Some months ago I blogged about a rum bottle share that more or less lacked in interestingness. There were various levels of quality and age to those rums, but the similarity between all of them was that I wouldn’t spend my money on them again.

On the back of that bottle share I ordered a bottle of this Dictador, to see a different level of rum at a decent price. The strange thing is that this stuff went for ‘only’ 150 euros a pop, while a rum from an independent bottler at half the age goes for the same. I’m not sure why the discrepancy is so huge.

Anyway, it’s the oldest rum I ever had, and this made me a bit worried at the same time as enthusiastic. I tried some rums at 25 and 30 years old some years ago and those weren’t for me. Maybe that was the age? Or maybe something else. Let’s find out!

Sniff:
There’s a very sweet, liqueur like scent to it. Thick and sugary with a whiff of alcohol too. Mocha and milky coffee, with hints of chocolate and oak. Some roasted almonds. There’s a lot going on, and it’s not shy either. Very late on the nose I get some caramel notes.

Sip:
The palate is sweet with sugary syrup. ‘Real rum’ with the cane sugar hints. Mocha again, with milk chocolate and raisins. It gets a bit dryer and less sugary. There’s a slight spicy hint which, combined with the taste of chocolate (and this being from South America) makes me think of mole.

Swallow:
The mole flavors continue on the finish, with the mocha being a little more in the background. Sugar and caramel. It’s quite dry and ridiculously long.

Well, this is something else. I don’t think I’ve ever had anything that is similar to this beauty. All the flavors are awesome and there’s a lot to discover here, a lot of different nuances and hints. Luckily I really like mocha and mole!

I can’t believe this kind of booze is available at 40 years old with a price tag of ‘only’ 150 euros. I bottle shared this one too, but I might have been better of keeping it all to myself. Especially now it’s been quite a while since I actually tasted it, I want another glass and there’s none left. Bummer!

Editor’s note: there seem to be some left in my home town.

91/100

Dictador Best of 1976, 40 years old, cask SHC 394, 46.4%. Available for some 150 to 160 euros.