Barcelo Imperial

Review: Ron Barcelo Imperial Rum  (81.5/100)
a review by Chip Dykstra (Aka Arctic Wolf)
Posted January 5, 2010

I noticed no age statement on the bottle of Barcelo Imperial Rum. A few beverage review sites I checked, state that the rums in the Imperial blend are up to 10 years old.  The Ministry of Rum, states that the rum is up to 6 years old. I have no way of knowing which statement is correct, although I note that the BTI web page for Ron Barcelo Imperial makes no age claim. I suspect the distillery is trying to make a consistent flavour profile for the product and their blending is more about taste than age.  This would mean the ages of the rums in the blend could change from time to time. 

In the Bottle 4/5

This, at first appearance, is an outstanding presentation. Barcelo Imperial is sold in an eye catching box display. Inside the box is a large flask style bottle which just oozes elegance and style. A solid dense cork topper completes the bottle design and gives the rum a great ‘wow’ factor.

But the first clue I had that this presentation was not as fine as I believed, came when I was given a small sample at a local liquor store; the cork topper actually broke into two pieces while the proprietor was uncorking the bottle. This could be excused as bad luck; then exactly the same thing occurred when I opened my bottle at home.

When the same flaw in design is noticed in two separate bottles, with those being the only two bottles I have examined, then I believe I start to see a trend of details overlooked. Even more disconcerting is the slight hiss I hear from the cork every time I try to seal the bottle. I was forced to dock one point from what I believed at first to be a perfect presentation. Here is a picture of the broken topper:

In the Glass 9/10

When I swirl the glass, flashes of amber are apparent in the dark reddish brown color of this spirit. This makes Barcelo Imperial an extremely attractive spirit. However, the rum smells rough and young in the glass, which belies the darker spirit I see. My suspicion is a coloring agent which gives the rum its beautiful appearance.

Rising from the glass, my nose was greeted with a heavy toffee and dark brown sugar scent. The aroma is not as sweet as one would expect, and I receive aromas of underlying old oak combined with newer fresh tannin and sap. This seems to indicate a profile of various ages in the blend, some quite young, which impart the fresh tannin and sap, and some older which impart the aged oakiness.

In the Mouth 48/60

In my first tasting of the Barcello Imperial I wrote, “I can taste burnt brown sugar, and spices (nutmeg, allspice and cinnamon). There is a distinct bourbon overtone and a kind of leathery tobacco deeper down. Something metallic, like copper tubing gives this a lurking bitterness which reminds me of the Ron Barcelo Anejo (which I have reviewed earlier). ” The only addition I make  to this taste profile, is a touch of  green apple at the back of the palate at the end of the taste experience.

When I went back to the Barcelo Imperial a few days after my initial first tasting, I was pleasantly surprised. Some of the features of the rum tasted much better the second time. Further visits to my bottle unfortunately were mixed. Reaching deep into my memory cells, I remembered that the Ron Barcelo Anejo I had reviewed early in the summer had that same feature. The rum has a lack of, what I call ‘robustness’. The flavour profile is affected a great deal by your previous palate, and by situations like mood and weather.

In the Throat 12.5/15

This reminds me so much of a bourbon finish, not in the flavour, but in the manner in which the rum tends to cling in the throat and to the back of the palate. The rum lingers and sticks in the mouth and throat long after the liquid is gone.

The Aftermath 8.0/10

My final impression is one of mild consternation. I have found this to be a complex and original rum whose flavour profile will appeal to many persons. However, a certain balance between the various flavours is missing. An underlying bitterness at times dominates the palate, and does not allow the other flavours to be appreciated fully. I sense an attempt by the blender to capture the best of two styles; a brash, youthful, exuberance; combined with a more elegant aged flavour profile. For my palate the target was slightly off center.

Suggested Cocktail

Because I have noted the character of this rum changes so easily, it is a real challenge to mix a suggested cocktail. Mixing with cola has been less than satisfactory, and the lurking bitterness does not seem to lend itself well to a daiquiri. In the end I decided to do what I call the Dominican Afternoon Delight. This cocktail is a kind of punch style of drink meant for sipping and relaxing on a hot summer day.

Dominican Afternoon Delight

1 1/2 oz Barcello Imperial

1 1/2 oz Pineapple Juice

½ Fresh Squeezed Lime

¾ oz Cointreau

Crushed ice (half glass)

¼ oz Sloe gin Float

Pineapple garnish

Place the first four ingredients in a glass tumbler which is half full of crushed ice.

Stir and then float the sloe gin on top.

Garnish with a piece of pineapple. Enjoy!

Note: This cocktail is ‘forrest approved’.  Visit his great site, a drink with forrest,  for more fantastic cocktail experiences.

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

For another perspective on the Ron Barcello Imperial, here is  another review:

Rumdood on Ron Barcello Imperial