I’d be remiss to tell you that I have some long fact sheet of information regarding Santa Teresa Gran Reserva Anejo Rum. In fact, if I were to attempt to explain how this rum came to find a place in my home, it’s almost certainly the result of misreading Martin Cate’s recommendation of Santa Teresa 1796 in his amazing book, Smuggler’s Cove*. At the time I was new to making Tiki drinks, and my wife and I were grabbing every brand of rum we could find that was listed in his book and not available in Ohio. So even though we made a bit of an error in picking up this particular bottle, is the rum still worth our time?
Santa Teresa Gran Reserva Anejo Rum
- Country of Origin: Venezuela (D.O.C.)
- Age: No Age Statement (purportedly 5 years)
- Proof: 80 (40% A.B.V.)
Sight: Chestnut Olosoro Sherry
Smell: A moderate amount of dry oak and sweet tropical fruit wafts up. There’s a buttery note here, with a bit of spice and some ethanol heat. Slight vanilla and caramel with a bit of esters accentuates a somewhat underwhelming nose.
Sip: The flavor is moderately fruity with some elements of sweet caramel and undertone of oak and vanilla. The spice and fruitiness lean toward coconut, and the rich buttery pastry flavor elements sometimes don’t get quite translate on the thin mouthfeel. There’s a bit of maybe pineapple, but things are fairly muddled and light here.
Savor: The ending pulls in some caramelized pineapple and oak spice. The rum like funk notes are super vague, and nothing is particularly distinguished. There’s even a bit of tannin that gives a hint of char.
Santa Teresa Gran Reserva Anejo Rum is not particularly deep or refined. The flavors are pleasant if not particularly robust. If you’re planning on drinking it straight, than this isn’t going to really inspire you or excite your palate.
In Cocktails
In a Daiquiri, the lime really steals top billing, showing off the brightness while the sweetness and caramel comes toward the middle and later part of the sip. The rum itself isn’t necessarily the star, but it also isn’t really enhancing itself or the drink. In simplistic terms, this rum doesn’t result in a balanced drink, but isn’t ruining it either.
In Review – Santa Teresa Gran Reserva Anejo Rum
Santa Teresa Gran Reserva Anejo Rum is rather uninspired as a sipper, and makes a bland and unbalanced cocktail. Now if this sounds like a bad rum, it isn’t. It just isn’t a rum that’s worth remembering, hunting out, or recommending. It’s passible in the best possible, “that’s rum”, kind of way. This is different than something like Bacardi Gold (this is bad) where you notice it and you don’t want to drink it. Cost also plays a factor here, with bottles going in the mid-$20 range. That said, if you want an aged rum, Doorly’s X.O., El Dorado 8, or Appleton Reserve all offer significantly better value.
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