Ron Sostenible Very Limited Experimental Cask (Rioja) 2023

This very limited experimental release from Ron Sostenible takes the brand's eight year old Caribbean molasses rum and finishes it in Rioja wine casks, bottled at 43%. It is an exploratory bottling that sets out to show what a Spanish red wine cask can add to an already well regarded aged rum.

The base spent its main maturation in Ex-Bourbon oak, with the Rioja finish layering on a distinctive character. The nose is fruity and sweet with dark chocolate, while the palate brings dark chocolate together with red fruits, the wine cask lending an interesting oily texture and a spicy, faintly more layered feel than the standard bourbon cask version. Tasters describe it as a rather sweet, spice tinged rum that benefits from the wine influence. It makes a rewarding comparison piece for anyone who enjoys exploring how different cask finishes reshape a familiar aged rum.