Brugal 1888

This is part of a rum Advent calendar from my son. Small but adequate tasting amount.

Terrific nose. Fresh, not alcoholic, lots of floral notes.

Beautiful balance, all flavor and a finish that slides right off the tongue. Not hugely complex, no huge spice, but REALLY nice sipping. I disagree on the "no sweetness" comments I've read. There isn't much, but...just enough. I origionally put this at 8, but am going for 9 (realy wanting 8.5). This is a great rum!

I finally came around and bought a bottle of this when I saw it for a good price in the classic blue box/bottle combo which has now been discontinued. Its definitively Dominican rum with the same grassy/tropical dew backbone as rums like Kirk&Sweeney or Ron Matusalem. With that said I really disliked K&S 12 and really liked Matusalem 18 so Im only referring to a familiarity and not the whole taste. To compare, Brugal takes that grassy flavor and balances it out as not to be bitter or cloying the way it is in all the K&S rums IMO while being less sweet with a similar smoothness to Matusalem. 1888 has some delicate bourbon, vanilla, brown suagar, and sherry flavors with a tiny bit of spice at the end. Its very easy drinking and more dry than sweet. Dont expect this to blow you away but it is a nice "sipper",which remember, doesnt always mean sweet! Update: 2nd bottle and it's the new one with the black wax over the cork. I like it even better this time around but that doesn't mean that the rum has changed, more likely my palate has changed. I am more used to the Domincan "tropical breeze" backbone of this rum and can therefore appreciate the flavors from the aging more. Creamy and one of the smoothest ever.

It's like alcoholic caramel! With random notes of wafer, orange rind and sugar popping up. It's balanced, it's well made blah blah blah. Key take away: this rum makes for some delicious easy drinking!

Rum is dry with cherry like finish and mild sweetness.
Longlasting finish with bitter nutty tones.
Fine rum but it does not make big impression enough to be remembered and recommanded
6,5

Assez doux et rond, sur le caramel et vanille, belle complexité des aromes

I expected this to be a more spicy verison of Mount Gay XO. My expectations were off. Its sweet and fruity with oak coming true on the finish. The sweetness tastes natural and not syrupy as if it was added in after distillation. Very smooth finish and no funk that a lot of rums contain. Excellent!

Těžší RUM, né tak sladký. Připomíná mi DosMaderas 5x5. Taktéž dozrává v sudech po cherry Pedro Ximenéz.

I really enjoyed this. Aimed more toward the bourbon/scotch crowd which I also appreciate. If you are looking for the sweetness, probably not for you. A few drops of fresh lime takes this from a single drink to a speech slurring afternoon.

Brugal 1888 Gran Reserva Familiar
Origine : République Dominicaine
40 %
750ml
Nez : Vanille, caramel, cannelle
Bouche : Vanille, caramel, bois brûlé
Un goût trop simpliste pour un rhum ayant passé du temps en fût de bourbon et xérès. Les notes de xérès sont presque inexistantes. Pas mauvais mais décevant.

This is a quite tasty sipper at $40.00 for 750ml. I do notice the alcohol a bit more than I would like too since it is only bottled at 40%, but the flavors in this rum make up for it. A little spice, a little wood, some fruit, a touch of sweetness, and leather maybe? Nothing really stands out as dominating to my amateur senses. I'm a bit torn on what rating to give this one actually. I may upgrade my rating in the future as I spend more time with this lovely rum from Brugal.