Angel's Share Title
In July of 2024, it was announced that Santa Teresa was releasing an Arabica Cask Finish Rum. It takes a while for things to get to the Atlanta market, and it took a few months before I acquired a bottle. To create this product, the company uses their standard 1796 product as a base. For the coffee component, the master blenders at Hacienda Santa Teresa take medium roast Arabica coffee beans, cold brew the beans with four year old rum instead of water. This liquid is put into American white oak barrels and aged for six months before being decanted. The barrels are then filled with Santa Teresa 1796 and aged for three months before being blended and bottled at 46% ABV. The company states that there are three grams of sugar in each 750 ml bottle.
Appearance
The bottle of rum is packaged in a brown tube whose lid has the words “Passion with Purpose—Santa Teresa” with the company’s flower logo. The tube provides all the information about the rum’s production in an easy to understand graphic on the back. The front of the tube provides the basic information and notes that this bottling is from Batch 1. The bottle is the standard custom bottle design used for Santa Teresa 1796 only with a brown and white label with gold and white script. The cap and neck of the bottle are covered in red wax, and there appears to be a plastic security wrap under the wax. After I cut away the wax, I reveal a wooden cap holding a dense cork. It looks like there is supposed to be a pull strip to help open the bottle, but the wax completely covered it. The liquid holds a dark brown walnut color in the bottle and glass. When I swirl the liquid, a thin band forms around the tasting glass that slowly thickens and releases a single wave of fast moving legs. Within a couple of minutes, there are only a couple of beads around the glass.
Aroma
The aroma delivers notes of smoky oak, dark cacao, and coffee, with a touch of sweetness rounding out the experience.
Palate
The first sip of the rum is coffee forward, conditioning the mouth with the lightly acidic flavor and alcohol. Additional sips consistently deliver the coffee notes; however, I detected notes of roasted almonds and charred oak, with caramel coming in before the rum begins to fade into an acidic coffee finish.
Review
When I evaluate flavored rum products, I always ask, did the brand achieve the desired flavor profile? In this case the blenders at Hacienda Santa Teresa achieved it and managed to create something far better than I expected it to be. As noted, the acidity of this rum clocks a little high, but when used as an ingredient in an espresso martini or other coffee based cocktail like a Black Magic, the acidity is nullified by dilution. In a small way it reminds me of Siesta Key Coffee Rum Blend, because both brands have succeeded where so many others have failed. They avoid the rum becoming a syrupy, overly sweet experience and present a balanced flavor experience that is a functional cocktail ingredient. If you enjoy coffee-based cocktails, this rum is an easy recommendation for you to pick up and add to your back bar.
