Brugal 1888 Ron Gran Reserva Familiar

2

Not bad . Decent price, but a Bit one dimensional for me . Grad i tried it but only once .

4

Nice sipper, like an XO Cognac or Armagnac. Reviewing the bottle pictured - Doblemente Anejado (twice aged). In Spanish on the bottle it specifies Jerez (sherry) and bourbon casks. I mostly enjoy single malts with expanding interest in Cognac/Armagnac, Bourbon/Rye, tequila, pisco, rum, any quality sipping spirit. I am not into cocktails and typically sip neat from a Glencairn glass. I add drops of water to spirits bottled above 40%. This is my second rum. One other rum I tried was a Plantation Barbados 5-year old (cognac cask aged). I'd compare the quality to a GOOD VSOP or Napoleon Cognac. I think this Brugal is just slightly better, like an XO cognac. I am NOT saying they taste like grape brandy! They both taste like rum. With Brugal 1888 Doblemente Anejado I enjoyed darker notes of chocolate and especially dried plum (chocolate covered prunes, a delicious confectionery). Made me think of Nutcracker and the Land of Sweets with all those confectionery characters :) I know what peat and smoke taste like and I didn't pick up ANY smoke in this, not on the nose and not on the palate. Not even a taste of toasted nuts. I am not looking for a "smooth" spirit, I want interest. With this one adding several drops of water made it very smooth so with my second dram I stopped at one single drop of water, just to break up surface tension and introduce some oxygenation. Still smoother than quality whisky but enjoyable and interesting. I will probably try to find other styles of rum, like rhum agricole and whatever else is a dry savory rum. I enjoy sweeter malts right along with drier and peaty ones, but I find that rum and cognac are a tad sweet for me, so I may never become a regular rummy. I accidentally picked up my bottle for $23.99 US so I feel it was a great value and a useful etude in sugarcane spirit. I could see someone rating it at 5 stars. I just felt I wasn't qualified to do that having only tried 2 rums.

5

When the Rum is poured it is dark bronze in colour, with no real Sherry aroma. First sip was quickly followed by a Second and then a Third. Before I knew the glass was empty. I found the Rum to be very good, just a hint of Sherry and very little or even no after burn. I will be buying more in the near future, and I will most properly buy some of their other Rums, just to compare.

Great high end taste for mid range price. Comparable to vizcaya or maybe even goslings old as far as complexity and obvious care put into the spirit. Worth it 100% of the way.

Bought this bottle at a discount (~£25) to try it out. Have at least one to decide if you want to do as I did the next day when I went back to buy a whole case! I find it well worth the price.