Few people will be aware that Venezuela makes a number of well-respected barrel-aged golden and dark Rums. Local producers say the combination of tropical humidity and cool winds that bathe Venezuela’s sugar-cane fields helps to age the rum faster than in other countries. As José Mandry, president of the Venezuelan Alcohols Chamber that groups most of the country’s rum makers says, ‘Venezuela is a blessed land situated at the north of South America where the winds don’t tear us up but gently rock us, and gently rock our rums.’ The change in temperature from day to night stimulates interaction between the alcohol distilled from cane juice and the barrels, enhancing the taste.
Tasting notes: Deep mahogany. Toffee, baked apple, walnut, glue, and tobacco aromas. Rich entry leads to a dryish medium-full body with treacle, spice, suede flavors. Finishes with a long rich fade of charred oak, spice flavors. A richly styled sipper with great balance.
