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Don Q Cristal rum

Don Q Cristal

Puerto Rico | Light | 40% ABV

6.1/10
104 ratings
Tasty, but not quite great
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104 Don Q Cristal Ratings

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Paul B ๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ | 471 ratings
Posted over 6 years ago

Since this one is highly rated for a light rum here and it was about $10 cheaper than my favorite white rum mixer, I picked up a bottle today at Walmart. But for only $2 more, I could have gotten 1.75 liters instead of 750 ml. Now THAT is some scary, so I had apprehensions when I got home.

The only way to compare them was to do side by side taste tests neat with my favorite light rum mixer. My Matusalem Platino went first and was smooth and velvety with no after burn. The Don Q Cristal tasted like nothing at all, but had a strong after burn. No contest! However, Don Q Cristal is still a step above anything produced by Bacardi or Captain Morgan. This Don Q Cristal would best be paired with Simply Limeade (as a quasi-daiquiri) or ruby red grapefruit juice to disguise the after burn. It can also be kept on hand for guests that tend to drink too much from your cabinet and you don't want to serve them Bacardi. As for Cuba Libres, I always preferred anejo rums instead of the lighter ones, but coke would also hide the after burn on this one.

I will stick with my top two white rums of Matusalem Platino and my even higher rated Plantation 3-Star Artisanal, which is in a class all by itself because it is a filtered dark rum with the most flavors by far.

And later that evening! Luckily I had most of my bottle of Don Q Anejo on hand to compare two different versions of Cuba Libres. The Anejo is light years better than the Cristal and for only a few bucks more. So if your budget restricts you, the Cristal is a good mixer for fruit juices, with citrus ones for those on a diet.

And later the next morning! Now I see why it is very popular in Puerto Rico where it is made. This is the ultimate penalty free drunk I have found in 45 years of drinking. Vodka can eat it's heart out! If only this were around when I first started drinking! One will never be married to the royal porcelain throne with a raging headache the next morning. The scientists who came up with this formula should be awarded a Nobel Peace Prize. As for taste, forget it since it has none at all. If you want to add exotic sweet juices or soda for tastes, then you will create your own hangover. For someone like me who likes to savor an ounce of very fine sipping rum over an hour or two, following it up with Don Q Cristal would be too late to avoid a king hell hangover. On the other hand, this is the ultimate diet cocktail that beats the pants off of the popular Cosmo. Just add Perrier to Don Q Cristal over the rocks and you will taste nothing at all. Now I see why Walmart stocks tons of it. As usual, I am always the last to find out about any trends.

MaxMunafo ๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ | 67 ratings
Posted over 2 years ago

Neutral, light, boring, but not unpleasant.
They made a really good sugarcane vodka.

lholz13 ๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ | 27 ratings
Posted 3 years ago

I do not get the hype. I probably wonโ€™t buy this again.

RumFrica ๐Ÿ‡ณ๐Ÿ‡ฑ | 5 ratings
Posted over 3 years ago

I picked up a bottle for โ‚ฌ18. For this price I can get way better and sometimes cheaper light rums such as Plantation 3 Stars, Flor de Caรฑa 4 or Havana Club 3. The rums doesn't have a lot of flavor or alcohol bite to it. I found it not as bad as Bacardi Carta Blanca or Captain Morgan White, but it doesn't really do anything particaly well. Decent in a Rum & Coke or Mojito, for a Daiquiri there are better alternatives.

Tikiducks ๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ | 54 ratings
Posted almost 5 years ago

This had a sharp taste, but this doesn't really taste like a rum. Will need to try again to determine what it's flavor profiles are.

Engwild ๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ | 153 ratings
Posted almost 5 years ago

This was about as bad as I figured, Don Q and as blanco as can be.

Taster ๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ญ | 141 ratings
Posted almost 5 years ago

Nose: some medicine
Palate: harsh, spicy, some menthol (!)
Not much more to say here. Iโ€˜ve had much better crystal rums (Santa Cruz from Tenerife, for example).
Info: Bottle looks different now.

Cory Wid ๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ | 97 ratings
Posted over 5 years ago

Its $10 a bottle, and though an industrial column-still rum, isn't bad at all. Very light, slight floral whiffs that suggest flowers and detergent. Everything moves very hurriedly across the palate, leaving only nuances of flavor and a mild burn, which I actually enjoy.

This is a mixing rum for people that don't like the taste of alcohol. It is a good introductory for people to start building an appreciation for rum, albeit through weak mixed drinks like the mojito. Its crazy thinking back to when I was younger, when anything with a high alcohol content tasted simply like nail-polish remover. Significant training (and desire) needs to be present for someone to develop a palate for appreciating good rums, and I consider a rum like this to be a good gateway to that.

Raphael ๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ | 19 ratings
Posted 6 years ago

Short on flavor. In some drinks, it feels more like a vodka than a rum

KristofB ๐Ÿ‡ง๐Ÿ‡ช | 32 ratings
Posted over 6 years ago

Let us be honest, for its price this is a great white rum, that is just perfect for making your rum-colas and mojitos. But if you like your Rum to be special, this is not the one for you, its the perfect rum in a way it is not too much of anything, Not in taste, not in price, a perfect basic white rum.

Bob ๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ | 74 ratings
Posted almost 7 years ago

Better than Bacardi superior. Noticeably smoother and easier to drink. Pretty solid young rum.




Brand Details

Type: Light
Company: Don Q
Country: Puerto Rico
Name: Cristal
ABV: 40%
Raw Material: Unknown
Process: Pure blend (1 distillery)
Distillation: Unknown
Women Led: No

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