Oliver & Oliver Opthimus 18 Años

Opthimus 18 Anos is an Oliver & Oliver bottling, the Dominican house behind a string of soft, sweet-leaning blends, and this sits at the older, woodier end of the Opthimus line. Molasses spirit run off a column still, it is matured to a deep amber in the tropical climate that drives its oak and dried-fruit character.

The nose runs oak, plum and barrel with an alcoholic lift, the palate turns caramelised and sugary with a faint medicinal edge, and the finish brings wood, pepper, dried fruit and allspice. It is fuller and more oak-driven than the entry Dominicans, with a riper, spicier profile, though the alcohol still shows through the body. The honest read is a rounded, lightly sweet sipper with some genuine age character, one for drinkers who like a woodier, dried-fruit Dominican without high proof or dryness.