El Pasador de Oro Gran Reserva

Well over 800 aged dark rums enjoyed and El Pasador de Oro Gran Reserva was such a massive positive surprise and what a value! Bought it from the local Total Wine for $36 and it rivals the Diplomatico price-quality ratio. El Pasador de Oro Gran Reserva is very smooth, no burn at all and contains plenty of exciting flavors and with a price tag of less than $40, it is also an amazing value. However, the El Pasador de Oro XO is even better than the Gran Reserva and only $2 more expensive. Gran Reserva comes in a black box and black label, whereas the smoother XO comes with a white box and a white label.

Detailed scoring analysis:
10/100 Packaging, bottle and label design 8
10/100 Color of this rum 8
15/100 Nose test 12
20/100 Palate test 15
15/100 Afterburn of this rum 13
15/100 Availability to purchase this rum 15
15/100 Ultimate value for money 15
Total score 86

This is a hidden gem IMO. Smooth Delicious. Flavorful. Character. Fruits. Nuts. Mild spice. Very enjoyable. But what truly sets this apart is the excellent value for the money. My TOP 5 Best Rums under $100! 🥃

Smooth, rich, tempered bite that goes down way too easy.

Rum aged for a minimum of 10 years, including 6 months in Cognac. Well balanced, flavorful, with aromas of cinnamon and cocoa.

Nose of brown sugar and oranges - quite pleasant. Oddly it doesn’t carry through to the taste much, which is really nice and buttery smooth. Great balance of sweet and dry. Upfront hit of vanilla and spice, with the spice carrying through but the vanilla leaving quickly. Woodsy finish with a hint of leather.

There’s a lot to like. It’s not in my top 10 but close. The finish maybe leaves me wanting more, it’s a little tart for my liking. But for most this is a great rum.

I had this one's younger brother in Las Vegas about 16 months ago and was not all that impressed. That one was like listening to a lite rock radio station. Good, but nothing at all to get excited about. Well, it's older brother here suffers from the same dilemma. If you hate burn and strong flavors, then you will love this one. With me having tried more than 300 rums in less than 3 years, this one is just rather boring. The added sugar makes it semi-dry, which does not help it at all. This one is a wannbe Plantation XO and fails miserably at this, since it is a Guatemalan dry rum with final aging in cognac casks in France. A good rum, but a colossal yawn for me. This one is great for newbies to rum.

El Pasador has two wonderful products- the XO and the Grand Reserva.
The XO is smooth and well balanced, where as the Grand Reserva imparts more body and character. Both products are in my best buy category~

I picked this up at my local Total Wines & More for only $44.99, but to me it tastes more like an $80 rum!

Smells and tastes of a really nice spice (I can't place it), oak (with sherry aging?), caramel, and tobacco. Has a very nice hint of sweetness and is really nice. Just shy of a '9' to me.

Unbelievably smooth. Toasty caramel and vanilla. Not too sweet. Delightful.