Rum Exchange Ron Cristóbal Oro

Ron Cristobal Oro is a young blended Caribbean rum offered by independent bottler Rum Exchange, aged three years in ex-bourbon wood and bottled at a light 38%. It sits at the simple, utilitarian end of the range, a rum made to disappear into a drink rather than to hold attention on its own.

The profile is dominated by spirit and oak, an alcoholic, woody nose with a sharp edge, and a palate that turns woody and almost whisky-like over a barrel base. There is little sweetness or fruit to soften it, and at 38% the body is thin. Tasters are clear that this is a mixer first, the alcohol present but the flavour light and inoffensive. Judged honestly it is a cocktail and cola rum rather than a sipper, and it does that job cleanly enough, bringing a dry, woody backbone to mixed drinks without much complication.