El Pasador de Oro Gran Reserva

Well over 2,700 aged dark rums enjoyed and El Pasador de Oro Gran Reserva was such a massive positive surprise and what a value! Bought it from the local Total Wine for $36 and it rivals the Diplomatico price-quality ratio. El Pasador de Oro Gran Reserva is very smooth, no burn at all and contains plenty of exciting flavors and with a price tag of less than $40, it is also an amazing value. However, the El Pasador de Oro XO is even better than the Gran Reserva and only $2 more expensive. Gran Reserva comes in a black box and black label, whereas the smoother XO comes with a white box and a white label.

Detailed scoring analysis:
10/100 Packaging, bottle and label design 8
10/100 Color of this rum 8
15/100 Nose test 12
20/100 Palate test 15
15/100 Afterburn of this rum 13
15/100 Availability to purchase this rum 15
15/100 Ultimate value for money 15
Total score 86

This is a hidden gem IMO. Smooth Delicious. Flavorful. Character. Fruits. Nuts. Mild spice. Very enjoyable. But what truly sets this apart is the excellent value for the money. My TOP 5 Best Rums under $100! 🥃

Ce pasador est une petite douceur. Un nez très vanille, frais et boisé et légèrement exotique. l'attaque est sucrée et grasse et la fin est assez longue et gourmande. Un vrai bob rhum a ne partager quentre amateurs

Smooth, rich, tempered bite that goes down way too easy.

Rum aged for a minimum of 10 years, including 6 months in Cognac. Well balanced, flavorful, with aromas of cinnamon and cocoa.

Good Sipping Rum and at a great price ($45-50). When comparing costs it’s not as good as Zafra 21 but more on par but slightly below Zacapa 23 and Flor de Caña 18. May need to let it breathe a bit but below is what I got upon opening.

Nose: initial medium intensity Alcohol burn, sweet smell of vanilla, molasses and candied plum, hint of cherry tart
Palate: Smooth, slight burn, thin on palate, slightly peppery and sweet. hint of Vanilla.
Finish: not a complex as I had hoped but it is smooth and not overly sweet. some lingering sweetness like aspartame that I get with blended dark spirits. Black pepper recedes quickly.

Lovely presentation , I do like a good big stopper. As mentioned on this thread its no Plantation XO which it definitely reminds me of. I do like the cognac notes , its the highlight for me. More of a burn in the mouth than I expected. Overall a pleasant enough sipper , better with an ice cube. Vanilla , toffee and spice dominate then the long cognac finish. Drinking slowly as not available in Australia.

Surprised at how light it looks. Taste is smooth and easy to drink. Nice finish. Adding to my top 10.

This is a very good rum in this price range. This is my second review as I noted I had the ratings of XO & Gran Reserve reversed. The XO is a nice golden rum sweet and smooth, but the Gran Reserve packs a bit more depth. Similar in color and flavor, but the finish of the GR keeps going. Guatemalan rums continue to surprise me. This batch has slight corky flavor not sure if that’s an oddity or part of the profile.