Panamá-Pacific Rum 23-Year

The Bottle: Fairly restrained, as far as most rums go. It has some "hand-written" elements on the label that give it an upscale feel, but you could be forgiven for overlooking it on the shelf. In the Glass: Amber with a touch of orange. On the Nose: Brown sugar sweet. A little bit of orange peel and clove. If they made bourbon in the Caribbean, this is what I would expect it to smell like. This is like Baker's Panamanian cousin. Taste: Smooth and sweet. The brown sugar comes through, but it isn't cloying. I believe that there are local laws preventing it, but Panama-Pacific doesn't add sugar to their hootch; and it's the better for it. The development is burnt sugar and more orange with the typical litanny of "baking spices" hanging around in the background. This isn't spiced rum, mind you, so I we aren't getting a liquid pumpkin pie. There is some burn on the finish, but it isn't unwelcome. The sweetness dominates the finish, juxtaposed to some astringency. It's all-around a great sipping rum. I find myself craving this stuff in a way that's completely unreasonable for this kind of thing. It's extremely pleasing to both the palate and the wallet. The only extra note that I have is the "age statement" that this carries. When dealing with rum, take age statements with a grain of salt.... There aren't nearly the same kind of rules at play that the Scotch Whisky world has in place. That-being-said, I really don't care. As long as they keep making it taste this good...I'm a customer. I hope to follow this up in the near future with a review of their "9 year old" to see how they compare.

Nose - earthy mint, molasses, vanilla, butterscotch, spiced apple, cinnamon bark, allspice, agave, floral notes, mild to moderate ethanol burn. Taste - sour apple, spearmint, black pepper, molasses, vanilla, butterscotch, ginger, cinnamon, clove, allspice, cherry, moderate alcohol bite, finishing medium short with spearmint, ginger, molasses, and baking spice flavors. My Panama-Pacific experience comes to an end with their 23 Year, the oldest expression they offer. The nose is rather similar to the younger offerings’. Molasses, butterscotch, mint, baking spices, and an interesting agave note that feels a bit out of place. The palate is unfortunately still thin and watery. And there’s a sour apple note that alludes to some overdilution. Honestly, all three Panama-Pacific expressions are fairly close in quality for me. The 15 and 23 were marginally better than the 9 Year, but not by enough to move the needle on my ratings. There’s a weird sour, minty toothpaste quality on the palate that’s slightly off putting. It’s a unique rum for sure, but just misses the mark for me. Another big thank you to @ContemplativeFox for the sample!

Rating: 16/23 N: There's some nice maturity here. Varnished wood, leads. P: Nicely rounded. The alcohol doesn't show through here. I get varnished wood with a nice sweet caramel and light brown sugar layer floating on vanilla beneath it. There are some nice spices in the cinnamon and ginger range with some white pepper adding in vegetal character and heat to balance this out. I'm not really getting fruit, but if you told me that tropical fruit brushed against the edge of this, I could buy it. A bit more of that sandalwood vanilla than in the 15 year old version. F: Varnish, caramel, wood, numbing. A bit of white pepper with vegetal and odd herbal notes on the long finish. - Conclusion - This beats Panamá-Pacific 15 (15/23) and Frigate 15 for sure. I don't think that this is an excellent rum, but it's enjoyable. For the price, it's a bit steep, but not something that I deeply regret. I'm thinking that this is a solid 16. It could be a high 16, but it isn't a 17. Well, if it is a 17, then it's a low 17. Highland Park 16 Wings of the Eagle (17/23) is more complex with less youthfulness.

Thanks to Matt Rice---I got to try this rum. I'm not familiar with rum as much, had very few experiences. And that's by design...with a penchant for red wine, whisk(e)y, and mezcal....I can't financially afford to grow fond of any other spirit or alcohol. Also, I have no idea whether rum is to be drunk neat or mixed. But, this one here----I'd have a hard time buying that it's meant for mixed drinks. You get a sugar and burnt caramel on the nose, but the mouth I was surprised to get a little bit of grassy elements. I guess it doesn't let you forget that sugar is really a type of grass. Not sure what the price is on this...but, if you're a rum fan, this one is a no-brainer to have on your shelf. On a side note...I don't get the 23 years age...I would've thought that at that age, you'd get more wood, especiallynconsodering the tropical climate. Was surprised that wasn't the case. Either way, it's really good...and thanks to Matt for the sample!

Gadzooks. Might be best tasting rum of all time. Everything you’d want from the platonic ideal of a rum. Brown sugar, banana, juicy stone fruit. Bomb.com/rum

Sweet on the nose with vanilla and maple. Slightly sweet to taste, not overwhelmingly. Balanced by the faint oak on the finish.