Oliver & Oliver Exquisito 1995

Oliver & Oliver is one of the Dominican Republic's best known blending houses, sourcing and marrying rums into the rounded, dessert leaning style the country is loved for. This Exquisito carries an old 1995 vintage on the label, though it drinks as a relaxed everyday pour rather than a serious age statement, distilled on a column still from molasses and bottled at a mild 40%.

Expect popcorn, caramel and vanilla on the nose, then a roasted, woody palate of dark chocolate and more caramel, finishing spicy with a little bitterness to balance the sweetness. There is clear sugar here in the Spanish house manner, so this sits in comfortable, sippable territory rather than dry and structured. It is a soft, fruit and chocolate dram for casual evenings, comfortable neat or stretched into a simple mixed drink, and an easy introduction for anyone new to aged rum.