The latest product from Destilería Serrallés, the Puerto Rican producers of Don Q Rum, is a natural line extension: spiced rum.

The catch? Don Q Oak Barrel Spiced Rum is an aged, spiced rum. The spirit is made from “a blend of Puerto Rican rums that have been aged for a minimum of three years and up to six years.” The aged rum is them spiced with a blend of vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. It’s also bottled slightly overproof — not at 70 proof like many mainstream spiced rums on the market.

The rum is immediately quite dry, even on the nose, which is laden with baking spices, particularly nutmeg, plus notes of toffee, gingerbread, and hints of black tea. Barrel influence is evident in the form of bold vanilla aromas as well. This leads to again a quite dry palate that has only a modest amount of sugar, those baking spices and the natural fruit character of the rum working to provide what sense of sweetness the rum has to offer. Lightly nutty and a little floral, the spice and fruit work side by side to give the rum a complexity not often seen in spiced rums. A little brown butter and some smoldering notes of cloves and barrel char on the back end serves to complete a surprisingly elegant and approachable package.

90 proof.

A- / $30 / donq.com 

Don Q Oak Barrel Spiced Rum

$30

9

Rating

9.0/10