Bacardi Gran Reserva 8-Year

It is not as terrible as I feared when I read "Bacardi". Plus the bottle and the stopper are well-made but without unnecessary flannel. I like that.

The nose is very thin. Some raisin, a little bit of wood. Maybe some spice. A bit of alcoholic bite in the nose, but not too much so.
Taste is sweeter than anticipated, but not unpleasantly so. Taste is dried fruits, mostly raisin, light molasses, honey, a hint of alcohol. Plus there is minimal funk, which helps to keep things from getting too boring.
While the rum is relatively light, it holds its own in grog or mixed with fruit juice.

Reminds me of a rum from Barbados that I tried (sold by the German supermarket chain Rewe).

Too expensive for what is is. But not bad.

...und ihm eine Chance gegeben. Naja was soll ich sagen? Nicht umwerfend und nicht wirklich schlecht. Im Gegensatz zu seinen jüngeren Brüdern, welche super als Fensterreiniger ihre Dienste verbringen könnten, kann man diesen Tropfen wirklich trinken. Doch bitte versprecht euch davon keine Erleuchtung, denn der letzte Schliff fehlt ihm noch.

This is not a smooth rum, I found it harsh and although we drank it, I can’t say I loved it.

Not too complicated, mixed well with several things. Pleasant

Like most others here, the smell does not do it good,...a scent of cheap plastic is definitely noticeable. The taste is ok,...not more...a bit softer than the smell indicates. Yet nothing to remember.

The price was fortunately not too much and so not a total waste of money...maybe a useful mixer.

Will not buy it again,...solid 5.

Ezt is meg kellett kóstólni, nem lett jobb a véleményem a bacardiról... pedig lehetne 8 éves is

Kupoval jsem pro přítelkyni čistě kvůli labelu (a literární reminiscenci na něj) a čekal něco jako trochu lepší Havana Club Anejo Especial (tedy nic moc). Překvapivě to ale nebylo špatné ani simplexní. Na hypermarketový rum této cenové kategorie (platil jsem pod 600 Kč za litrovku - "product of Bahamas") dokonce velmi uspokojivé.
Přišlo mi to jako "light" verze Presidente 15-Year, který mě nijak nenadchnul, zatímco takto zjemněná podoba mi přišla výrazně snesitelnější, jak chuťově, tak čichově.
Na druhé straně pokud je pravdivý reklamní blábol "původně určen pouze pro členy rodiny Bacardi a jejich nejbližší přátele", musela to být poměrně nevybíravá famílie. Nicméně běžného konzumenta tohle pití určitě neurazí, ač samozřejmě asi ani neuchvátí. Láhev s četnými lisovanými ochrannými prvky a dřevěným špuntem s natištěným netopýrem rovněž nepůsobí nijak lacině.
Úhrnem - i "major" značka se někdy utne a vyrobí něco poživatelného. Ale Plantation Barbados Grande Reserve mi za stejné (respektive levnější) peníze pořád přijde mnohem lepší.

- Please take my review as a particular issue, I do not want to generalize. - I've bought this bottle of Bacardi with very high hopes, but I had to face my biggest disappointment in rums so far. The price is average for an 8 year old rum, maybe even a little less. The bottle looks especially appealing, classy, creates the impression of quality in the buyer. But let's check what's in it. After opening, I have to say, I encountered with the strangest smell of rum ever. It smelled totally like plastic, mixed with a bit of alcohol. Similar to when you buy new shoes with that stinky rubber sole... I tried to taste it, but this chemical scent was unfortunately present in the flavor as well. After taking another look at the bottle that's when I realized what has happened. It has a plastic corking - and the bottle I assume must have been stored somewhere for ages - and this plastic got interacted with the alcohol somehow, and started to release the penetrating chemical smell. Tasting was over. I've poured the rum into a clean scentless glass bottle and leave it for a while, just to give it another chance. Two weeks later, the smell improved a bit but the taste is still awful. So I decided to contact Bacardi about this, I'll try to update my review after receiving their reply. I wonder if this issue with the 'cork' affects all their product range, and whether some fellow rum fans had the same issue.

I actually like the cheaper Bacardi black better. I found the black more smooth and enjoyable, this one seem to have a little harshness to it. Just a more expensive middle ground rum, I won't buy it again.

This would be good in a rum and coke. But it is NOT a sipper. Thin, no complexity and out of balance. A little oak and a spec of vanilla. Nothing else. Unlike most Bacardi it is drinkable but would be much better mixed with something this rum is not, something smooth and flavorful.