Don Q Gran Anejo

I love the presentation the bottle is real nice I would prefer it on the rocks or as a mixed drink has a burn to it but otherwise not bad just not sweet enough for me

That was the highlight for me , the classy bottle. I've tried this rum a couple of times now and wanted it to grow on me.. its not ! Lovely golden straw colour when poured , good medium legs in the glass.
Honey is the only aroma that comes to mind apart from astringent alcohol vapours. I left in the glass for the usual 20 mins but still very fiery . It says 6-12 years on the box but tastes very young to me.
Adding a teaspoon of water helped with the taming of the beast but its not for me im afraid. This will be an expensive mixer ....

Poured neat, you smell a lot of oak and spice with a hint of honey. It rolls over the tongue nicely with a lot of flavor. Bourbon drinkers will like the oakiness. It leaves behind a bit of anise that would pair nicely with a cigar.

Don Q Gran Añejo is surprisingly smooth. A very nice rum to sit and relax with.

Belle bouteille, le rhum est bon mais pas assez pour un 8.

Den är god men har någon märklig bismak. Inte så mycket tillsatt socker.

Good nose, sweet, light but good flavors, small burn...

Many years ago, a co-worker who was from Puerto Rico told me that Don Q had the best rums. Since he was a refined gentleman and I was looking for yet another reason to bid Bacardi farewell, I bought one of their basic rums from the grocery store. Horrible stuff! I swore off Don Q at that time, but should have bought their standard Anejo instead, which is supposedly just as good as their Gran Anejo.

Then I got to reading reviews on this one here at Rum Ratings and added it to my wish list. Lo and behold, I found one of two remaining dusty bottles on the bottom shelf for $51 each. This should have told me something about it not being worth the money. A very good liquor store can drop subtle hints like this, as well as put some really good cheap ones on the top shelf.

Discarding the silly box on the outside, I had one rough time opening the tightest cork that I had ever encountered. I thought that something was wrong with it. Wiggling it back and forth finally allowed me to open it. It is a plastic cork, but these things prevent spoilage better than real corks made for wine to breathe. This first sign was a good one.

The nose was almost nothing. The taste was like a fine bourbon with no added sweetness or artificial flavors. It was as smooth as can be, but also not memorable at all. An ice cube did nothing to open up the flavors. The pretty bottle could easily impress guests, but that is not my style. However, I will savor this most expensive bottle of rum that I own just like I did for that only bottle of Pappy Van Winkle 15 year old bourbon many years ago. That bourbon lasted me for a record six months figuring that I could never find another one again. How right I was! But I won't be looking for another bottle of this over priced rum.

Update: Eventually, half of this bottle was gone and I was sick of looking at it to remind me that it inspired my personal limit of $50 per bottle. I also had a half bottle of the much cheaper Don Q Anejo. Hmmm! You guessed it! I poured this half bottle into the half bottle of Don Q Anejo and that combination made for a wonderful sipping rum that I still have. Since I could not wait to get that empty pretty bottle of Don Q Gran Anejo out of my sight, I gave it to my neighbor. However, Don Q and Cruzan now rate as my two best brands of budget rums from the northeastern Caribbean to avoid sipping on the expensive ones in my collection.

Nose reminds me of a wheated Bourbon with cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice. Very long finish with somewhat of alcohol bite and oak. Not for the syrupy sweet tooth fan, but loads of flavor. Like many fine whiskeys, this leaves a wonderful aroma of honey and vanilla in the glass after it has evaporated. Most rums do not do this.

Don Q Gran Añejo is best drank neer or on the rocks to experience its full body. Dry rum the goes down very smooth. The best out of Puerto Rico!
Enjoy