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Barbancourt 5 Star Reserve Especiale 8-Year rum

Barbancourt 5 Star Reserve Especiale 8-Year

Haiti | Aged

Barbancourt 5 Star Reserve Especiale 8-Year Rum is agricultural, meaning it's produced from fermented sugar cane juice rather than the more typical molasses. The sugar cane juice is double distilled and aged for eight years in Limousin oak barrels.

Dupré Barbancourt created the Barbancourt rum recipe in 1862 in Haiti, where the rum is still produced today. A French national, Barbancourt incorporated traditional French methods including double-distillation in the process.

6.7/10
246 ratings
Tasty, but not quite great
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246 Barbancourt 5 Star Reserve Especiale 8-Year Ratings

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Dan Freeman 🇺🇸 | 15 ratings
Posted 11 years ago

Very decent rum, but not quite there with others in its price range.

RobN 🇺🇸 | 6 ratings
Posted 5 years ago

I tried several glasses of this just to make sure I gave it a fair shake. I never made it through more than 2 sips on any glass. I tasted nothing but alchohol. I did not enjoy anything about it. This is a hard pass for me.

torgo 🇺🇸 | 12 ratings
Posted over 5 years ago

At first, I was suspicious of this rum, driven perhaps by its bargain price (around $25/750mL), but by the time I got the the bottom of my first bottle, I was back to the store for more.

It's the rum I go to, even for sipping, when I don't feel like dipping into my stash of anything fancier. By far, not my first choice for sipping, but wholly adequate. Still very smooth on the way down, and only a slight nose of varnish to it.

Ricardo Knight 🇺🇸 | 10 ratings
Posted over 5 years ago

I tend to fine Haiti runs a little rash for sipping, so i was happy when this initial mouth feel was round, and smooth, but it gave away quickly. The nose was mild, but there was no alcohol burn. There was a hint of leather, banana and a little tobacco. The taste had light sugar throughout, with mild bitterness in the end. It was not bad, but nothing to write home about.

Reeb Barbill 🇮🇲 | 62 ratings
Posted over 5 years ago

Great stuff. Obviously not as good as the 15, but it’s pretty clear the barbancourt guys know what they’re doing.

kventin 🇭🇺 | 29 ratings
Posted 6 years ago

..nos,ez egy remek kis 8éves ital, olyan rendezettek benne az illatok és az ízek.Fűszeres ,tölgyes, pici vanilia..de illatában és ízében is VISSZAFOGOTT...viszont torokban már ÉREZNI hogy magasabb az alkoholtartalma mint az átlag !! Valahol ez a kettősség jellemzi a rumot !!! Finom , vagány az üveg :)

andrea 🇮🇹 | 17 ratings
Posted almost 8 years ago

Al naso non regala sentori particolarmente dominati,arriva fatto l'alcool a coprire tutto. In bocca subito forte l'alcool che lascia il posto a pepe e erba verde. Il finale non é granché e lascia un po di amaro in bocca

Helena Tiare 🇸🇪 | 110 ratings
Posted almost 10 years ago

I find Barbancourt special, it`s less grassy than regular agricoles and it´s still a cane juice rum. The honey-like but sort of dry flavor is great to mix drinks with, the 15 yo is much better though.

Fink14109 🇺🇸 | 18 ratings
Posted 1 month ago

I'd never heard of this rum before. It has a nice color, but not as bold as other 8 year rums I've had.

wayoutwest 🇬🇧 | 101 ratings
Posted 3 months ago

Not quite sure what to make of this, but it's going down fairly fast!
The smell and taste seems very distinct, and unlike either Agricole or molasses based rums, but it's own thing.
Smells kind of floral, with an undercoat of solvent, and something darker but indistinct.
Taste is remarkably lacking burn for something so young, with the floral vibe adding the French oak, and then the modest burn coming in on a dry oak finish.
When I first opened this, it didn't offer much, but it's come out of its shell over time without ever bringing anything complex to the table. Overall, it's very easy drinking and reminiscent of Spanish style rum, but with a French oak, cognac like, vibe too.
For £35, it's decent and very drinkable. I quite like it in it's own way, but I imagine wanting to try something different rather than buy more of this again

Gran Matteo 🇺🇸 | 18 ratings
Posted 5 months ago

One of the first of this style I tried over a decade ago. Definitely a good intro to Agricole, but leaves more to be desired.

Update: I recently revisited this rum after a long hiatus, updating from a 6 to a 7. It's very approachable, affordable, and smooth. Nothing to dislike other than there are tastier aged cane juice based rums, however nothing really in this price range.




Brand Details

Name: 5 Star Reserve Especiale 8-Year
Years Aged: 8
Type: Barbancourt
Raw Material: Unknown
Process: Pure blend (1 distillery)
Distillation: Unknown
Women leading Rum: No

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