Flor de Caña Grand Reserve 7yr

Review Update: Flor de Caña Grand Reserve 7yr Old Rum 94.5/100
a revised review by Chip Dykstra (Aka Arctic Wolf)
Posted January 17, 2010

In the Bottle  4/5

The Flor de Cana 7 year old rum comes in a decent rectangular shaped clear bottle with a solid plastic screw cap.  I like the design but it does not have any ‘wow’ factor.  The labeling is professional but I would like to see something to make the rum stand out more on the shelf.

In the Glass 9.5/10

This spirit is dark and inviting.  It looks the way dark rum ought to look, with deep brown colours and flashes of copper.   Swirling the glass reveals only a hint of glistening oiliness on the sides of the glass which vanishes quickly with no legs appearing.

This is very rich and complex on the nose.  I receive a nice sweet caramel toffee and vanilla scent from the glass with a discernible nuttiness which gives the aroma fullness and makes me want to start sipping.

In the Mouth  57/60

Wonderful! Hints of almond and hazelnut steeped with rich dark brown sugar and a nice gentle sweep of vanilla.  I catch bourbon tones I never noticed in my first review.  I think what I like best is how the sweetness is never too much, and bitterness never appears.  There are no burnt notes or medicinal tones.  There is a mild spiciness reminiscent of cinnamon, but it is melted into the brown sugar giving the palate a nice gentle toffee.  We have almost perfect balance here.  This is also smooth on the palate but not silky smooth.

In the Throat 14/15

Everything feels right going down; a gentle burn, and a beautiful crisp finish.  There is a vaguest hint of a bitter roughness here that I never noticed before.  It is almost a reminder that this drink was first meant for brigands and pirates rather than refined lords and ladies.  These sensations in the throat do not linger; they slide down, and the experience is bound to be repeated again.

The Afterburn 9.5/10

This rum exceeds the sum of its parts.  It is great rum to drink neat, and it adds an extra dimension to any cocktail.  I consider this a premium rum which despite is lower price easily competes with other more expensive premium rums.

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Suggested Cocktail

Flor de Cana Grand Reserve is one of the most versatile rums I know of.  I can easily sip it neat or with ice and enjoy myself thoroughly.  It tastes great in every traditional rum cocktail I have tried.  For my suggested Cocktail, I will give you the first cocktail that I designed specifically for this rum.  The Sloe Lime Daiquiri.

Sloe Lime Daiquiri
(a modern daiquiri stye cocktail)
by Chip Dykstra (Aka Arctic Wolf)

A wonderfully cold daiquiri to sip in the sun on a hot day.

1 1/2 Ounce Dark Rum
1/2 Ounce Fresh Lime juice
1 Tsp simple syrup (Sub Grenadine)
4 Large Ice Cubes
1 Chilled Glencairn Glass
1/2 Ounce Sloe Gin

Place the first 4 Ingredients in a Metal Martini Shaker.
Shake Until Martini Shaker Chills.
Strain Into a chilled Glencairn Glass.
Add the Ice from the Martini Shaker.
Float the Sloe Gin on the top and let everything sit for one minute.
Garnish with Lime Slice if desired….. Enjoy!!

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My Final Score is out of 100 and you may (loosely) interpret the score as follows:

0-25 A spirit with a rating this low would actually kill you.
26-49 Depending upon your fortitude you might actually survive this.
50 -59 You are safe to drink this…but you shouldn’t.
60-69 Substandard swill which you may offer to people you do not want to see again.
70-74 Now we have a fair mixing rum or whisky. Accept this but make sure it is mixed into a cocktail.
75-79 You may begin to serve this to friends, again probably still cocktail territory.
80-84 We begin to enjoy this spirit neat or on the rocks. (I will still primarily mix cocktails)
85-89 Excellent for sipping or for mixing!
90-94 Definitely a primary sipping spirit, in fact you may want to hoard this for yourself.
95-97.5 The Cream of the Crop
98+ I haven’t met this bottle yet…but I want to.

Very loosely we may put my scores into terms that you may be familiar with on a Gold, Silver, and Bronze medal scale as follows:

70 – 79.5 Bronze Medal (Recommended only as a mixer)
80 – 89.5 Silver Medal (Recommended for sipping and or a high quality mixer)
90 – 95 Gold Medal (Highly recommended for sipping and for sublime cocktails.)
95.5+ Platinum Award (Highest Recommendation)

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The original review has not been discarded, it is placed at the bottom of the page.  The differences in the reviews are minor (which surprised me), and the lower score given in the revision does not reflect a lower opinion of the rum, rather it reflects a more consistent use of my scoring system.

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Flor de Cana 7yr Old (97 pts)  (Original Review, (May 2009))

a review by Chip Dykstra (AKA Arctic Wolf)

IN THE BOTTLE (4.5/5)
An inexpensive rum in a nice package. Addition of a cork would score a 5.

IN THE GLASS (9.5/10)
A really nice aroma. Sweet but also full of nuts and spice. A hint of vanilla. No burnt or medicinal notes. The colour is rich and vibrant. Above all this, the rum displays tremendous balance in the glass.  The spices and nutty aromas are almost impossible to distinguish individually as they work in unison to provide a nice clean nose.

IN THE MOUTH (58.5/60)
Absolutely wonderful. This is sweet but not overly so. A hint of almond and hazelnut. This mixes really well with coke on a warm day and goes down straight on a cold day. This to me is the almost perfect mixture of age and sweetness. The gentle spiciness and the warm notes of molasses.  Again I love the balance.  The rum is forefront as it should be with the spices and oakiness complimenting rather than detracting.

IN THE THROAT (15/15)
A perfect score as this rum feels just right going down. No bitter notes linger and the flavour just gushes and burns in all the right ways.

THE AFTERBURN (9.5)
A clean pleasing finish. A gentle burn in the throat.

I will admit this is a favourite rum of mine. I almost always have a bottle ready to go and I have even used this to mix with lesser rums to make them more palatable.

This review was first published on:

THE MINISTRY OF RUM

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