Don’t get too excited: Vizcaya’s “Cuban Formula” rum is actually made in the Dominican Republic. Don’t let that disappoint you, though; this is a masterfully produced rum that’s brimming with flavor and sophistication.

There’s not a lot of production information about this rum to share. For starters, the “21” on the label is a bit misleading. There’s certainly no actual cask #21 from which this rum is drawn — unless it’s a cask that holds hundreds of thousands of gallons of spirit and is constantly being refilled. The number is there to trick you into thinking it’s a 21 year old product, even though the label doesn’t say anything of the sort. In fact, Vizcaya doesn’t say much at all about its rums except that they’re made from sugar cane and aged in oak barrels, both of which are obvious.

None of that actually matters, though. As noted above, Vizcaya Cask 21 is actually an amazing product that I’m happy to recommend.

The nose is bursting with classic aged rum notes: vanilla, butterscotch, and plenty of cinnamon. The body follows suit perfectly. The rum is almost candylike but its sweetness is tempered with baking spices, smoldering oak notes, and just a hint of fire on the back end. Over time some tertiary notes emerge, including caramel apple, toasted marshmallow, and almond brittle. The finish isn’t particularly long, but there’s so much flavor on the palate that it doesn’t entirely matter. This rum drinks beautifully, and at $40 a bottle, it’s almost an absurd value.

80 proof.

A / $40 

Vizcaya VXOP Cask No. 21 Cuban Formula Rum

$40

9.5

Rating

9.5/10

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