Diplomatico Distillery Collection No1 Batch Kettle

This limited edition of only 5000 bottles sat alone on the shelf of my favorite liquor store for quite some time because it costs twice as much as their more popular Reserva Exclusiva. I was reluctant to buy it myself despite the title of this review leaving a burning impression upon me. So what did it take? Reports of political turmoil with dictator Maduro refusing to leave Venezuela where these rums are produced. Gosh, what if the day comes when we can no longer get rums from Venezuela? So I stockpiled a few others from that country without opening them. Since this was the only new one to me, it got opened to answer the question in this title.

For my first pour, I let it breathe in the snifter for at least six minutes to match it's age in years. It does appear to be dry with no added sugar. The aroma is a complex harmony of flavors that are difficult for me to tell apart. On the palate is the same with very little burn and a hint of oak. It was wise of them to only age it for six years in various types of used oak barrels. They have lots of claims on the flavors derived from these barrels, but the description strikes me as being driven by wild imagination to sell out this product. The question in this title is what sold me to buy it, despite probably never finding another bottle if I rated it as a 10. Even if it were available again, I would still prefer two bottles of DRE at the same price over this $72 rum. From all of the detailed descriptions on the box, this rum also strikes me as being similar to why concept cars are made for the auto shows, to strut their stuff on what they can really do if put to the test. It is always an expensive experiment.

And the answer to that question in the title is that they should experiment with a semi-dry version of the DRE with less than 20 gpl of added sugar that is different from their Mantuano. They can do it while still having an attractive price! I trust them! Sugar bombs like DRE get the most popular attention, but represent only a small percentage of rums available. Their sweetness brings them lots of popularity, but their DRE is one of the better sugar bombs.

After having this one for a week, I don't like the aftertaste. Therefore, my initial rating drops down from an 8 to a 7, especially at $72. And though I hate to admit it, this rum tastes like a subdued version of Fernet Branca, but lacking any curative properties. I also found a merchant that has three bottles that are not selling. When my bottle is finally gone, I won't replace it.