Dictador Solera Distillery Icon Reserve 20-Year

Maybe there’s not that much going on here, but it’s very smooth and very easy to drink. Really enjoyed it.

Smells great and the coffee tones are everywhere, but perhaps a little too oaky for me at the end.
Still a decent purchase, not too expensive for the overall quality.

The appearance in the glass is the standard caramel brown color, certainly not something one would expect after long aging (although 20 years + solera system = literally whatever in a practical sense).

The nose is warm, soft, sweet, inviting, fruity, some fresh dough, and a hint of a savory note resembling bacon.

The taste is strangely sweet, and since I am informed that there is no added sugar in this rum, it must be something else - fruit extract, perhaps? Notes of ripe apricots, ginger, marmelade, tamed by really meek oak presence. The mouthfeel is oily, full, almost syrupy, the finish is medium-length and pleasantly warm.

This is certainly a pleasant sipping rum, however that syrupy,fruity, sweet note does not seem quite natural.

J ai goûté ce rhum dans un calendrier de Noël, je débute dans la dégustation.

This Dictador is priced at about halfway between Dictador 12 and Dictador XO Insolent. So I needed to find out if it is worth the extra money over the 12 and is it almost as good as the XO Insolent? The answer to both questions is "YES!!!". The flavors are much more pronounced than the 12 and comparing side by side almost makes the 12 seem like a bourbon. Since this company also sells coffee and stores the beans in the barrels used to age these rums, coffee dominates the taste. You will either love these rums or hate them. I happen to love them. Great taste with no added sugars.

Since this is the second most expensive rum that I have ever purchased ($65), I consider it and it's older brother XO Insolent at $96 to be reserved for special occasions. I am glad that I bought a whole bottle to test side by side against the 12 rather than try one ounce at a bar and rely on my memory of what the 12 tasted like. These two are not even close in comparison to taste.

After only 5 days of opening this bottle and comparing it to my other highly rated rums, I have no choice except to raise my initial rating from a 9 to a 10! However, if you hate coffee, you will disagree with me on this one. This one for me is a $65 bottle of perfection in a rum. I would not hesitate to buy this one again on a regular basis. Only 25% of the rums that I have rated here fall into this category of repeat purchases being justified.

Update August 10, 2019: I now find myself with all three of my favorites: Dictador 12, Dictador 20, and Dictador XO Insolent. Time for side by side comparisons neat. This one makes the Dictador 12 seem like Angostura 1919. which is a good thing, but still not up to the level of the finest Dictadors. This is still damn good rum worthy of my 10 rating, but it lacks the refined finish of the Dictador XO Insolent. If that finish is worth an extra $35 US per bottle to you, then go for it.

May 11, 2022: This is one very sad day for this rum lover. Both of their rums aged 12 and 20 years were finally released to my area in new bottles with no more solera indication. Normally, I would have no problem with that, but tasting the 12 year and 20 year side by side shows me no difference whatsoever. Since this is an outright deception, I have no choice except to lower this once all time favorite of mine down to a 7. Since I will never buy it again, this would normally have me rate it as a 5 or less. But it is still a decent rum despite now being a rip off, so I will keep my new rating as a 7.

The Dictador 20 is more subtle then the Dictador 12. The oak smokiness is still present but less dominant. Some vanilla, cinnamon, caramel and spices. Lingering aftertaste.
I personally prefer the (cheaper) Dictador 12 for most occasions but this is still a very good rum.

good um, great flavor - good on ice or with tonic.

Tasted at Laka Lono on 10/16/22. Orange golden amber color. Aroma of Aunt Jemimah’s maple pancake syrup. Maple sweetness but also quite earthy. Too much breakfast here. I think the 12 year is best.

Had this bought for me awhile back, I've had better aged Rums but this was a good change on a Friday night.

Plus direct, punchy et raide que son petit frere de 12, je trouve ce rhum beaucoup plus profond au niveau des aromes. Le nez est plus courts mais les saveurs moins altérées par le sucre.