Malecon Reserva Imperial 18-Year

After tasting the Santiago de Cuba 11 at first, now the Malecon 18 years old ron from Panama is follwing this night. Read a lot about it, should be sweet and creamy with nuts, fruits, vanilla and coconut. I'm really excited :-).
Nose : uhhh, a strong peppery alcohol note is overflowting my nose. Nothing is sweet, fruity or smooth.
Palate : like an Italian grappe, pomace brandy. Fruity, yes, but also alcoholic. Licorice with wood in the back. Put an ice cube inside : now it's sweeter with hints of chocolate, much easier to drink.
Finish : short to medium. Leaves a light sharpness on my tongue. Someway nothing else. Unfortunately game over.
Conclusion : I had this Malecon right after the Santiago de Cuba 11. Really disappointing this Malecon. The combination "more expensive but less tasteful" is not the best to get points here. Too spicy, not balanced enough, flat to no flavors. On the rocks good drinkable and sweeter. Bonus : no added sugar. Between 5 and 6 points, but more to 5

The first time I had this I was totally blown away. So smooth. Lovely light tan colour and smooth sweet taste. One of my Special Occasion Rums 👍👍

Od Maleconu som mal už fľašu 10-ročného a 15-ročného, tento sa cenou dostáva na úroveň, kde sa dajú zohnať kvalitné kúsky. Malecon 18Y je znova o niečo tmavší, má už o level zaujímavejšiu a hodnotnejšie pôsobiacu fľašu. Vôňa je ľahká, ovocno-kvetová, opäť pri hlbšom nádychu zaštípe v nose etanolový opar. Pozitívne vnímam akurátnu mieru nasládlosti a tiež dlhší záver. Chuť sa oproti súrodencom takmer nezmenila - koža, drevo, trocha dymu, ľahké ovocie, karamel...v zásade je všetko v poriadku, no tento rum ničím zvláštnym ani svojským nevyniká. Je však už o dosť drahší, takže radšej by som volil kratšie zrených súrodencov do 30€, pretože kvalitatívny rozdiel je pri nich len minimálny. Fľašu som pritom kúpil v zľave, normálne ju pod 40€ nezoženiem. A tu by som už očakával niečo jemnejšie, stále na mňa tento rum pôsobí pomerne surovo a štipľavo. Subjektívne slabšia sedmička.
37,15€

I bought this rum without any info on how it should taste like, and it was a good experience. Decent rum, with round smooth edges, moderate playful for both nose and tounge. I am content with this one!

Sometimes I just come across a rum that is just hard to rate for whatever reason and this is one for sure. It is very smooth and it is sweet. There is nothing that jumps out though and makes this 18 year unique. But at the same time there is something really subtle that makes it a really nice rum. It is worth a try for sure.

This is a rather subtle rum; not a flavor bomb.
I like the balance of the vanilla, tobacco, coffee flavors.
It appears a bit sweet, so it might have added sugar, but to my palate it is OK, not disturbing the balance of the flavors.

For the price, I can get better rums, sure. And I may not buy a second bottle.
But I did not find it boring and thus I can recommend trying a bottle at least to those who already experienced some subtle rums and look for a change.

A dark copper colour with a vacant aroma, a hint of oak but generally lacking. There is a bit of fire in the mouth but once down the throat it has gone. Three of us in the room all said give it a miss and it will be used with a ginger beer in dark and stormy.

At first I was hit with a strong wood flavour compared to the rums I'd bern drinking recently. However, after a couple they became butterscotch upfront with a wood finish. Smoother than I give it credit for.

Bought at auction for about £25, and for that price I'd say it was worth it. It's unlikely to make a return to the shelf on its own merits, but it's better than the usual bottles in the supermarket.

Flavours were raisin and wood, lacked the cane flavours you may expect but could hold its own without them. If you have a whisky drinking friend who wants to branch out on a budget then this would treat them well.

I've been getting regular bottles of an auction site and this has become my daily tipple. Very smooth and simple.