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Don Q Cristal rum

Don Q Cristal

Puerto Rico | Light | 40% ABV

6.1/10
105 ratings
Tasty, but not quite great
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105 Don Q Cristal Ratings

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nomad ๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ | 137 ratings
Posted over 7 years ago

Nondescript rum that's the best thing on the bottom shelf.

sugar test-0g

Michael ๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ | 1 rating
Posted 7 years ago

I've considered myself a mojito connoisseur, but after going on this website, I haven't even tried most of these kinds of rum that have such a high rating. However after doing some research, it feels like most of the rums that do have a good rating (8+, it's not readily available....)

mamajuana ๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ | 148 ratings
Posted over 9 years ago

Nearly neutral, light, not a strong alcohol in nosing or tasting. This is not bad straight but it goes down like water, a very light rum in both viscosity and rum flavor, but still distinctly a rum. Not a huge amount of flavor going on here from its brief aging. This lack of flavor would my main complaint but this is consistent with its style.

The flavor this lacks is made up by its insanely cheap price! While we all know there are better rums to sip this one is easily consumed straight up just lacks a full flavor.

Overall, this rum is a genuine article not doctored up with lots of sugar or other additives, it is what is says just rum, for that I can't give this less than a 7 rating. Great for mixing also if that's your thing. I may add that I find this much better than it's gold counterpart.

Mark Swenson ๐Ÿ‡ฌ๐Ÿ‡ง | 35 ratings
Posted 2 years ago

Punches above its weightclass. Smother than Bacardi or Captain Morgan at a similar (or even lower) price point, this rum should be bought in bulk if for no other reason than to have a tasty moxer that adds a l8ttle flavor to a cocktail without over powering it.

Jaybird ๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ | 48 ratings
Posted over 4 years ago

Sampled in a snifter neat and in tiki cocktails. Aroma is extremely light but crisp, clean and smooth. No medicinal or hot notes. Hints of grassy sugar cane. A touch of perceived sweetness. Again it's very light.
The flavor is lightly sweet and warming. Hints of grass, sugar cane. Not a whole lot here to comment on. Nothing offensive or off here, just very, very light and neutral. Alcohol is warm but not at all hot. Smooth on the palate. Very light slightly drying and bitter finish. Overall this makes a fine mixer for light cocktails, especially for someone not wanting a stronger rum influence. I'd personally go for Flor de Cana 4 year or Plantation 3-Star as they have much more character and add more to the drink but I have nothing negative to say here. Similarly priced and much much better than Bacardi Superior.

Paul B ๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ | 472 ratings
Posted 6 years ago

Since this one is highly rated for a light rum here and it was about $10 cheaper than my favorite white rum mixer, I picked up a bottle today at Walmart. But for only $2 more, I could have gotten 1.75 liters instead of 750 ml. Now THAT is some scary, so I had apprehensions when I got home.

The only way to compare them was to do side by side taste tests neat with my favorite light rum mixer. My Matusalem Platino went first and was smooth and velvety with no after burn. The Don Q Cristal tasted like nothing at all, but had a strong after burn. No contest! However, Don Q Cristal is still a step above anything produced by Bacardi or Captain Morgan. This Don Q Cristal would best be paired with Simply Limeade (as a quasi-daiquiri) or ruby red grapefruit juice to disguise the after burn. It can also be kept on hand for guests that tend to drink too much from your cabinet and you don't want to serve them Bacardi. As for Cuba Libres, I always preferred anejo rums instead of the lighter ones, but coke would also hide the after burn on this one.

I will stick with my top two white rums of Matusalem Platino and my even higher rated Plantation 3-Star Artisanal, which is in a class all by itself because it is a filtered dark rum with the most flavors by far.

And later that evening! Luckily I had most of my bottle of Don Q Anejo on hand to compare two different versions of Cuba Libres. The Anejo is light years better than the Cristal and for only a few bucks more. So if your budget restricts you, the Cristal is a good mixer for fruit juices, with citrus ones for those on a diet.

And later the next morning! Now I see why it is very popular in Puerto Rico where it is made. This is the ultimate penalty free drunk I have found in 45 years of drinking. Vodka can eat it's heart out! If only this were around when I first started drinking! One will never be married to the royal porcelain throne with a raging headache the next morning. The scientists who came up with this formula should be awarded a Nobel Peace Prize. As for taste, forget it since it has none at all. If you want to add exotic sweet juices or soda for tastes, then you will create your own hangover. For someone like me who likes to savor an ounce of very fine sipping rum over an hour or two, following it up with Don Q Cristal would be too late to avoid a king hell hangover. On the other hand, this is the ultimate diet cocktail that beats the pants off of the popular Cosmo. Just add Perrier to Don Q Cristal over the rocks and you will taste nothing at all. Now I see why Walmart stocks tons of it. As usual, I am always the last to find out about any trends.

Rick ๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ | 10 ratings
Posted over 6 years ago

Dryer than many of the mass market options I've had at the same price point (Bacardi/Captain Morgan White), and distinctly more "rummy". Made a great daiquiri, my drink of choice, and wasn't too bad on the rocks. If it were next to Bacardi on the shelf, I'd usually take this, but given it's much harder to find, it's not far enough ahead of Bacardi to merit the time investment to seek it out. Good stuff though!

PTGarcia ๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ | 26 ratings
Posted 7 years ago

A good light rum at a good price. Not a lot of light rum drinks that I enjoy, but compared to others of this type it does very well and is reasonably priced. Beats Bacardi Superior for sure.
My favorite light rum drink we call a Naranjito. Light rum, 7UP, orange zest and an orange wedge. Using rum and coke proportions with light rum and 7UP, zest the orange right into the drink and stir. Garnish with wedge. Good Summer drink that almost all I introduce it to enjoy.

Salud!

BottlesUp ๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ฆ | 1 rating
Posted over 1 year ago

I'll be honest; I don't take straight shots. Never have been able to and likely never will. Thus, mixability and smoothness with the least amount of aftertaste and burn is paramount to me.

This checks those boxes and then some. 2.5 shots mixed with half a can of a 355ml pop and you barely can taste it, with very little aftertaste or burn. I still very much drink to get drunk and this is, bar none, the best mixable rum I've ever tried.

DieselTech139 ๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ | 6 ratings
Posted over 1 year ago

I bought this for my cocktails that require a clear rum in the ingredients and it just worked perfectly for me. And, unlike It's brother Q #7, it is reasonably priced. That reminds me, I gotta add this to my list to restock.

TommAng ๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ | 25 ratings
Posted almost 2 years ago

This is my go-to Mojito rum. Nicely balanced. A really nice Spanish style rum. Makes a great Light nโ€™ Stormy too.




Brand Details

Name: Cristal
ABV: 40%
Type: Don Q
Raw Material: Unknown
Process: Pure blend (1 distillery)
Distillation: Unknown
Women leading Rum: No

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