Malteco 20 Years – Reserva Del Fundador

Malteco is a Panamanian Spanish-style label drawn from the country's bulk rum tradition, made from molasses on a column still and matured in ex-bourbon wood, with this Reserva Del Fundador carrying a twenty year age statement. Panama's house character runs soft and mellow, and this expression dials up the wood compared with the younger Malteco while keeping the gentle, accessible body.

The nose offers caramel, vanilla, fruit and toffee, the palate brings caramel, sweetness, vanilla and a caramelised note, and the finish carries dried fruit, a silky feel, wood and a slightly bitter edge. It drinks clearly sweet and dessert leaning, with cocoa and tropical fruit lifting the familiar caramel and vanilla core and a touch more oak than the fifteen year. The honest read is a soft, sweet sipper rather than a dry or powerful one, comfortable neat for a relaxed glass or stretched out with cola for an easy long drink.