Good enough for the price - would I offer it to friends? Rather not

Not bad but there is noting to like there. Tastes like the rum flavor used to put into cakes. There are much better options out there

Captain Morgan is the rum that got me started on Rum. Let's be honest, this is no Zafra or Centenario 30. However sometimes you want a prime steak and sometimes you want a fast food cheeseburger. When I want a cheap mixing rum, I am going to buy Captain Morgan. Don't try to sip it. Don't try to make it something it is not. Put it with some juice, or Sprite, or Coke and enjoy. Honestly it probably gets an extra star from me, just for the nostalgia of my youth.

I know that there are people who love Appleton. Heck, I was a child in Jamaica. I want to love Appleton. However, Appleton has a very distinctive after taste. Some find it pleasant, but I have always found it rather acrid. Even on their 21 year, it is the same blended distinctive unpleasant aftertaste. The rest of the flavor is what you would hope to find in a rum in this price range. If you like the lower end Appleton, other than as a mixer, you will love this rum. I have always had mixed feelings on Appleton and the same exists here.

I really debated how to rate this. As a pure rum, it is not a true rum and would deserve a lower rating. However, at $33 it is affordable and it is fairly drinkable, if you accept it as not a pure rum. It is very sweet, very smooth amd low proof. I have seen some describe it as a liqueur and that is probably more accurate. Less sweet than most liqueurs but much sweeter and artificially flavored than most rums. Were I rating it as a liqueur, I would have rated it higher. I found it pleasant enough, but as a rum it does not measure up.

Excelent aftertaste, Smokey, oxigenate well to dissipate it’s strength (45).

Nose: Eggnog, cinnamon, nutmeg, tapioca pudding
Palate: fresh white oak, tapioca pudding, apples, cinnamon, vanilla, sweet despite minimal dosage
Aftertaste: Eggnog, cinnamon, literal vanilla extract, cinnamon throat tingle sensation

I have been longing to try an Amburana aged rum for quite a while now. When I read the reviews for this rum, it sounded delightful and something that I absolutely had to try. It took me almost a year to track down a shop that had it in stock and would ship it to me. This is a Guatemalan Single Cask rum that has been aged for several years in bourbon oak, then 1 year in French Oak in France, and then finished for 6 months in Amburana wood and bottled at 50% ABV. Per Plantation website this rum is very lightly dosed at 8gpL (3gpL more than might occur naturally under certain conditions). Amburana is a tropical wood found in Central and South America. I had read that it imparts a delightful cinnamon note to spirits aged in it, and not to spoil, but I found that to be true. Buts that's not all. No that's not all. This rum is quite delightful and I keep waffling on whether to rate it an 8 or a 9. But before I get to the final rating let's let the process play out because this is an interesting rum with some unusual characteristics

First of all, straight up, if what you want is eggnog and cinnamon and you want it now, there is where you can get that fix. On the nose I get strong eggnog loud and clear, almost like I stuck my face down near the eggnog punch bowl on Christmas. Hidden behind the Egg Nog I smell cinnamon, nutmeg, and delightful notes of tapioca pudding. All in all quite a pleasant and aromatically intense combination even if it is not overly complex.

Taking a sip is where things start to get interesting. It starts with raw white oak, not the long aged kind but the younger Tennessee whiskey sour kind. That appears for a second before turning into a mouthful of tapioca pudding with strong individually noticeable notes of apples, cinnamon and vanilla. This being 50% ABV it does kick a bit, but that's not the only physical sensation. In addition to the burn you get a tingly sensation in the throat like you just swallowed a tiny spoonful cinnamon powder directly out of the jar. The entire combination on the palate comes across as very sweet and decadent even though the rum is only very minimally dosed and packs a punch.

On the finish the eggnog reappears accompanied by cinnamon and vanilla extract (literally...vanilla and strong bitter notes in its entirety). After walking away rom the glass my throat tingles and little bit and simultaneously my mouth feels refreshed. Its a very interesting experience, that I highly recommend. So why not a 10 or a high 9? Because at times the vanilla extract and bitter notes sometimes dominate the expression to an extent that I don't like quite as much. Its still an absolutely wonderful rum but those notes do dampen the experience a little. Also I have never been a huge fan of fresh white oak (which is why I don't like bourbon as much) which appears prominently on the palate.

All in all this is a great and novel experience, but otherworldly to the extent that I feel like I have to order a case of it. The notes on this are so unique that it would probably make an otherworldly Cuba Libre but I am not sure what else you could mix it in...and besides it is meant to be sipped and it serves that purpose quite well.

Country of Origin: Guatemala (later partially aged in France)
ABV: 50%

Nose: 10
Palate: 8
Finish: 8
Smoothness: 8
Versatility: 8
Price: 8

Total: 8.3

Nose 6/10
Mouth 7/10
Finish 6/10
Price value ratio 6/10

Nose 6/10
Mouth 6/10
Finish 6/10
Price value ratio 7/10

Nose 7/10
Mouth 6/10
Finish 6/10
Price value ratio 7/10

Nose 7/10
Mouth 6/10
Finish 6/10
Price value ratio 7/10

Nose 8/10
Mouth 8/10
Finish 7/10
Price value ratio 10/10

Nose 6/10
Mouth 7/10
Finish 7/10
Price value ratio 7/10

Nose 5/10
Mouth 7/10
Finish 6/10
Price value ratio 7/10

Nose 7/10
Mouth 10/10
Finish 9/10
Price value ratio: 10/10

Nose 10/10
Mouth 8/10
Finish 9/10
Price value ratio: 7,5/10

Caroni gets better and better. Can’t wait for more of this stuff

This bottle have an exceptional taste, near the flibuste, but with more toast. Very long and complex. Note. 9,8.

Bardzo dobry w smaku. Nie do końca rum skoro 34%. Kwestia gustu

Already aroma is warning that this will not be soma rum for beginners :-D
Taste is smooth (for 62%) but there are ending all positives. Hard agricole taste with grass, esters and other nor very pleasant tones. Aftertaste is longer. but again not very pleasant. Agricole lovers can add 2 points.