. This rum was basically entirely off my radar, since it's not one of the "3 B's" of Dominican rum (Brugal, Barceló, Bermudez), but my sensibilities were so offended by that experience that I bought the sample bottle to try at home. A little history about this rum: it debuted in 2013, to celebrate La Aurora cigar factory's 110th anniversary. This rum is contracted by a cigar company that wants to make the perfect rum to pair with a cigar. > Note: The wash was fermented for 18-24 hours and distilled on a 5-column still Review Smell Very strong oak and vanilla initally, with that characteristic Dominican floral scent. It smells a lot like the longer aged Brugal rums. Taste Very nice bold, classic Dominican flavor. Sweet, floral, sour, woody, vanilla, and it's pretty tannic. It has the same woody and sour note as Havana Club 7, though it is much less floral and flavorful. It also comes across as quite sweet, and despite its tannins, it doesnt come off as very long aged. But that's actually okay. It has a little bit of the floral notes you get from the younger Brugal and Barceló rums along with a good hit of vanilla and oak. It's like a more floral Barceló Imperial or a more woody Brugal Añejo. They must have used a heavier cut off the still for this because it's surprisingly flavorful for what it is. Verdict {rating}/10 It lands close to Cubaney XO (another Cuban-style Dominican rum) because it's actually flavorful, noticeably aged, sweet but not overly sweet, and yet not as flavorful as cuban rums. It's a bit harsher than Cubaney XO, but I can mostly overlook that. It's not my sipper of choice, but it's actually one of the nicer Dominican rums that I've had. In general, though, I think Dominican rums taste like neutered Cuban rums, but this rum comes pretty close to some of the worse Cuban rums I've had. 5.75/10

Rum has long been tied to the high seas. In fact, moreso with the British Navy, which issued its sailors a daily rum ration, than to pirates, despite the popular association. That tradition ended in 1970, and the remaining stocks were bottled by Black Tot as the "Last Consignment". However, these bottles are very rare and expensive, so Black Tot also began sourcing rum to blend into something that they claim closely resembles the navy rum of old. According to bitters and bottles, the blend consists of: 40%: Guyana, aged 3-5 years, pot and column blend 20%: Guyana, unaged, pot and column blend 35%: Barbados, aged 5 years, pot and column blend 5%: Jamaica, aged 3 years, pot still only I see this exact blend cited a lot, and the bottle featuring a black label, though my bottle, despite having the exact same name, has an orange label and lists a Trinidad component. That's pretty historically fitting, since the navy's rum recipe changed many times depending on what is available. Black Tot actually gave me their new recipe, which is what is in the bottle with the orange label: 40%: Barbados, aged 5 years, pot and column blend, molasses 20%: Guyana, 0-5 years, pot and column blend, molasses 35%: Trinidad, aged 2-4 years, column still only, molasses 5%: Jamaica, aged 3 years, pot still only, molasses Review Since this a Guyana-heavy navy-style rum, I will be comparing it to Hamilton 86 and Pusser's (blue label). It's also noticeably more light than the other two. It's golden while the other two are a deep brown. Smell Black Tot is fairly light on the nose. I get oak, a touch of alcohol harshness, and maybe a faint hint of what I think is brine? Hamilton 86 is also light on the nose, but I mostly get molasses. Pusser's has the strongest aroma of the three, and I get a lot of prunes, molasses, and raisins. Taste With Black Tot, I definitely get a lot of demerara character. Earthy, charred oak, a light funk, and good body. There's a slight burn as you'd expect from a 46%. Pusser's comes very strong with charred oak and raisins, and while flavorful, it's maybe a bit less rounded. Hamilton 86 has a lot more of a jamaican black rum vibe, like Myers's, and much less of what I identify as demerara flavor. All 3 make great daiquiris, though all three are very different. Pusser's comes strong with the sweet, molasses, caramel, raisin notes. Hamilton makes more of a funky dark rum daiquiri. Black Tot is the most like a traditional daiquiri out of the three: lighter, a bit of Jamaica, a bit of Demerara, and I taste a bit of Barbados coming through as well. Verdict {rating}/10 Despite their differences, I do think that they are all quite good and quite similar, but Black Tot has just a bit more richness, a bit more kick, that edges it ahead. So, I went ahead and pulled out Pusser's Gunpowder Proof, which is the same blend as the blue label, but at 54.5%, which is way more than Black Tot, hence why I didn't include it in the initial tests. But it has that extra bit of richness and kick that I was feeling in Black Tot. I rated it 7/10 before, and as such, I also give Black Tot Finest Caribbean Rum a 7/10.

I've wondered for a while what actually separates Ron Abuelo 12 from Ron Abuelo XII Two Oaks, and whether "Añejo XII Años" even qualifies as a real age statement. Ron Abuelo themselves claim that XII is "double matured" for 12 years. Distiller.com(https://distiller.com/spirits/ron-abuelo-xii-two-oaks) goes into far more specifics, and says that actually XII does not carry an age statement. It's actually a blend of rums ranging from 8 to 40+ years old, with the average age being just over 11 years, finished for an additional 9 months in extra-charred first-fill casks. They also get very specific about the charring process and give a date, which also lends a lot of credibility. For context, Panama uses a weighted-age system, so, for example, blending equal parts 6 year and 10 year rum would allow you to call it an 8 year old rum in Panama. By that math, if the average age of the blend is at least 11.25 years, after an additional 9 month finish it can legally be called a 12 year old rum. I am also aware that a Ron Abuelo XII Three Angels exists, but I have not yet had the chance to try it. Review Smell Tasted alongside the 12 and Zacapa 23, XII is the woodiest of the three by far. Zacapa has a faint wine note that XII doesn't really have, while the 12 is a touch more citrusy and floral than both. Taste Compared to the 12, XII has a stronger note of vanilla and oak, a bit more sour (I don't know how to describe this sourness but you feel it in Havana Club 7 pretty distinctly) and it's significantly more dry and tannic. Compared to Zacapa, it's less sweet and more sour, and in general, the depth and richness is pretty similar, but XII just goes all in on bold intense oak flavor, it's dry and tannic to match, while Zacapa is more simple and sweet and cuts the oak flavor with sherry notes. Verdict {rating}/10 Overall, Ron Abuelo makes some of my favorite rums in the Central American category, though it's significantly sweeter than some competitors, like Flor de Caña. XII is bolder in oak, tannin, and sourness to the point where the sweetness stops being a flaw and becomes necessary for balance. It needs it in order to balance the very bold barrel taste of this rum. I like it despite its rough edges, and I'd put it tied with Zacapa 23 in score at 6.5/10, because both are deep, rich, easy to sip rums (or, possibly, full of additives like glycerin, though for Ron Abuelo, that remains unconfirmed). Neither is really a must-have for me. Zacapa 23 is a bit too sweet, and Ron Abuelo XII Two Oaks is a bit too sour.

I've wondered for a while what actually separates Ron Abuelo 12 from Ron Abuelo XII Two Oaks, and whether "Añejo XII Años" even qualifies as a real age statement. You can see my review for that at the bottom. Review Smell Tasting alongside both Ron Abuelo 7 Year and XII Two Oaks, it really is like a step ladder in terms of aroma. The 7 year does have notes of oak and vanilla, but also a slight citrusy, floral note. The 12 year is richer than the 7, with bolder oak and vanilla but less floral citrus notes. By XII, it is very oaky, very vanilla, and the citrus floral aroma is gone entirely. Taste Next to the 7, the 12 is bolder in vanilla, a little more sour, and has less young character. The 7 would still work fine in a mojito, while 12 is richer and less bright and definitely intended for sipping. XII is even more bold. It is a bit more sour and it's significantly more dry and tannic than the 12. Verdict {rating}/10 Overall, Ron Abuelo makes some of my favorite rums in the Central American category, though it's significantly sweeter than some competitors, like Flor de Caña. I would say that the 12 year is a bit worse as a mixer than the 7, but improved as a sipping rum from the greater oak and vanilla flavor, though all are quite sweet. I would put them about equal in score for that reason, just suited for different purposes. 6/10