This is a rum that I have long been looking for. First off, not every duty free has them, and second, I passed it up for a while due to the price. But, Cuban rums have grown on me, and so I decided to bite the bullet and buy the most expensive rum that I have purchased to date. Review Smell It's a very light smell. A bit vanilla, a bit oak, a bit ethanol. This is a bit of a surprise, because Havana Club 7 yr smells so deep and rich with oak, and Ron Santiago de Cuba 12 yr smells so floral, but Havana Club Selección de Maestros smells so mild. Taste Slightly harsher than Havana Club 7, which is understandable, as it's slightly higher proof. The initial taste that I get is tobacco. I see tobacco a lot in tasting notes, and I never understood how a rum could taste like tobacco, until now. It's kind of smokey, and maybe has a light citrus tang, or some kind of sour note. Of course, overwhelmingly, the predominant taste is still the oak. Overall, it's not super different from Havana Club 7. It's rich, deep, and complex, much like Havana Club 7, and it really doesn't have much in common with Ron Santiago 12 other than the dominating oak taste. Ron Santiago 12 has floral notes, hibiscus tea, caramel, and cantaloupe. Daiquiris often are pretty good at really teasing out the differences. Havana Club 7 is ok, I never really preferred it in a daiquiri, and Selección de Maestros is about the same, but maybe a touch more interesting. Just a bit more depth and complexity shines through, with a bit of a smoky taste. But, at the same time, a lot more burn from the daiquiri with Selección de Maestros vs Havana Club 7. Verdict {rating}/10 (Edited from 6.25/10 on 3/9/26) (Edited from 7/10 on 1/20/26) To be honest, the daiquiri test might be silly, because who is buying Havana Club Selección de Maestros as a mixer? So, aside from that, we have a rum that is very similar to Havana Club 7. It's smokier and oakier than Havana Club 7, but also burns more, and is a lot more expensive. Is it really an upgrade over Havana Club 7? It's hard to say. Tasting them back and forth, I think I might be a smidge more in favor of Havana Club 7. It's just slightly more pleasant to me. But, overall, I can't really say Havana Club Selección de Maestros is even half a point better or worse than Havana Club 7. They're about the same for me, and so yet again, I give a Cuban rum a rating of 7/10. Could I just be a noob who hasn't learned to appreciate finer rums? Yes! January 20, 2026 Update: Maybe I was silly and underrated this originally, but it really is nice when I compare it to some of my other favorites again. I like it a bit more than Diplo Planas, I like it a bit more than HC7, and I just kind of like it slightly less than Ron Santiago 12. It's really a tough call, but I just decided to downgrade it to be equal to Ron Santiago 8, which is just a hair above Havana Club 3 and 7. March 9, 2026 Update: I am upgrading it and RdS 8 to 6.5/10

Whenever I travel, I always pick up a Cuban rum. I don't think that Cuban rum blows me away. I don't think that other Spanish country rums simply can't compete. No, I think that Brugal extra viejo and Zacapa 23 are totally in competition with some of the best that Cuba has to offer. It's just the forbidden fruit, man. I see Brugal extra viejo every time I visit the liquor store, but Cuban rum is only international... In this case, I saw Ron Santiago 8, 11, and 12 in duty free, and I picked up 8 and 12, figuring 3 bottles would just be too much, and 11 is close enough to 12 that I cover my bases with just 8 and 12. I know they use a different blend for 11, it's not like 12 is 11 just held for an extra year, but I wasn't even sure if I would like anything from Ron Santiago, so I settled for these two bottles. I will be comparing them against Havana Club 3 and 7 year rums. Review Smell Both Ron Santigos smell very similar. They're oaky and floral, with 12 having a slightly stronger oak smell, but they're both quite flowery smelling, while Havana Club 3 smells more light and fruity, and Hanava Club 7 smells deep, rich, and woody. Taste Ron Santiago 8 and 12 both also have very similar tastes. In fact, it's quite hard for me to even tell them apart. They're both oaky, floral, and rummy on the front, ending with a bit of tropical fruit flavor, which goes quite long. I tried to tell them apart by just pouring a shot of one, sipping on it for half an hour and thinking about the lingering notes, and doing the same with the other, and they both have basically the same lingering sort of notes that taste like how a flower shop smells, with a bit of hibiscus tea. Havana Club 7 is deep, rich, and complex, but it's very much just oaky, not even slightly fruity or floral. Havana Club 3 is a bit fruity, and actually comes across as a touch grassy, and towards the back has a medium fruity finish. I tried them all in daiquiris as this can sometimes help, but Ron Santiago 8 and 12 become basically indistinguishable from each other. The daiquiri also has floral notes that I find to be quite good. Havana Club 7 continues to make an overoaked daiquiri that I don't really prefer, and Havana Club 3 makes a great daiquiri, which is my favorite of the set. Of course, most Jamaican rums, even Appleton Estate Signature, with its relatively mild funk, still beat Havana Club 3, but just in terms of Cuban rums, there's really no beating it for making cocktails. Verdict {rating}/10 (Edited from 6.5/10 on 3/9/26) (Edited from 7/10 on 1/20/26) A while back, I have Havana Club 3 a 7/10 and Havana Club 7 a 6.5/10, and I would like to amend that to a 7/10, because I think that I didn't regard the deep oaky complexity of Havana Club 7 as much as making cocktails, and I do think that they are very different rums, but equally good in their own way. And, I feel the same way about Ron Santiago. I struggle to tell 8 and 12 apart, but they are a more floral tasting rum, less fruity than Havana Club 3 and less oaky than Havana Club 7, but still perfectly enjoyable. I rate them both 7/10 as well. January 20, 2026 Update: I love the fruity floral taste from Ron Santiago. Previously I scored them equal to Havana Club, but I need to change my score. Ron Santiago 8 year just barely edges out Havana Club 3, and Ron Santiago 12 is basically the same taste as 8, but I do notice that it's slightly more concentrated. The differences at the time seemed miniscule, but now I am willing to award an extra point to 12 over HC3. They're genuinely close to HC3, and HC7 for that matter, but they do edge them out. As such, Ron Santiago 12 is reduced to 6.5/10, above the 6/10 that both HC3 and HC7 occupy. March 9, 2026 Update: I decided that RdS 8 is very close to 12 and I might as well make them both 6.5/10

Whenever I travel, I always pick up a Cuban rum. I don't think that Cuban rum blows me away. I don't think that other Spanish country rums simply can't compete. No, I think that Brugal extra viejo and Zacapa 23 are totally in competition with some of the best that Cuba has to offer. It's just the forbidden fruit, man. I see Brugal extra viejo every time I visit the liquor store, but Cuban rum is only international... In this case, I saw Ron Santiago 8, 11, and 12 in duty free, and I picked up 8 and 12, figuring 3 bottles would just be too much, and 11 is close enough to 12 that I cover my bases with just 8 and 12. I know they use a different blend for 11, it's not like 12 is 11 just held for an extra year, but I wasn't even sure if I would like anything from Ron Santiago, so I settled for these two bottles. I will be comparing them against Havana Club 3 and 7 year rums. Review Smell Both Ron Santigos smell very similar. They're oaky and floral, with 12 having a slightly stronger oak smell, but they're both quite flowery smelling, while Havana Club 3 smells more light and fruity, and Hanava Club 7 smells deep, rich, and woody. Taste Ron Santiago 8 and 12 both also have very similar tastes. In fact, it's quite hard for me to even tell them apart. They're both oaky, floral, and rummy on the front, ending with a bit of tropical fruit flavor, which goes quite long. I tried to tell them apart by just pouring a shot of one, sipping on it for half an hour and thinking about the lingering notes, and doing the same with the other, and they both have basically the same lingering sort of notes that taste like how a flower shop smells, with a bit of hibiscus tea. Havana Club 7 is deep, rich, and complex, but it's very much just oaky, not even slightly fruity or floral. Havana Club 3 is a bit fruity, and actually comes across as a touch grassy, and towards the back has a medium fruity finish. I tried them all in daiquiris as this can sometimes help, but Ron Santiago 8 and 12 become basically indistinguishable from each other. The daiquiri also has floral notes that I find to be quite good. Havana Club 7 continues to make an overoaked daiquiri that I don't really prefer, and Havana Club 3 makes a great daiquiri, which is my favorite of the set. Of course, most Jamaican rums, even Appleton Estate Signature, with its relatively mild funk, still beat Havana Club 3, but just in terms of Cuban rums, there's really no beating it for making cocktails. Verdict {rating}/10 (Edited from 6.5/10 on 3/9/26) (Edited from 7/10 on 1/20/26) A while back, I have Havana Club 3 a 7/10 and Havana Club 7 a 6.5/10, and I would like to amend that to a 7/10, because I think that I didn't regard the deep oaky complexity of Havana Club 7 as much as making cocktails, and I do think that they are very different rums, but equally good in their own way. And, I feel the same way about Ron Santiago. I struggle to tell 8 and 12 apart, but they are a more floral tasting rum, less fruity than Havana Club 3 and less oaky than Havana Club 7, but still perfectly enjoyable. I rate them both 7/10 as well. January 20, 2026 Update: I love the fruity floral taste from Ron Santiago. Previously I scored them equal to Havana Club, but I need to change my score. Ron Santiago 8 year just barely edges out Havana Club 3, and Ron Santiago 12 is basically the same taste as 8, but I do notice that it's slightly more concentrated. The differences at the time seemed miniscule, but now I am willing to award an extra half point to 8 over HC3. They're genuinely close to HC3, and HC7 for that matter, but they do edge them out. As such, Ron Santiago 8 is reduced to 6.25/10 and 12 is reduced to 6.5/10, above the 6/10 that both HC3 and HC7 occupy. March 9, 2026 Update: I decided that RdS 8 is very close to 12 and I might as well make them both 6.5/10

I've been holding off on getting Barbancourt because I kind of want to get all 3 to try at the same time, and the stars just haven't aligned for that. But, I found some San Zanj at a small liquor store, and decided to give that a try. It's my first time trying a Haitian rum. Review Smell On the nose, it immediately gives me some of the agricole funk that I remember from HSE Martinique agricole blanc, but a lot less aggressive. It's the same warm, grassy, slightly pickled olive smell. Taste I only have HSE agricole with me for direct comparison, but it reminds me a lot more of Copalli white. It's sort of a sliding scale, where Holmes Cay Reunion Island agricole was very heavy with the olive taste, and HSE Martinique agricole is a bit less olive and a bit of fruit, while Copalli and San Zanj have only a hint of olive and a lot of fruit flavor. San Zanj has a more pronounced pineapple and citrus flavor, and it makes a seriously good daiquiri. Verdict {rating}/10 (Edited from 7/10 on 6/11/26) (Edited from 8.5/10 on 1/4/26) San Zanj is really complex and fruity. I don't think it beats the pure Jamaican funk of Xaymaca, but it's very good. Very much up there, and because it reminded me so much of Copalli, right now I will just give them the same score. 8.5/10 January 4, 2026 Update: I still very much like this rum. The flavor is great and complex. There's better clairins out there, like Clairin Sojous or Copalli white (I was actually able to taste Copalli and San Zanj side by side and Copalli edges it out), but this one continues to be solid. 7/10 June 11, 2026 Update: Honestly, this rum has been coming off as rather bland lately, especially with how flavorful rum can get. Now I think it's tied with Planteray 3 Stars and Breezeway Blend at 6.5/10.

Some online retailers and online reviews, for some reason, claim that this rum is actually from sugarcane syrup. This is bizarre that apparently a significant minority disagree that this is even a molasses-based rum, and the official website lists so few details about the rum manufacture, that it doesn't even mention the base fermentable. Lion Distributors, the liquor importer for Industria Licorera de Caldas, claims that it is molasses-based and aged in Colombian white oak barrels. However, GoToLiquorStore, a major online liquor marketplace, lists it both as being molasses-based and derived from sugar cane syrup, as well as stating that it is aged in ex-bourbon barrels, so there seem to be some real issues with the marketing language of this rum. Is it sugarcane syrup or molasses? Colombian white oak or ex-Bourbon American white oak? It seems that, due to the heavy pollution during distillation, in 2013, the government of Colombia shut down the distillery. The official government website(https://caldas.gov.co/noticias-gobernacion/3453-con-un-aumento-del-40-en-sus-ventas-industria-licorera-de-caldas-rompe-su-record-de-crecimiento-de-la-ultima-decada) says that due to unresolved environmental concerns, ILC's distillation plant will not be reopened. A tasting panel tasted tafias from several different sources, and purchased 6.8 million liters from the supplier that tasted the best. In 2017, with the concerns still unresolved, ILC restarted the distillery, but this time importing crude alcohol from Ingenio Risaralda, and redistilling that into drinking alcohol. La Patria reported(https://archivo.lapatria.com/medioambiente/industria-licorera-de-caldas-da-el-primer-paso-en-manejo-de-aguas-residuales-444897) that the plant manager stated that they have no intentions of restarting full distillation since they do not have permission to discharge the waste that they would produce, and it would cost $20 billion to install the necessary equipment. Review Smell Very much a column still rum. It's just got a generic rum smell, heavy with alcohol fumes. It pretty much smells like Bacardi. Forget about it smelling nice and fruity like Havana Club 3 or even bold and oaky like Ron Abuelo 7. Taste It tastes even less rummy than it smells. I am getting no flavor and only alcohol burn. In fact, I just poured myself some Bacardi gold that I still had lying around, and it burns about equally, but at least it has some actual rum flavor. Ron Viejo de Caldas 3 might as well be vodka. After sitting for a bit and writing this review, in my exhale, I get the faintest hint of rum flavor. That's it. Verdict {rating}/10 I just don't have the time, liver cells, or daily calorie allowance to burn on this rum. It's just not worth it. It's not even a bad or controversial taste like some of the other sub-5 scoring rums, it's just boring and barely has any rum flavor. January 4, 2026 Update: Even with the new rating scale, it's still a 4/10. It's just positively boring and unnecessarily harsh. Do yourself a favor and just get Bacardi Gold instead. Or, instead of either of them, get an actually good rum.

This time I was in an Air France lounge while awaiting my flight. Lots of French wine and brandy (Cognac, Armagnac... some of which was also good), and, of course, their rum was a French one as well. Alas, not Planteray. Instead, they had HSE agricole. Review Smell It smells quite grassy, like a typical agricole. Briny, cactus, seabreeze aroma, with maybe a hint of brandy or white wine. Taste I don't have agricole very much, but it's unique to me. It has that grassy taste, kind of like green olives, and it's reminiscent of tequila. It's very smooth, not hot or bitter at all. It's quite vegetal and has notes of licorice, and the aftertaste reminds me exactly of starfruit. I tried it in a daiquiri and mixed with coke zero, and it doesn't taste good with either. It actually tastes better neat than anything that I have mixed it with. Verdict {rating}/10 (Edited from 6/10 on 1/4/26) I can't say it's my favorite, but it's a lot nicer than Holmes Cay Reunion Island agricole, though I don't like it as much as Copalli white. Once again, take it with a grain of salt, because this rum really feels like a mixer that I simply haven't found the right cocktail for. Overall, this tastes like an in-between agricole, where Holmes Cay Reunion Island agricole was very briny olive forward, and Copalli was very fruit forward with barely any brine, this expression from HSE was like a mix of both, and it likewise deserves a medium score. 6/10. January 4, 2026 Update: This rum is controversial for me, because it's interesting, but also, I just never find myself reaching for it. I can't honestly score it worse than Bacardi, because it's better than Bacardi, but I just am not a fan. 5/10.

Not much of a story behind this one either. I saw a Worthy Park rum at the same liquor store that I found Hamilton in, thought "oh neat, I have never bought a Worthy Park rum before" and bought it. I'll be comparing it with Myers's and Xaymaca. Review Smell This rum has a crazy strong smell. Industrial rubber, overripe banana, molasses, and a red wine-like smell. It smells quite different from your typical Jamaican funky rum. Xaymaca is just a very pleasant, very pineapple banana smell, and Myers's smells basically like xaymaca, but much milder and with much more alcohol in the nose. Taste It tastes very intense, in both good and bad ways. The flavor is incredibly rich and complex, and it's unlike any Jamaican rum that I have tried (I have only tried Appleton, Yarmouth, and NRJ so far). There's a kind of unpleasant industrial rubber taste, like the one that you get from wray & nephew, that morphs into a vomit aftertaste, but it's also just overall overwhelming in fruity, spicy, and all sorts of complex notes. It's hard to even compare it to Myers's and Xaymaca, because Xaymaca is so fruity and funky and very typical of what I expect from Jamaican. It's delicious going in, and has a long and delicious palate, and Myers's is the same but a bit worse, and then Worthy Park 109 is just barely even related. Even after I rinsed my mouth out and sat down to write this review, the hogo of tropical fruit lingers in my throat and comes up. It's incredible, and probably makes for an interesting mixer, but it's just so unlike the other Jamaican rums that I have had. In a daiquiri, the fruity funk punches through, but so does that slight industrial rubber vomit flavor. A daiquiri is still half rum, so maybe this needs an even smaller portion of the composition to really shine. The aftertaste is still great, but the initial taste leaves something to be desired. A Xaymaca daiquiri, on the other hand, is just perfect. Verdict {rating}/10 (Edited from 7/10 on 1/4/26) I want to like this rum. It's a real thinking rum. There's something to be said about Planteray rums, where you just turn your brain off and enjoy it, and this is the opposite, where you can't help but dissect the hundreds of different flavors all at once. Most of them are good, but I can't ignore the off flavors, and unfortunately, this really relegates this rum to be a mixer. The palate is insanely long, though. Half an hour later I still get a slight hint, a reminder of what I had drunk earlier in the evening. And, as usual, I concede that maybe this rum has a niche that I simply haven't found. For now, I feel like it deserves a 7/10. January 4, 2026 Update: This rum continues to be controversial for my palate. I never dislike this rum, but for all its flaws, I just think that Myers's is just a bit less ... off. Also, originally, this rum was a shock to me, but after having Worthy Park several times now, I sort of have become familiar with their profile, and so the industrial rubber and vomit flavor has become normal for me. But, to be brutally honest, there's better stuff out there. 6/10.

Not much of a story behind this one either. I saw a Hamilton rum at a liquor store, thought "oh neat, I have never bought a Hamilton rum before" and bought it. I'll be comparing it with Pusser's (blue label), another rum from DDL. Review Smell Compared to the deep, raisiny smell of Pusser's, Hamilton 86 has a milder aroma. I still get the same raisin smell, but also, a little bit of what I can only describe as "new furniture" smell. Taste It tastes basically the same as Pusser's, though both the flavor and the burn are milder in Hamilton than Pusser's. Otherwise, the flavor is the same. In a daiquiri, I was surprised, because I thought the story would be the same: Hamilton 86 tastes the same as Pusser's, but milder. But actually, Hamilton has a whole citrus flavor going that's not present in Pusser's. The exact aroma that I described as smelling like "new furniture" is present in the taste, and the taste is sort of like raspberries and orange peel. It's pretty delicious in its own right, and like I said, it burns less than Pusser's. Verdict {rating}/10 (Edited from 8/10 on 1/4/26) I gave Pusser's an 8/10, and I don't feel like Hamilton 86 is substantially different enough to warrant a different score. I was actually going to dock half a point for being a slightly milder Pusser's, until the fruity floral notes came in on the back end to make me reconsider. Overall, a very good rum. I am just not sure if I prefer it over Pusser's— it just doesn't stand out very much for me. January 4, 2026 Update: Just trying it again, once again, I just feel like it is very similar to Pusser's, so I was going to give it a 6.5, same as Pusser's, until, once again, I decided that I just like Pusser's sliiiiiightly more. But do I downgrade it to a while 6/10? I don't think it's that different. So, I decided to split the difference and assign it a 6.25/10.

Not really much to it. I had Bacardi Superior, a little shot of Bacardi Gold was only $1.50, and I decided to see if it's different in any way. Review Smell Pretty much exactly the same as Superior. Vanilla, coconut, "default rum" smell. It smells young and very alcohol-forward. Taste There's a slight tang to it compared to Superior. Superior is just a bit smoother, while Gold has a slight zip, slight orange peel note to it. Both are still quite rough and unpleasant to drink neat, and the aging really doesn't come through in either, which have likely been aged the same amount (1-2 years). Verdict {rating}/10 (Edited from 5/10 on 1/4/26) Maybe I like Bacardi Gold slightly better than Superior, just because it has the tiniest bit more character, but if I wasn't literally trying them side by side, if you poured Gold in my drink and told me it's Superior, I wouldn't have any reason to doubt you. As such, I am not even going to give it an extra half point, and instead rate it the same as Superior: 5/10. As always, I think that Bacardi gets a lot of undeserved hate. It's not vile, it's not undrinkable, it's just okay. But, if you thought that Gold was an upgrade because it's browner therefore it's more aged and smoother... it's basically the same rum, but Superior was filtered completely to remove the color, while Gold was only filtered a little. If you're considering buying Bacardi because it's cheap, literally for $20 you could instead buy Havana Club 3, Planteray 3 stars, or Diplomatico Planas, and it's a world of difference. January 4, 2026 Update: Not much more to add, it's a solid, middle-of-the-road rum. It sets the standard for a "meh" gold rum, and I basically judge every other gold rum against it. It defines the 4.5/10 rating.

The plot thickens! Not only is Planas in this shot, yet it's not in this review (it's the previous one), but also, there is another rum in this review that's not even in the shot! Remember how, in the Orlando airport lounge, I tried Caribaya, the certified worst rum to ever exist, and Planteray XO? Well, I also saw that they had a bottle of Seleccion de Familia there— one of the expressions of Diplomatico that I couldn't find anywhere! But I had already taken all of the glamor shots, so let's just roll with it. I'm also going to compare it against Havana Club 7, as that's sort of my gold standard for a Spanish style aged rum. Don't worry, I did these tasting notes over the course of several days. It is a blend of molasses and sugarcane syrup rums, distilled in pot, kettle, and column stills. Review Smell It smells of caramel and marshmallows. Very sweet and fun. It's quite dark and has more of an ethanol smell than either Mantuano or Havana Club 7, similar to Reserva Exclusiva, where the fumes overwhelm the nose. Taste It's quite harsh and strong, and it tastes like burnt caramel. A bit bitter, and you can taste the bourbon barrel, but it's also very sweet. There's a light raisiny funk to it. It's not bad, but it tastes exactly like a slightly sweeter Mantuano. I literally tried them back and forth and it tastes exactly the same except sweeter. Verdict {rating}/10 (Edited from 6/10 on 1/4/26) Overall, all 3 rums tasted remarkably similar. When I tried the 3 expressions of Appleton Estate and 3 expressions of Havana Club, they had much more difference between them than these 3 Diplomaticos. I feel like you can buy just one and not really miss much in the other two. Seleccion de Familia is the most expensive by the bottle out of every Diplomatico rum that I have tried, but also, it's the harshest out of them, and it literally tastes exactly like Mantuano with a bit more sugar. I am not say that's what it actually is, but I am saying, that's the perception I get when I try it back and forth with the other 3 rums in this comparison. Based on the hydrometer data, it certainly does seem like this one has the most sugar (or at least tied with Reserva Exclusiva), which I actually like in my rum, but I'll dock half a point because, even though Mantuano itself is not that smooth, this one is even harsher. 6/10. January 4, 2026 Update: I don't have seleccion de familia anymore, so I am dropping it to 5/10 due to the new rating system.

It is a blend of molasses and sugarcane syrup rums, distilled in pot, kettle, and column stills. Review Smell The aroma is very mild. I maybe get hints of caramel and oak, but mainly, the alcohol fumes drown out the nuances. Taste It's hard to describe the flavor here, but I would say it's like marshmallow. It's very sweet and soft. The flavor is not very strong. Mantuano was not very complex or fruity, but it was a little bit, while Reserva Exclusiva really doesn't have any complexity at all. It's got a little bit of oak, a little bit of toasted caramel, but there's just not very much going on with this rum. It's one of the easiest rums to drink neat that I have tried. It really doesn't burn, but just going back and forth between this rum and Mantuano, Mantuano just has so much more flavor, and it doesn't even have that much flavor to begin with. Verdict {rating}/10 (Edited from 6/10 on 1/4/26) Overall, all 3 rums tasted remarkably similar. When I tried the 3 expressions of Appleton Estate and 3 expressions of Havana Club, they had much more difference between them than these 3 Diplomaticos. I feel like you can buy just one and not really miss much in the other two. Reserva Exclusiva is just Mantuano if you removed what little interesting flavor it had, but also made it sweeter and less harsh. It's whatever. Better than Bacardi or Captain Morgan, at least, so I give it a 6/10. January 4, 2026 Update: Reserva Exclusiva continues to be even less flavorful and even harsher. In fact, back and forth with Bacardi Gold, I think that it just barely beats Bacardi Gold. 5/10.

It is a blend of molasses and sugarcane syrup rums, distilled in pot, kettle, and column stills. Review Smell It smells sweet and caramelly, oaky, with a bit of raisin-like funk. Havana Club 7 smells more deep and caramelized, while Mantuano smells lighter and more fruity and raisiny. Taste It's pretty oaky, the bourbon barrel comes through, but also a sweetness and a raisiny flavor comes through as well. Havana Club 7 is much deeper and bolder with caramel and oak flavor, while Mantuano tastes more watered down and sweeter. It's not particularly smooth. Verdict {rating}/10 (Edited from 6.5/10 on 1/4/26) I give the highest score to mantuano just because it's the most flavorful of the bunch. It's quite mild in flavor, as a lot of Spanish style rums are, but it's not a bad sipper. It's not as good as Havana Club 7, but it's not far off. 6.5/10 January 4, 2026 Update: Mantuano continues to be the best, despite being pretty mediocre. It's a bit sweet and not very flavorful, but it's alright. Reduced to 5.5/10