Ron Colon Salvadoreno High Proof Rum

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            Ron Colon Salvadoreno High Proof Rum

One of the highlights of the 2022 Tales of the Cocktail was attending a tasting and bar events that featured the Ron Colon Salvadoreno line.  All three rums made a positive impression, and I made a note to pick up a bottle when I found it in the stores so I could give it a proper evaluation.  The day arrived while shopping in downtown Atlanta and discovering the High Proof rum expression on the shelf.  One of the things I always find interesting is when someone thinks outside of the box with a rum blend.  The makers of Ron Colon Salvadoreno use a six year old, column still rum from Licorera Cihuatan as the base for the rum blend.  They also used unaged Jamaican pot still rums from Hampden, Monymusk, and Worthy Park and three year old pot still rum from Worthy Park, blended it all together, bottled it in New York, and presented the rum to consumers at 55.5% ABV.

Appearance

This rum is sold in a tall, opaque, dark 750 ml bottle that has an olive color when held up to the light. The wooden cap holds a synthetic cork and is secured to the bottle with a tight security wrap that I had to cut off to open the bottle.  The cap has the company logo embossed on the top in silver metal. The bottle is wrapped in a single label that provides some of the details about the rum, and while it looks great and stands on the shelf, the fact that it does not mention that it is a blend of Jamaican and El Salvadorian rums is a missed opportunity.  Especially when you consider how popular Jamaican rums are in the marketplace.

The rum has a pale amber color with a tiny bit of particulate suspended in the liquid.  Swirling the liquid creates a thin band that quickly thickens and releases lightning fast legs down the side of the glass before leaving a ring of residue around the glass.

Nose

The rum is quite aromatic, filling the air with notes of grilled pineapple.  After I let the liquid sit for a few minutes, I discovered notes of crème brule, lime zest, what I define as vegetal Jamaican funk, and baked banana pudding drifting in, punctuating the experience with fruity sweetness.

Palate

Sipping the rum is interesting as the caramelized vanilla coats the tongue with a fiery entry. Then the fruit notes of grilled pineapple and banana rush in, balanced by notes of dried tobacco leaf, black pepper, and dark roast coffee.  The lime zest I picked up comes in later, along with some pleasantly light toasted oak notes.  The balance of the flavors lingers in a pleasant dance until the fruit flavors take over and linger in a nice, long, dry finish.

Review

I knew from my previous experience with the rum that it was interesting, but I did not remember it being “this” interesting and flavorful.  This is why I never base my reviews on what I experience at shows and instead use that time as motivation to track something down later. Since this rum has such a high proof, justly earning the name in the title, I evaluated it using a series of tiny sips to keep from burning my palate out. The El Salvador rum component helps ground and balance the spirit, creating a solid foundation for the Jamaican component to shine and provide the lovely complexity I enjoyed.  I was expecting the wood notes to dominate at the finish, but I found the fruit taking over, adding a nice plot twist to the overall experience.

As far as deploying this spirit in cocktails, it was surprisingly good in a high proof Daiquiri, in a rum punch, and in another fruit based tropical cocktail I sampled it in. Overall, I found it to be a reasonably priced rum that I could use in a variety of tropical cocktails. Now that I can easily find it, I will put it in rotation and look forward to sharing it with friends.