Diplomatico Reserva Exclusiva Rum

Redolent of rich caramel and chocolate, hazelnuts and burnt sugar; tastes sweet, smooth and balanced – delivers the promise of its aromas – delicious! Orange, chocolate, sweet mango – the flavor notes are endless; full-bodied, lush and rich, with a lingering finish that demands another sip.

Award: Gold Medal, Best In Category

Initial Tastes

This is a nicely dark rum, a bit beyond gold. It smells a bit sweet, certainly from molasses, and smells a bit of fruit - particularly banana. It also has some touches that remind me of tequila for some reason - not that this is a bad thing, but I was surprised by a rum that reminded me of tequila. Overall though, it smelled a bit sweet and a bit complex, which make for a winning combination to me.

The taste is sweet and rich - it’s very thick in the mouth. The molasses comes out, as do dark fruits, and the finish is spicy with a mild burn. Another sip - the last one, so sampled with concentration - show some butter or toffee tastes, a bit of barrel and vanilla, and again the fruits. The finish on the slow sip is longer with some definite spices making the mouth tingle. Though plentiful with flavors, the balance is imperfect, being strong on molasses and the spicy finish. It’s not a bad balance, just not a perfect one.

Summary
This is a very good rum, sweet and complex, though the mild burn and lack of balance bring it down a notch from excellent. It’s still easy to recommend this rum... but I fear it might be wasted in any drink that doesn’t really show off the rum. And since it’s a very good sipping rum I’d be hard pressed to mix it. Overall, definitely recommended.

[These notes are reproduced from scottesrum.com]

Notes: Distilled in copper pot stills, then aged in oak casks and bottled at 12 years of age. This rum is part of a series, the others being the Diplomatico Anejo and Diplomatico Reserva.

Appearance: Substantially darker than its brethren, it is a patinated bronze and could be mistaken for a well aged cognac or bourbon, till you smell the bouquet. Copper gold color, clear with no hazing separation or floating sediments. Long legs develop on swirling.

First Impression: Heavy redolent smell of caramelized molasses, dark dried fruits, (dates,figs,etc.,) allspice, cinnamon, ripe fruits and nuts. Slightly aromatic esters make it just a touch below perfect but overall it makes me want to drink it AND wear it (by intent rather than accident that is).

Taste: Spicy, medium-to-heavy mouth feel, buttery, fruity and spicy all at the same time, slight touch of sulfur and tobacco notes lets you know it is a molasses rather than a cane rum. Nutty, spicy, finish is long, but subtle. Slightly dry nutty finish with sweetness rather than a nasty sweet cloying that some rums have. Very gentlemanly, balanced, and of course diplomatic. Only negative point is the slightly harsh high ester smell and taste I mentioned before.

Drinks: Damn nice mixing rum and cheap enough to use and not worry about wasting it. Complex for its age and spicy enough to stand up to other ingredients.

Cigars: A good Dominican like a Avo, Opus X, or a spicy Cuban if you can find one.

Final Thoughts: Pretty amazing stuff especially for the price. Try buying a 13 year old rum (or almost any other spirit for that matter) for the same price with this quality. Yes, there are better rums out there - but for a lot more money.

Overall Rating 9/10