Bacardi Reserva Ocho Rare Gold Rum 2011

Bacardi Reserva Ocho is an eight year old rum from the house that effectively wrote the template for light Spanish style rum, founded in Santiago de Cuba in 1862 before relocating, now produced in Puerto Rico. This 2011 dated bottling is column distilled from molasses and aged in ex bourbon oak, giving the clean, gentle profile the style is known for.

The nose is soft and sweet with caramel and vanilla, the palate brings more caramel, orange and a honeyed roundness over light, drying oak, and the finish carries gentle spice and sugarcane. It is smooth, easy and good value, a classic gateway sipper that leans toward bourbon drinkers with its barrel forward character, and at least some of its softness reads as added sweetness rather than oak alone. At 40% it is undemanding and versatile, equally comfortable sipped neat or built into an old fashioned or a simple cocktail, an approachable everyday aged rum.