Santiago de Cuba Anejo Superior 11-Year

Have had two bottles of this one for a while. Yesterday evening it was time to taste it.
The nose is spicy and smoky.
On the palate and during the finish is it possible besides this to detect coffee, toffee and hints of nuts and vanilla. The finish is quite long.
Overall a real good Cuban thats having no problem to defend its place in my rumbar.
Pictures: My opened bottle & the Spanish Steps in my private rum bar.

This rum will knock you down! The wooden aroma and the cognac-like old taste will rock your senses to the moon amd back!

The Santiago 11 years has an elegant amber colour. With a light caramel smell, you notice a slight woody scent. The sipping is smooth with a light wood taste with a light honey finish. This rum is a must. One of my favorites.

Deep amber color. Notable molasses nose. Complex. Intense. A touch too bitter. Half step above Havana Club Maestros.

This is a column distilled Cuban rum from one of the oldest Distilleries in Cuba, aged 11 years in white oak casks. This rum is regarded in some circles as the Pride of Cuba and was the favorite of Fidel Castro. Unfortunately, it is less known abroad - probably due to it originating outside of Havana, in Santiago de Cuba.

This rum is produced from sugar cane grown in the Southeast part of Cuba. It is then boiled down to molasses and distilled on a column still. After distillation the rum is is the charcoal filtered before being aged 11 years in used white oak casks in Cuba. It is then bottled at 40% ABV.

The nose is somewhat typical of other Cuban and true Cuban style rums I have had, but a bit lighter. Wafting it through the Glencairn I get rich Maple Syrup, Green Apple, Toffee, Allspice, and just the faintest hint of Chocolate covered Bananas (this note is very faint at the base of my nostrils).

The palate is far lighter than other Cuban and true Cuban style rums I have had. Here I only get three notes, though each is easily distinguishable: Caramel, light Maple Syrup, and Toffee. It is certainly enjoyable though a bit lacking in richness or complexity to my anticipation.

The finish is light and fairly simple. Here I mainly get Maple Syrup and Toffee along with a distinct minerality. After setting the glass down for a bit my mouth is left with the taste of aged Tobacco leaf.

While this rum is fairly enjoyable, it is unfortunately nowhere close to the hype I had created for it in my own mind. It reminds me a great deal, and I do mean very much, of Bacardi Ocho. In fact, side by side, I may be hard pressed to guess which one is which.

I had anticipated this rum to be far richer than what it is. While this certainly isn’t bad, indeed it is a eminently enjoyable sip, it just isn’t as rich, deep, or complex as I had hoped. Hey, not all unicorns turn out to be perfect specimens. And that’s ok. If this was offered to me at a bar I would drink it and enjoy every drop of it. It’s a pretty decent aged Cuban style rum. Please don’t take that as a knock on the rum, I can definitely appreciate it and maybe even a bit more. It just isn’t what I had hoped it would be. That’s life. I am immensely grateful to this community and a certain redditor that gave me a chance to finally try this “forbidden fruit”.

Short Description: I am pretty sure I know where Bacardi got their ideas and profile for their Bacardi Ocho. /Stares at this rum

ABV 40%

Country of Origin: Cuba

Distillery: Santiago de Cuba

Nose: Rich Maple Syrup, Green Apple, Toffee, Allspice, faint Chocolate covered Banana

Palate: Caramel, Maple Syrup, Toffee

Finish: Maple Syrup, Toffee, Minerality, long after Cigar leaf

Generally I'm perhaps not that partial to Spanish styled rum, but do enjoy them once in a while. I find Santiago to be among the better brands and their 20y offering is probably the best Cuban I've had. Considering the price point though, both the 20y and this is according to my preferences, expensive considering the experience and complexity you get for your money. Compared to fx. Barbadian, Guyanese, Jamaican and to forth, the spectrum of notes, seem to be more narrow when dealing with the Spanish offerings.
This particular bottle sports a classic Cuban nose, with notes of butterscotch, sweet tobacco, green apple and a hint of wood, nail polish and cinnamon roll.
The taste is medium bodied and initially naturally sweet with butterscotch, then turning more earthy with rounded woody notes and tobacco. The finish is of medium length and a little peppery and spicy. The balance is spot on, but the complexity is not overwhelming. Sometimes your in a mood for a simple dram, but I would still prefer something like Admiral Rodney or Rum sixty six, as you get a few more tingles. 7,5.

Solid stuff - could do with a little more power say 45%
but still a keeper.

Smoke hints, deep amber color slight caramel taste, a great representation of a cuban rum.

The Santiago de Cuba 11 comes in beautiful dark color and with a tasty scent of raisin, roasted nuts and a bit of oak. It's rich and smooth in the mouth with very less alcohol. Perfectly balanced between condiment and sweetness. I never had anything comparable in this price range!

A wonderful smooth rum, with a great nose that just slides down, very unique and realize it is still the very first Bacardi recipe