Botucal Reserva Exclusiva

Einfacher leichter easy drinker aber ohne besondere erkennungsmerkmale

Previously "Diplomatico" it was rebranded "Botucal" allegedly due to a law suit by Aldi in Germany.

It is a sweetened and coloured blend of Venezuelan rums.
It is sweet (4/5) and carries a strong Vanilla note on the nose and palate.
It is smooth with a gentle burn.

A good introduction to rum, but if you like whisky and brandy this is far too sticky.

Very, very sweet, oily and creamy - I know it is desired by many as a characteristics of "premium" rum, but for me it is almost as much non-authentic as it could be. Next to sweetness alcohol is quite noticeable - for rum which has ca. 10 years in barrel it is a bit strange. Very likely most of the blend are cheap multi-column distillates - you pay first of all for a fancy bottle (and lot of added sugar), not a great product.

The nosing is quite nice with sweet and fruity notes (raisins). The palate adds some notes of chocolate but does not develop any further from that point. Instead the sweetness is getting ever more dominant and the sweetness stays also predominantly with the finish. So if you like sweet rum stuff this might be pleasant. But if you are looking for a full bodied, rich and flavorful rum you might order something else. Gets only a 5 as the degree of sweetness is dubious.

This is not my favourite one. I miss the tropical Sweet vanilla taste and every sip was hurting my esophagus after 3 seconds. That’s why I give a 5.

I prefer sweeter rums over dry ones but this is just too much for me.

This botucal feels like an already sweet rum received a hefty dose of sugar as well.

Too sweet, way too sweet.

Somehow you can't get past the Botucal Reserva Exclusiva. For 30-40 euros it is a cheap rum and can be bought almost everywhere in Germany. First of all, I can say that I don't understand the hype. Very negative is that the rum is strongly sugared - 44g/l.

In the nose, the rum is very sweet with spice. Some sweet and smokey notes which are quite appealing but give hope for more. On the palate, the botucal disappoints after all. A lot of sweetness from the added sugar destroys a lot of the flavors that the rum wants to offer. I noticed some caramel, toffee and smoke. Most of it is sweetness produced by sugar. The finish is the same sweet with some Toffee and spice. The rum disappeared after a short time and over remains a sticky taste and a film on the tongue that does not really make you want more.

Overall, the rum is totally overvalued. I cannot understand that. Apparently, for many, the high degree of sweetness is still crucial for a good rum. For the same money there are already many rums that have much more to offer. He just confirmed to me that I want to look for and enjoy rums with character and expressiveness. The Botucal can't score here. At party as a guest, I wouldn't say no, but I wouldn't drink it with a visitor at my home either. There are so many better Rums to choose from. But ot gets u drunk.

Irgendwie kommt man am Botucal Reserva Exclusiva dann doch nicht vorbei. Für 30-40 Euro ist er ein günstiger Rum und in Deutschland fast überall zu kaufen. Vorweg kann ich sagen das ich den Hype nicht verstehe. Sehr negativ ist, dass der Rum stark gezuckert ist - 44g/l.

In der Nase ist der Rum dezent mit viel Süße und Würze. Etwas Rauchnoten welche durchaus ansprechend sind machen aber Hoffnung auf mehr. Am Gaumen enttäuscht der Botucal dann doch. Viel Süße von dem beigefügten Zucker zerstören für mich die Aromen welche der Rum anbieten will. Etwas Karamel, Toffee und Rauch habe ich wahr genommen. Das meiste ist durch Zucker erzeugte Süße. Der Abgang ist, wie auch sonst, süß mit etwas Toffee und Würze. Der Rum ist nach kurzer Zeit verschwunden und über bleibt ein klebriger Geschmack und ein Film auf der Zunge der nicht wirklich Lust auf mehr macht.

Insgesamt ist der Rum einfach total überbewertet. Ich kann das nicht verstehen. Anscheinend ist für viele noch immer der hohe Grad an Süße entscheidend für einen guten Rum. Für das selbe Geld gibt es schon viele Rums die sehr viel mehr zu bieten haben. Mich hat er nur bestätigt das ich Rums mit Charakter und Aussagekraft suche und genießen möchte. Hier kann der Botucal gar nicht punkten. Auf einer Feier als Gast würde ich ihn nicht ablehnen, einem Besucher bei mir zu Hause aber auch nicht anbieten.

The sugary sweetness masks so much of the flavour.
Also there is kind of an artificial sweetener / vanilla note I do not like.
Apart from that, I can taste other notes - but they're hidden in the back, unfortunately.
I cannot recommend this as a sipping rum.
My glimmer of hope is that without those overwhelming sweet and artificial notes it might be quite a recommendable rum.