Paranubes Oaxaca Aguardiente de Caña

This is Banana Laffy Taffy in liquid form and it’s very unique

Extremely briny, tastes like olive juice mixed with agricole. Delicious in its own way, but a short finish

Among the few aguardientes I've had, this is one that fits very nicely among the top. The olive/grass notes are what you would expect from a truly artisanal product, not damaged by excessive industrial "polishing". For mixing in a nice "aguardiente sour" this is what I would take.

IMHO I think the attempt of the producer to sell it as a rum, is a mistake, as this leads consumers to expect something different than what it actually is. They should sell it as what it is, a sugar cane juice distillate, made for mixing, with a well adjusted price point. If you see it this way, this product works very well.

I finally found a bottle of this rum for $37 US per liter. The aroma is of an artisan cachaca. The taste is the same, but with a bitterness and burn on the finish. This would be a great mixer for a high powered caipirinha, but this rum comes from Oaxaca Mexico and a long way from Brazil.

And just because this rum does not come from Brazil where cachacas are made does not give one license to modify the standard mix for caipirinhas. I tried changing it and it did NOT work. So stick to the old standby formula of one of sour (lime juice), two of sweet (simple syrup), three of strong (Paranubes Rum), and four of weak (ice). I cannot think of a better drink for this rum to be used in. This drink also works wonders for weight loss!

Update April 20, 2021: This rum has been compared to a mezcal by some. Not even close! The only thing that this aguardiente has in common with mezcal is that both happen to come from Oaxaca Mexico. I finally got to try a mezcal, specifically Yuu Baal Reposado and that one tastes more like an Islay Single Malt Scotch Whiskey than a spirit made from agave..

Update March 22, 2022: I got my hands on another Oaxacan rum made from sugar cane yesterday. Since it is made in an Alembic copper pot still, that caught my attention to buy a bottle. It is called Camazotz Oaxacan Pot Still Rum. The flavors on that one are a bit too much for me, like a clairin in overdrive. I would buy the Paranubes again, but not the Camazotz.

A very special rum with strong taste. For special people :-)

I'm too new to rum to allow myself anything higher than an 8 rating, but this changed my perception of what rum could be. Overall, I think of this less as a sipper than a mixer, but that implies a drink of lower quality and this is so far from that. The complex interaction of smells and tastes have elevated the cocktails I've had this in. In a good cocktail, this will be what you remember—and crave—long after. I certainly did.

Nose: I could smell this all day long. So many notes and depth. I've heard it mainly described as grassy, but I get a lot of banana, without any sweetness.

Flavor: sharp with hints of acidity, no banana or sweet notes. Not as full bodied as the aged molasses rums. I can see how people who want a molasses rum would be put off by this, and it's not a first choice as a sipper for me. Over the course of an tasting pour, it grows on me as I go through the glass.

Alcohol: this is an overproof rum, and it has some heat, but it doesn't burn.

I don't like it, but I don't hate it. It's like an agricol and Jamaican funk, plus something else, something new.
Would be a fun surprise in a cocktail though!

A super briny and savory sugar cane
distillate form Mexico. A unique production with wild yeasts and an extra long ferment. Not a ton of nuance but cool to try and makes a mean rum Manhattan.

Kristallklar im Glas.
In der Nase, Gras und andere Kräuter mit viel "Spirit".
Im Gaumen, adelante, adelante, ganz schön heftig wie gekochtes Gras.
Im Abgang, ah, schön ist es vorbei.
Mir gefallen die Mex-Rum nicht so, wer will soll probieren.
G+R F LU19

Crystal clear in the glass.
In the nose, grass and other herbs with a lot of "spirit".
On the palate, adelante, adelante, quite violent like boiled grass.
In the finish, ah, beautiful it is over.
I don't like the Mex-Rum so much, who wants to try it?
G+R F LU19

This one's gonna hunt you down and zombify you.

What
The
DAMN!

There are probably other rums in the Oaxaca countryside and mountains that do this, maybe better, maybe not. We don't know yet, there are only a tiny bit we can get our hands on in stores. But this is really in a class all its own. Thinking "mezcal rum" is a start, but this monster drinks like a rhum agricole and brings a Caribbean-like delirious heat to it. Briny olives in the nose, that tinge of vinegar, smoked mesquite and scorched grapefruit rind up front, sure. It tastes like exquisite fuel for the palate, bold and funky in its vegetal characteristics, and a passionate heat that gently traces its way down your gullet. Not for the faint of heart!

This rapidly became one of my favorite cane spirits after trying it. I've tried another in the same style, which was good, but this is hands-down a classic.