By Larry Olmsted
Forbes
Puerto Rico bills itself as the “Rum Capital of the World,” and makes a huge amount of the stuff – by some estimates 80% of all rum consumed in the US comes from the territory.
But as a lover of fine rums, Puerto Rico has been off my radar, with most of the best coming from places like Panama, the Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Trinidad, Barbados, Martinique, and Brazil. In fact, when I chose my top ten rums for National Rum Day earlier this year, there was not one from Puerto Rico on the list.
That just changed, when I got to try Don Q Gran Anejo. Like Bacardi, Don Q is a big manufacturer of mass produced Puerto Rican rum, but this one is much, much different. The distillery blends its best stocks of rums ranging from 3 to 12 years, aged in a mix of white oak and sherry barrels, utilizing the unique Solera blending system used for fine sherries (a “fractional” aging where new liquid is regularly added to old). It has already won numerous top medals in spirits competition and was given an impressive 92 point rating by the Wine Enthusiast.
The Gran Anejo is an interesting color, very light for a dark rum, with a golden hue, almost the color of a blended Scotch like Chivas or Johnnie Walker. At first blush, its taste matches the appearance, very, very smooth and easy to drink, but then you notice a surprising amount of flavor, all of it on the finish – after you think you are done. While I tend to appreciate more full-bodied rums that are still smooth, the Don Q is interesting because almost anyone will like it. It is very approachable, yet it leaves you appreciating the complexity of its layered taste, with hints of caramel, vanilla and cinnamon left on the tongue. If makes you shake your head and say “Ahhh!” after you first try it – and then it makes you want to try more.
The Don Q is not the best rum I have ever tasted, but it certainly joins the upper tier of rums I look forward to drinking, and it makes an exceptional gift, considering its elaborate packaging, beautiful bottle and very reasonable price tag at a suggested retail of $60. The picture here does not do justice, as the bottle comes in an impressive sliding lid box, set in a cradle of gold ribbon.
Source: http://www.forbes.com/sites/larryolmsted/2011/11/16/puerto-rican-rum-makes-comeback/
For craft rum cocktails, visit Caña Rum Bar in Downtown Los Angeles. View Cana’s drink menu.
MORE GOOD READING: What Can I Drink at Thanksgiving Besides Wine? by the New York Times
