On the bottle, it says a "hint" of chocolate, but it's more than a hint on the nose. Don't get me wrong, it's a wonderful scent, but it's prominent. But on the other hand, it doesn't cover other standard rum smells, there's some nice funk there. On the palate, this is smooth, with a bit of wood spice at the end. It's sweet for sure, but not overly so. Any concerns that this is a bottom shelf sugar bomb dissipate immediately, this is balanced and can be sipped neat. The chocolate flavor is deep, and lingers. You have to like chocolate to like this rum, but if you don't like chocolate then I guess you have other issues. Props to Bruno Mars and his team. 12/31/17
About this bottle
SelvaRey (translated from Spanish "king of the jungle," hence the gorilla on the label) is created by former Havana Club master blender and ex-Cuban Minister of Rum Francisco “Don Pancho” Fernandez. The rum is a selection of 5 year old rums from copper column-stills, aged in ex-bourbon casks with an infusion of locally sourced chocolate instead of cocoa-flavored syrup.
How it tastes
Measured across 14 flavor axes. Tap a note to find other bottles that lead with it.
Reviews
Showing the most detailed of 3 parsed reviews.
Do you like Hershey's Chocolate Syrup? I do! And this smells just like it. The flavor is a perfect blend between a mild rum and Hershey chocolate without being overly sweet. The color is a deep amber-brown. It's a very smooth drink; a couple drops of water make it silky-silky smooth. Sipping or mixed, you cannot go wrong with this one. Interestingly, this is priced $5USD more than the coconut version. Ratings based on neat sipping.
Nice sweet smooth drink. I imagine it would be even better mixed.
Tastes like this
Closest flavor profiles across the whole catalog.