El Salvador isn’t a country one typically associates with rum, but it turns out they’re making some interesting stuff here, at Cihuatan Ron de El Salvador.

Cihuatan, which was established in 2004, focuses on solera aged rum, and though this bottle notes it was “aged in bourbon casks for 12 years,” as with most solera products, it’s unclear if all of the rum spends that long in barrel, or if that’s an average or even a maximum age.

It comes across rather on the youthful side, with an immediate focus on the nose on banana, nutmeg, and clove notes, all with a slightly floral bent. The palate is quite light (much lighter than the relatively dark color would indicate), again heavy on the banana notes, though here it sees the addition of some coconut and light chocolate character. The finish is exotic, with lingering creme de banana liqueur, cafe au lait, and Bit-O-Honey candies.

While there are a lot of unique elements here, the experience is marred a bit by a relatively gummy body, which lingers a bit on the finish alongside all that fruit, which ultimately turns a bit overripe, almost cloying with too much sweetness. While it’s still worth a look, it’s more capable as a mixer than a straight sipper.

80 proof.

B / $55 

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