Origenes Don Pancho Reserva Especial 18-Year

This rum is magnificent, it is balanced and extremely smooth. In the mouth you just need to add one ice cube to bring this drink alive. When you do this you're met with a cake like flavour with figs and dates. This is a rum you reward yourself. It's a full body rum that has a nice finish, minimum burn that marries together everything you lool for in a sipper. This is special, it is not overly sweet like zacapa. This is sophistication in a glass made by master Don Pancho.

First tried at Three Dots and a Dash in Chicago in 2018. Still one of my favorite rums. Sweet but not overly so.

The nose has notes of vanilla, butterscotch, toffee/caramel, and hints of cinnamon. Very similar flavors with some woody tones, and almost a syrupy flavor. A nice finish with a warming burn. Overall, a nice rum but a little too sweet for me. Thankfully I found it at a discount so I’m not too annoyed that it’s not highly rated for me.

Aye! This be an unexpected surprise of a rum! On the nose she smells sweet - but light! There be a hint of vanilla and oak, and... fetch me up daft, somethin' warm and full-bodied... almost savory like nuts or leather. As smells go, there be artistry here! On the tongue, I was equally surprised. The initial taste left me wonderin' what she be made of. She was a wee bit on the sweet side, but not so much that she'd be fit for a lubber's palate! But then she exploded into somethin' - a bunch of somethin's - that were... otherworldly. She be subtle and complex all in one - like the perfect ship, or the perfect woman. Everythin' on the nose were the same on the tongue... and THEN some to a much greater degree! As for the savory, I not be runnin' around lickin' leather OR nuts, but that savory came across in the taste and balanced things in a way that made me questionin' the universe itself. The flavors that came after that were a complete surprise... like a merchant ship seeking ME out because they hate the monarchy and wanted to join me crew. Like this rum, that be a wise choice. The savory still be there, and unless I am mistook, there be... figs? ...and a finish that that reminds me of all the times I cracked Jenny's teacup. When you try this - and you should - slowly work thru a couple of shots before you start figurin' out all she has to offer. She be worth the wait. Aye, this rum be THAT special that you do NOT want to be sharin' it with the crew OR pollutin' it with some other libation. She be an excellent sipper and well worth the price. Arrgh!

Watchout with this one. After reading about this so called master I had a great respect for him and was dying to grab this.1st sip was great. It has the unmistakable Cuban profile but is seems to be feathering on the sugarbomb fence. If you like sugar this is for you and I'll bet you give it a 9. It has a pleasant sugar flavor. 18yrs and absolutely no barrel influence? Is it really 18yr old? I've never had any rum over 12yr that doesn't have some sort of barrel note to it! Glad I tried it but not going back. At that price why so much sugar? I would've rated it higher if not for the added sugar. It is quite smooth but I think the sugar is at work here. I can not believe he would sanction this at all! All the cuban rums I've tried never had this much sugar in it, if any at all. Must be some cash hungry conglomerates got involved here. Seems with such a famous name it's another cash grab.

This rum is so smooth I don't know what it is haha. Looks like rum, smells like rum, tastes like.... hmmm. This would be great with a medium to strong cigar.

Tasted May 31, 2021 at Laka Lono.
This rum warranted to heart doodles in my passport along with the word "yummy!" and a note that the aroma and flavor both reminded me of maple syrup.

I seem to gravitate to rums from Panama and Barbados even though the two have almost completely different styles. Really nice rum. For me stuck right in between Zafra 21, Zacapa XO and Selvary taste wise and price wise. Sweet but not not over-bearing or artificial tasting. Smooth and just right amount of lingering aftertaste. Absolute winner of a rum but like other really highly quality Panamanian rums, a bit on the pricey side.

I had it first at the end of a rum tasting of 8 different rums. I was surprised, it was just the best that night, not sweet, but not too dry, in the mouth it felt very stable in flavour from start to end, great balance, I would say Origenes is good for people that like straight, simple and pure taste of rum.

Firstly, this is a delicious sipping rum (no ice). Smooth and well rounded with a long finish. Notes of caramel, vanilla, baking spices. Well balanced without any burn in the mouth or on the way down. The various different notes kick on as the finish carries on through the mouth and back of the nose. This is definitely an upgrade in smoothness and complexity compared to the Don Pancho 8 year. 18 year is approx $75 and the 8 year $45 locally in Total wine and more in bay area CA.

Mixed in a cocktail the complexity can get a little lost. Keeping it simple - Mai Tai, rum punch or similar works well, but not better than the 8 year.

Mixing with coke - I know it seems like sacrilege, but it does work well, to each their own. The interesting thing about this is the different notes that get brought out in the different types of Coke. in regular coke it pulls more citrus peel notes. In Coke Zero more baking spice and root flavors. In Diet coke more caramel and citrus notes. in all cases this is a rollercoaster ride, with all sorts of flavors happening one after the other.