Abuelo XV Napoleon Cognac Cask Finish

There are two reasons I was reluctant to try this one. First I am not a big fan of cask-flavouring as too often the styles of spirit are too different and the result ends in a bit of both but never as good as they are apart. Especially rum and cognac don't go well together (Plantation...) in my book. Secondly it is sweetened and I prefer my rums dry; in a way sweetening cask-flavoured rums is a confession that it doesn't really work I think.

On the nose the cognac is omnipresent; hard oak and grape are just as much there as the vanilla and tropical fruits and more present than other typical rum flavours. On the palate it isn't as bad as I feared when the fruit gets stronger and a leathery note comes through; it smells more like cognac but tastes more like rum. A bitter coffee appears too but all in all it lacks a bit of complexity for a 15yo. It is not terribly sweet but I think that is because of all the tannines from the oak suppress the sugar. Bitter and rather simple aftertaste of sweet oak.

I think the quality of the rum (before putting it into cognac casks and sugaring it) is really nice and deserves better but to each his own.