Angel's Share Intro and Credit
This rum was created as a tribute to the company’s 18th-century founder, Don Juancho Nieto Meléndez, who was known as a rum collector who enjoyed discovering interesting rums and curating quite a collection. It was this search that eventually led him to founding Destilerias Unidas, S.A. Released in 2004, Diplomatico Reserva Exclusiva is the creation of Master Blender Tito Cordero. To make this rum, the company fermented a combination of sugarcane juice and molasses. The rum is comprised of a blend of 20% column still and 80% pot still that is aged up to 12 years in used bourbon and malt whiskey casks at the distillery property in Venezuela. Before the blending process, the company adds cane sugar (29 grams per bottle) to the rum to amplify the flavors of the product. The final product is blended to 40% ABV and sold in the United States in 750 ml bottles. They state that they do not add any coloring agents to their rum.
Appearance
The bottom heavy frosted green bottle conceals the color of the rum and is sealed with a plastic screw cap. The label provides the basic information about the rum and features a portrait of Dan Juancho Nieto Meléndez. One thing of note is that there is no age or vintage information on the bottle.
In the glass, the rum has a ruby-hued chestnut brown color. Swirling the liquid creates a medium band that releases a couple of waves of fast-moving legs and then releases a wave of slow-moving legs that take quite a bit of time to descend on the side of the glass.
Nose
The aroma leads with caramelized vanilla and is followed by a swirl of sweet prunes, random spices, milk chocolate, charred oak, acetone, and black cherry.
Palate
The first sip is a swirl of brown sugar, prunes, toffee, and the heat of alcohol. Additional sips reveal anise, candied orange, mocha latte, curry spice, astringent oak char, dried tobacco, and acetone. These flavors merge and linger in a sweet and spicy mineral-rich finish.
Review
Over the past decade, Diplomatico Reserva Exclusiva has become the flagship product of the Diplomatico line. It is a solid sipper, especially for those who enjoy sweet rums, and it is quite versatile in a large range of cocktails. It is not uncommon to spot it on a restaurant tasting menu and to see it used in a few of the cocktails. As other products in the brand portfolio have been updated and reformulated, this one has remained relatively unchanged. I would not recommend this product for rum enthusiasts that do not enjoy sweetened rums. However, over the years I have discovered quite a few bartenders and other imbibers who enjoy it, especially as an after-dinner sipping rum. For me, it was an affordable gateway into understanding the brand, and it is a fun one to share with whiskey enthusiasts or those consumers who are curious about trying different kinds of rums.
