Pampero Aniversario Reserva Exclusiva

Has a lot of wow factor as a gift due to the leather sack. Very smooth, so watch how much ice you use. Oaky vanilla flavour is really nice.

This looks great with the leather presentation pouch. The first scent is sweet caramel (sticky toffee pudding!) but was a bit harsh. This soon mellowed and a drop of ice helps.

Great for sipping. A touch expensive to use as a mixer but tastes good either way.

My go to rum. It's in short supply right now and I found two bottles this weekend at a store about 45 minutes from home so I'm good for a while. That said I'm thinking of driving another couple of hours up the road to get another bottle or two. It's that good! Smooth tasting, not to sweet or spicy. I call it a grownup rum. If you can get your hands on a bottle do it.

This rum has a nice smell to it. Brown sugar, oak, spice, and tobacco. Taste is similar, but to me it's a bit harsh for a 40%abv rum. It's a fairly decent rum, but I prefer a little more sweetness such as found in other Venezuelan rums like the Santa Teresa 1796 and the Diplomatico Reserva.

A vastly underrated rum. Rich complex and full of flavour. Wonderfully presented as well. Up there as one of favourites

Who gives a horse's petootie about a leather pouch, what a bunch of rarified dandies! I toss it. I'm in it for the booze, and what dark and lovely stuff it is. All the classic rum flavors are there, but then something dark and almost bitter or tarry -- like 90% dark chocolate or Italian espresso -- comes in, and it almost tips into nasty, but doesn't, it walks the line, and pulls it out. I find it very smooth, neat or rocks. I buy this and tuck it away whenever I see it, I even love the squat little bottle. It's like an old reliable friend. Grab it and run off under a tree and tipple it like a crazy old coot while humming a sea chanty.

Gelungene Aufmachung, die Kugelflasche im Lederbeutel.
Nase mit viel Vanille, Gaumen kraftvoll, nicht zu süss, Karamell, Toffee,
scharf, guter Körper, Ausklang ok.
Ein durchaus gut gemachter Rum für alle Tage.

Successful presentation, the ball like bottle in the leather bag.
Nose with lots of vanilla, palate powerful, not too sweet, caramel, toffee,
Sharp, good body, finish ok.
A very well done rum for all days.

Like many, the packaging caught my eye first.
My first taste was in an "old fashioned" glass... all that was available where I was staying. Noted the strong alcohol taste commented on elsewhere, but also a tendency towards dryness [yes, in a sugarcane-based product...]
Ended up pouring some [after I got home] into a small snifter and, as it happens, got called away for more than half an hour.
Here's the interesting part... having a sip after that period of time, I found that the breathing/aeration helped change the flavor profile, and improved smoothness a lot. A full-bodied rum, with "great legs" on the snifter glass.

So my initial tasting would have resulted in a 6/10.
This one made me raise the rating to a high 8 - hence the nine.

Bottom line: Whether trying it for the first time or revisiting it, pour it into a snifter and give it time to breath - your patience should be well rewarded.

I like this rum, smooth, medium-bodied, great for sipping. I commend the brand for its use of a leather sack, a unique and premium-looking packaging.

My father in law found this deep in his liquor cabinet after a nice dinner. It had been there for 15+ years. The cork broke when I tried to open it so we used a wine opener. Everyone who tried it likes it, even my mother in law who’s not a big liquor-drinker. Recommended.