Angel's Share Title
Flor de Caña Centenario 18
Flor de Caña is produced by Compañía Licorera de Nicaragua, which was founded in 1890 as a sugar plantation located at the base of the San Cristobal volcano. They began making rum in 1937 for the country, and by the 1960s, they were selling it around the world. The rum is created using molasses and fermented in a continuous column still. The rum is aged in used American white oak bourbon barrels and blended to 40% ABV. The company promotes that their operation is 100% environmentally green, Fair Trade certified and that they do not add sugar to their product.
Flor de Caña Centenario 18
Appearance
The bottle is the standard Flor de Caña custom bottle for their aged line of rums. The bottle, with its short neck and heavy base, must be handled with care or it may slip out of the user’s hand. The labels on the front and back of the product provide a limited amount of information about the rum, along with details about their environmental efforts and achievements. The bottle is sealed with a synthetic cork held by a plastic cap that has the Flor de Caña logo on top.The liquid has a dark amber color that lightens slightly in the glass. Agitating the liquid creates a medium band that slowly thickens and reluctantly releases a single dense wave of legs down the side of the glass.
Nose
Pouring the rum released a heavy ethanol note that settled quickly. After the glass rested a few minutes, I revisited it and found notes of vanilla, molasses, heavy wood char notes add toasted nuts, cocoa and roasted coffee bean notes. There is a light acidic pop of alcohol punctuating the overall experience.
Palate
The flavor of the rum is a rush of caramelized vanilla, cinnamon, taking the high notes, while baking chocolate, black coffee, and walnuts cover the mid-range of notes. The foundation of the flavor profile is full of acidic wood tannins and char notes that balance the sweeter notes. The rum finishes with a copper mineral astringency that puckers the cheeks and tongue with a small amount of sweetness lingering on the palate.
Review
If this rum was presented to me in a blind tasting as a product aged more than 12 years, I would not contest it. The heavy influence of the oak and char notes on the aroma and flavor profile distinguishes the blend as having older rums in it. My guess is that if there are younger rums in the blend, they are used to balance and tame the profile, bringing its acidity within the realm of something that can be comfortably consumed. Thinking back to my evaluation of Flor de Caña 12, I remarked that the product was a quick experience. The 18 is not; this is a rum designed to be sipped and savored neat, or with a bit of orange peel, as their website suggests. Overall, this is a solid aged sipping rum that, if you enjoy other products in the Flor de Caña line, is sure to please.
