Bozkov Republica Exclusive

Presentation is very good, the rum arrives in an attractive round, portly bottle with a luxurious-looking gold-on-black label with stylized, ornamental letters. It looks like something you could find aboard the Titanic, and the motto could very well be "Sip while we sink." It radiates comfort, luxury, wealth and self-confidence. No complaints here - the visual presentation is fantastic.

The rum in the bottle has deep mahogany color, betraying almost hysterical amounts of caramel that had to be used considering this is a very young distillate ("up to 8 years blend", with a strong emphasis on "up to") bottled underproof (just 38 percent). Maybe that's why there is no word "rum" in the name of the product, because if I am not mistaken, according to EU regulations, rums must be bottled at 40% ABV minimum.

The nose is very faint, just hints of ginger-bread, winter spices and dough, but very distant and subdued.

The palate is dominated by the added sugar, in a profile that is reminiscent of the popular "Rum as Liqueur" approach (Diplomatico, El Dorado, and other Spanish-style and Central American brands). However, under all the sugar, we don't find a solid rum as a base, the mouth-feel is extremely thin and watery and the finish is warm (if short), but without any noteworthy tannin influence or complexity. Sure, it's bound to be popular, and you can pour it to a visitor with a sweet tooth, but it is unlikely to impress a rum drinker, being a heavily colored and sweetened cheap column distillate.

Which brings us to the strongest point - the price. I have managed to obtain my bottle for less than 300 Czech Crowns (that means around 14 US dollars), which is a price you cannot absolutely beat here, considering that most cane rums from Carribean start at about 500 CZC here (high tariffs on imported alcohol), and the premiumised, sweetened brands start even higher. So I am adding one point in the final evaluation just because this bottle can be bought so cheaply.

It's a perfectly inoffensive, "sweet and smooth" (read sweetened and underproof) sipping rum that probably will probably find its fans due to the popularity of sweetened rum on the market. I cannot really recommend it for mixing, because it does not have enough distinctive character to punch through in a cocktail (other than vague sweetness).

One of the biggest surprises in my rum tastings...didn't expect much, knowing the other Bozkov "rums", but this fruity, sweet, smooth taste left me amazed...