Santa Teresa 1796 Ron Antiguo de Solera Rum (700ml)

A new Venezuelan Beauty that's easily in the leading pack as one of the top rum values on our shelves.
Created to commemorate the distillery's 200th anniversary, this rum is matured in a French Limousin oak solera system for 8-12 years (a method borrowed from the Spanish sherry producers) and is the first premium anejo rum in the world to be aged using such a technique. With some portions reportedly in barrel for more than fifteen years, Santa Teresa delivers all the substance and style of Diplomatico's Reserva Exclusiva, only the profile is less sweet, the result is more elegant - even 'Cognac-esque'.

Tasting notes: Deep copper. Sensuous bouquet offers a superb amalgam of vanilla, hazelnut chocolate, creme caramel and cream sponge cake. Fine tuned with perfect sweet-dry balance including flavours of bounty bar, mocha, caramel fudge finishing with a lingering white pepper, dried banana, buckwheat pancake and cocoa aftertaste. First class. 40% Alc./Vol.

Other reviews... The first couple of whiffs pick up toasty notes of caramel, almond butter, cotton candy and very old oak; with aeration, more profound aromas develop including saddle leather, vanilla, Sherry and dark caramel. Palate entry is perfectly balanced and sweet; by midpalate the flavor profile is honeyed, slightly cocoa-like, buttery to the feel and utterly decadent. Finishes long, layered, creamy and dark chocolate bittersweet.
98 points - www.wineenthusiast.com

Deep amber color with an olive cast. Elegant aromas and flavors of toasted nuts, coffee gelato, dried tropical fruits and pepper with a satiny, medium-to-full body and lots of toffee, vanilla bean, and sweet tobacco notes of the long finish. A delicious, smooth, and artfully balanced aged rum for sipping, cigars, or world-class cocktails.
International Review of Spirits Award: Gold Medal
RATING: 94 points (Exceptional) - www.tastings.com