Diplomático / Botucal No. 2 Single Barbet Column Rum

Botucal, known as Diplomatico in many markets, is one of Venezuela's best known names, and this No. 2 in its distillery collection is built to showcase a single Barbet column still expression. It is a molasses based, column distilled rum in the smooth Spanish style of the country, where the spirit comes off light and clean and much of the character is built afterward from wood and a rounded sweetness.

The profile is comfortable and familiar, caramel, dried fruit and vanilla with a chocolatey edge, carried on a generous amount of oak that turns slightly roasted and bitter on the finish. At 47% it offers more strength and a firmer woody grip than the softer core Botucal, which is the appeal of this series, though it remains sweet and relatively straightforward rather than complex. It suits drinkers who enjoy the sweet Venezuelan style but want a touch more proof and oak in the glass. Anyone chasing dryness or layered depth will find it stays in easygoing, dessert leaning territory.