Diplomático Rum

by Tobin Sharp

We had the opportunity to taste through Venezuela's Diplomático Rum lineup on Thursday, May 5th.  The Ambassador and Single Vintage 2002 were exquisite and the entire lineup was excellent; a rich, fairly sweet style of rum with excellent rounded viscosity, honeyed vanillins and varying degrees of depth and influence (depending on the type of barrels used for aging).  There is also much value to be found in the Añejo and Reserva Exclusiva bottlings and most surprising to me, as I hadn't tasted it before, was how great the Diplomático Blanco is.  This is a Blanco you can sip neat and enjoy with much more complexity that one would think could exist in a white rum-- it's aged six years and filtered 5 to 6 times to remove the color (but not the flavor!).

History:
Rum Diplomático was established in 1959 out of a partnership between Venezuela's best rum distilleries and Seagram's International and its Reserva Exclusiva formed part of their "Rare Rums of The Caribbean" collection.  After Seagram's sold the distilleries back to its Venezuela distillers and operators, Rum Diplomático continued to build on its past success.  In the 2000s, the line was extended to include an aged blanco, a two year añejo, an eight year reserva, along with, of course, the twelve year Reserva Exclusiva.  In the past ten years, Rum Diplomático has become the most awarded rum in the world, and its master distiller, Tito Cordero, is the only person to have wone "Master Blend of the Year" two time (2011, 2013) from London's Golden Rum Barrel Awards.  The Rum Diplomático distilleries were the first in Venezuela to be certified with ISO 14001 in recognition of its environmental initiatives.  In 2014, a Drinks International survey revealed the Rum Diplomático is the #1 Trendiest Rum in America's Hottest Bars.

Here's the lineup on our website: Diplomático

Añejo - aged 4 years, column still distillation process, with a Caribbean essence

Blanco - aged 6 years, white rum, filtered 5 to 6 times removing all color

Reserva - aged 8 years, batch distillation in small oak barrels

Reserva Exclusiva - aged 12 years, blend of copper pot still rums, 80% heavy rums and 20% light rums

Single Vintage 2002 - perfect blend from the year 2002, aged in American white oak barrels and finished in sherry casks, limited edition

Ambassador - aged minimum 12 years, 47% ABV, crafted from 100% heavy pot still rums

Quick Sips: Smooth Ambler Spirits

Patiently crafted Appalachian spirits.

With a combination of knowing palate, a legacy of patient, Appalachian know-how and the benefit of the finest, local ingredients, Smooth Ambler produces and procures some of the world's most refined spirits.  Located in the hills of West Virginia, they have at their disposal both the finest distillery equipment available and a blend of unique natural resources: clean mountain air, pure natural water and the ideal highland climate.  Everything they do is hands-on; from the milling of their carefully-selected local grain to the signing and labeling of each bottle.  Their single, old-fashioned goal is simply to bring their customers the best that they can of what's around them.  And to create a truly rare, special drink that those that imbibe of it will remember and treasure.

We tried five of their current lineup of spirits...

Revelation Rum
"A blend of two merchant-bottled Jamaican rums; one column-distilled in 1990, one pot-distilled in 1985, Revelation has been aged in secondary bourbon cooperage and is bottled without chill-filtration. Rich, smooth and complex but with a sipping-whiskey drinkability."  99 proof, very sippable, dry but lush in the mouthfeel, excellent rummy spice and vanilla flavors.  Definite Jamaican 'funk' flavor in this outstanding rum.

Yearling Bourbon Whiskey
"Our handmade, limited-release double-pot distilled bourbon comes from a unique mash of corn, wheat and barley.  Rich and remarkably smooth taste is assured with small cask aging in our own West Virginia rick house.  Naturally sweet with caramel and butterscotch aromas and subtle notes of grain, wood and tobacco."

Old Scout Straight Whiskey
"With a high rye content of 36%, this fine whiskey has exceptional taste and smoothness and thus needs only minimalist particle filtering.  A robust 99 proof, it's strong but deliciously drinkable like all of Smooth Ambler's offerings.  Bold, spicy-sweet flavors with subtle apple, cherry and tobacco aroma."

Old Scout 10
"This limited release is the fourth offering under the Old Scout Merchant Bottled Line.   Old Scout TEN is a low rye (21%) recipe that celebrates the finest qualities of properly mature bourbon-- smoothness, sweetness and character-- while providing a complex and lingering mid-palate range of nutty vanilla, honey and tobacco that many Bourbons promise but rarely deliver."

Greenbrier Gin
"Our exceptional premium-cut spirits lie at the heart of this subtle and flavorful gin.  Mass market "continuous stills" simply cannot match our combination of vapor-infused botanicals and painstaking small batch process.  Enchanting floral aromas from citrus peel and natural herbs without the harsh overtones of typical British-style "dry" gins.  Enchanting floral aromas from citrus peel and natural herbs without the harsh overtones of typical British-style "dry" gins."

Staff Tastes: Ron Dos Madera

We have carried the Dos Maderas 5+3 and PX rums for quite a while with excellent reception from our rum fans-- soon we will be getting the Luxus in stock (we're guessing around mid-February, 2016).

Dos Maderas Luxus: old aged rum made with a triple process: the initial crianza stage and then two aging stages.  Just like "Dos Maderas 5+3" and "Dos Maderas PX", it is handmade and aged previously in the Caribbean and then it is shipped to the Williams & Humbert facilities, where is it aged using the solera system. It is different from the other two of the range because it is left to age for 15 years: 10 years in the Caribbean and 5 in barrels that previously held wine at Don Guido.

Tasting notes: dark amber color, with flecks of gold. The nose suggests very sweet, treacly, woody features. Touch of sea salt. It has notes of almonds, white fruit and molasses, candied orange peel. It tastes surprisingly sweet and has an appealing combination of alcohol with notes of wood and spices.  Drink neat or with an ice cube or two.