Oliver & Oliver Exquisito 1990

Exquisito 1990 is an Oliver & Oliver bottling under their Dominican blending house, marked with a 1990 vintage and aimed at the rounder, fruit-driven end of their range. It is molasses spirit from a column still, matured to amber in the tropical climate where the heat coaxes out the dried-fruit and oak notes.

The nose leads with dried dates, cherry and dried fruit over wood, the palate brings caramel, oak, pineapple and more cherry, and the finish settles into oak and gentle vanilla. There is a caramelised, lightly sweet character running through it, with roasted nuts and a hint of mocha adding interest. It carries more genuine rum flavour than the entry-level Dominicans while staying soft and easy, a relaxed sipper for anyone who likes a fruit-and-oak profile without much heat or dryness.