Bacardi Reserva Ocho (Sevillian Orange Cask) 2015

This is a special cask version of Bacardi's Reserva Ocho, the eight year old Puerto Rican molasses rum, here finished in casks that previously held Sevillian bitter orange, bottled at 45% and from a 2015 entry. The orange cask is the hook, but it works quite differently from a sweet flavoured rum, leaning tart and structural rather than candied.

The nose is led by bitter orange peel with an alcoholic, barrel driven edge, then a palate of orange peel, oak and leather with a slightly chemical note and a tartness that some find a touch monotonous neat. Interestingly, the orange reads more as cask influence than added flavouring, and several drinkers note it is less harsh than expected and pleasant when mixed. With no confirmed sweetening, this sits as a dry, experimental cask finish rather than an orange liqueur. It is an intriguing footnote to the Bacardi range, best approached as a woody, citrus tinged sipper or a cocktail component rather than a sweet treat.