Here it is, the iconic bottle from from Destilerias Unidas in Venezuela (see [ Ссылка ] for a fun write-up) that, alongside Zacapa 23 and Plantation XO, served as the flagship of premium rum circa ten or fifteen years ago. No age statement [n.b. the Diplomatico website states "up to twelve years"], no information about what distillates make up the blend, bottled at the legal minimum of 40% alcohol by volume, and with a disturbingly high degree of additives - the website's tiny nutritional information tab (see [ Ссылка ]) states that this has 0.5 grams of sugar per 30ml, which if you do the math is at least 16 grams per liter (hydrometer tests, recorded at [ Ссылка ], suggest additives at over twice that). And it's an absolute sales powerhouse, and still the most-reviewed rum on RumRatings with an impressive 7.9/10 average score as I write this. And, well, today I'm reviewing it, with guest stars that include the Compagnie des Indes "Navy Strength" ([ Ссылка ]) and my ancient bottle of Grand Marnier. Stats:

- Diplomatico Reserva Exclusiva Ron Antiguo (Venezuela; molasses and cane sugar honey; bottled circa 2019; 40% ABV), 69/100

Yeah, sorry, dislike button is right there.

Really though, I just can't see the appeal. If this is meant to be a "sipping rum" - to be judged by the same norms as we might judge, say, Cruzan Single Barrel, Appleton 12, Grander 12, that kind of thing - then it's way too sweet, the presentation is crippling it, and even beyond that it doesn't have enough going on. If it's to be judged more as a liqueur, then it's not sweet enough and, again, it doesn't have enough going on. I could perhaps forgive it if not for the $40 price point, which can otherwise get the buyer something that's actually 12 years old (Real McCoy comes to mind); heck, $15 less gets you a bottle of Hamilton Demerara 86 plus an ounce and a half of simple syrup to throw into it. So far as I can tell, one is paying purely for the nice feels of having bought something "premium" and "smooth," i.e. one is paying for flattery in a bottle. And even that might be okay, were it not sitting on the shelves next to other products trying to do everything right, and were it not held up as a standard of "good rum."

свернуть