Romero & Sons La Baronesa Galapagos Rum – Release #1 () 2015

Romero & Sons bottle this La Baronesa as a Galapagos release, a first edition drawn from the 2015 vintage and aged ten years before reaching the glass. It is an Ecuadorian molasses rum offered as a single cask at cask strength, the sort of small batch origin bottling that rewards drinkers chasing terroir from beyond the usual Caribbean map.

Raised in ex-bourbon oak, the wood has done patient work here, pushing the rum toward dried fruit depth rather than fresh sweetness. The nose opens on dried fruit, honey, vanilla and caramel, and the palate follows with dried dates, more caramel and a nutty richness. A finish of caramel, dried fruit, chocolate and spice rounds it off with weight. At 48.8% and undiluted, it keeps the concentration and grip that full proof single casks are prized for, a contemplative pour rather than a casual one.