Review: Ron Barcelo Imperial Porto Cask Rum
Ron Barcelo recently dropped a new addition to its Rare Blends Collection, which is also part of the Imperial line (denoted by the oversize decanter). As the name suggests, this rum, made from Domincan sugar cane, is aged in oak barrels with different degrees of toasting, then finished in 10 year old Tawny Port casks. No age statements offered.
The nose absolutely reeks of Port, and depending on your position on the wine, that will be either a good or a bad thing. Here, it works, as both the rum and the Port are naturally sweet, though the intensely winey character dominates any underlying cane-based qualities. Boldly raisiny and heavy with notes of dried, sour cherries, the nose evolves little with time in glass, though eventually elements of black tea and a tarry, charcoal note become detectable — though always in the background behind that powerful, wine-soaked fruit.
The palate is very sweet and initially gives the base rum a chance to shine, showing off a fleeting hint of brown sugar with grassy overtones. It doesn’t take long for the Port to wrestle control back, though, and soon the palate is inundated with fruit again — raisin and, especially, fig notes are prominent. A vanilla character on the finish doesn’t quite sit right with the heavy Port qualities, giving the end game something of a syrupy, slightly saccharine quality. As it fades from view, this lingering sweetness threatens to become overwhelming, demanding a chaser of something less in-your-face.
B / $55
Ron Barcelo Imperial Porto Cask Rum
$55
