Rum Nation Guatemala XO 20th Anniversary

This is a 40% rum from Guatemala. It is a blend of molasses column rums aged for a minimum of 4 years in bourbon barrels and then 16 months in sherry casks.

Bottle: Beautiful, rounded with a strong bottom and delivered in a carton.
Colour: Honey.

Nose: Classic vanilla with a strong trace of sherry wine. There is also honey, raisins, slight medicinal, fruit (bananas, apricots, plums), molasses and very slight wood.
Mouth: Initially sharper with a more pronounced alcoholic note. After a few minutes the taste mellows out. It is only slightly sweet. The palate has vanilla, raisins, honey, fruit jam, nuts, sherry wine, pepper and, more strongly, wood.
Aftertaste: Short.

Conclusion: At 40%ABV, it's a little rough. The alcohol is more and longer than I would have expected. It's not that sweet, but the taste is classic Spanish sherry style.
7.5 out of 10.

Má to hezkou láhev, je to jeden z mnoha lepších rumů ve španělském stylu. Urazit to nikoho nemůže, ale proč si to pořídit domů?

Oak, leather, pear and mango. Wonderfully smooth and subtle rum. Goes astonishingly quickly, making a layman question his spending habits. Worth the try. Sherry casked rum is the way to finish for sure. Try Abuelo's sherry cask finish as well.

gud rum,gud rum, veri gudrum, soveri gudrum, rili, sorili

Title says it all, it says 40%abv but feels like 35% not sweet at all kind of middle of the road with classic caramel notes of guatemala rum but without the complexity

Ron mediocre de melaza, no vale lo que cuesta. No es malo, pero no da la sensación de estar bebiendo lo que pagaste.

Ve vůni je cítit ovoce a čokoláda. V chuti lze rozeznat tóny cherry a čokoláda. Vzhledem k voltazi závěr nevýrazný.

Aroma is nice and full of chocolate. Taste is sweeter with honey, fruits and again a bit of chocolate and cherry on palate in aftertaste.

Rum je vo veľmi peknej flaši. Je príjemne sladký cítim v nom med, nugát, vanilku a nejaké ovocie. Príjemný ale nie veľmi zapamätatelný rum.

My credentials - I am a qualified chef, so can claim some expertise in terms of tasting capability. Got into rums about 2 years ago during the COVID lockdowns, with a couple of buddies enjoying rooftop rum nights in Singapore, each bringing a bottle between $100 and $200. Our preferences as a group have changed somewhat during this time, moving away from the sweeter flavoured rums to more complex, layered styles.

My thoughts on the Rum Nation Guatemala XO 20th Anniversary:

Not a bad rum, enjoyable, although rather bland tasting, not a lot going on to differentiate itself from other rums - slight hint of honey, slightly astringent, no oak or otherwise prominent flavours I have experienced in other rums, such as coffee, banana, pineapple, molasses, cotton candy. Yet also nothing there to particularly dislike either. Just a decent easy-sipper.

More marketing and pricing than anything really outstanding in terms of quality flavour in my view, yet the bottle probably makes for a nice gift. Far better rums out there for 30-60% less investment.