Brugal 1888 Rum

I received this bottle for free many years ago, I believe in 2014 or 2015. My bottle does not resemble the bottle pictured on here, so it's an earlier design and possibly different tasting liquid based on what casks are listed. These are the details on the bottle. Year - 2013 Batch No. 3 Cask - White oak, American oak, Spanish oak Tons of brown sugar, molasses, and dark fruit sweetness on the nose. Some baking spice and oak, but it's overpowered by the sweetness unless you deeply inhale. Then the oak maturation and age are more prominent. That sweetness carries through on the tongue, but it is surprisingly light. With this nose I expected a denser mouthfeel, but I'll chalk up 90% of that to the watered-down 80 proof final product. The flavor does a 180 on the finish, almost resembling a sweet bourbon finish. It is less sweet and much drier on the back end. The oak, tannins, and baking spices more prominent than the nose and plalate. I get a stronger hint of ethanol here, but it dissipates quickly. Overall I've enjoyed this bottle even though rum isn't my go-to spirit of choice. It is a good sipping rum that many would enjoy neat. I think my limited experience with good aged rum has taught me this is the best starter spirit to change the drinking habits of friends who only like hard liquor in cocktails, on the rocks, or as a shot. If your friend doesn't want whiskey neat, try pouring them an aged rum first.

Tasted neat from a small snifter. The pour is a deep clear mahogany and really shows the sherry cask tint. My nose immediately says "sweet". This smells like the hot caramel Dairy Queen puts on a sundae. There are notes of spun sugar & corn syrup hard candy. There is the slightest hint of latex paint, but no edgy methanol. There's not a lot of fruit from the sherry on the nose. It's a very pleasant, if not terribly complex profile. This has a creamy mouthfeel and my first impression is that this is quite a silky, easy sipper. It's not nearly so sweet as the aroma suggests. There's a flash of egg white, dark chocolate, yellow cake and a suggestion of maple with orchard fruit. The flavor profile doesn't escape the slightly chemical note noticed on the nose with a slight layer of ethanol giving this an unwelcome roughness. It's by no means aggressive, but the fault is one of commission that keeps this rum from being a contender. I like this, but not enough to spring $45 for it again. I just don't think its a great value, although it is a reasonably good rum My rating scale holds a 1 = drain pour & 5 = a near perfect example of the expression. Most competently manufactured liquors should be found on a bell curve with the average being 2.5. This is a little above average and is borderline 3.0 to 3.25, imho.

The nose is nice and rummy, but not too boozy, with brown sugar, maple syrup, some butter, a bit of oak, tobacco flower, and mild baking spices such as clove and nutmeg. Sweet on the tongue, with just a little heat and peppery bite, it has a nice, subtle flavor profile. Dark sugar syrup, not quite molasses, soft warming spice, mild notes of oak, and sherry, even dried cherries. The body is nice and full, with a slick but not heavy mouthfeel. In the glass it takes a good while to form legs, and though scattered and uneven, beautifully delicate teardrops develop and run down the walls at a moderate pace. The finish is slightly dry, showing more prominent oak, suede, cigar papers, and evokes a memory of cherry Twizzlers. Nose: 9 Taste: 9 Body: 9 Finish: 8

Wow, this is a smack on your lips. The nose is strong, full of spices, chocolate and wood. Although this is 40 ABV, it tastes warmer than that. The palate is more dark tones, wood, spices, burn sugar (maybe) and the finish is long. Even after 15 seconds, my tongue continues to spark like fireworks. If you like bourbon, this could be a good try, as this rum seems to have a strong influence from the ex-bourbon casks.

Definitely burnt sugar and tropical scents on the nose, with banana being pretty forward. The taste immediately goes to burnt sugars, which is preferable given the lower proof. Tropical flavors and banana, very true to the nose, develop after this. Finally, the bourbon wood rides along the finish. This would be a very good budget rum to have, assuming a bottle runs as cheap as this pour.

My favorite expression from Brugal with a quite unique flavor profile, not overly sweet, just oaky enough, spicy and well-balanced. It is very smooth yet with the right bite to keep things exciting. I’ve sipped away a few bottles by now. Unfortunately, the price has been going up in different markets since it was first introduced but, it is still worth it.