Veracruz Villa Rica Single Barrel Rum

Villa Rica is a single barrel from Veracruz on Mexico's Gulf coast, a molasses rum carried to a long 23 years and bottled at a gentle 40%. The age is the headline here, well past the point where most tropical rum would be lost to evaporation, though this reads more like a soft, oak-led sipper than a rich, heavy dessert rum.

Maturation in ex-bourbon oak has pushed it firmly toward the wood. Expect caramel, vanilla and dried fruit on the nose moving into dark chocolate, coffee, tobacco and a dry, woody finish. It sits closer to a brandy or whisky crossover than a sweet Latin ron, soft and easy rather than complex, and a faint sense of added flavour hovers over it that is hard to pin down. A low-key, low-risk pour for drinkers who like softer, oak-forward rums such as the smoother Guatemalan style but want something drier and woodier.