Time to finish up Barceló. Going to have one more post after this, and then that will be basically their entire core lineup. Not sure if I want to go for all the different finishes for Imperial.

Review

Smell

Surprisingly, still has some nice vanilla and oak smell, along with the prevailiang alcohol smell. Side by site with Bacardi gold, it smells about the same.

Taste

I was surprised after trying Blanco by how much less Dorado sucks. It has more oak and vanilla flavor, has a fuller body, and actually tastes like rum. It might be close to Brugal Añejo in flavor. Bacardi gold burns about the same, and the flavors are different, where Bacardi gold is more of that classic vanilla coconut rum flavor, while Barceló Dorado is noticably more dominican, and it’s in the same flavor vein as Brugal and Bermudez. In a daiquiri, the trend continues. Makes a decent daiquiri, not much better than Bacardi gold, but the rums are just very different terroirs. Barceló Dorado just has more of an oaky floral note to it. Side by side with a Brugal Añejo daiquiri, the Brugal is noticably better, but the taste is very similar. The Barceló is just more watered down.

Verdict 4.75/10

Barceló Blanco was a real disappointment. Flavorless and sweet. Barceló Dorado came out a bit ahead. Not by much, we’re still talking about mixers here, and just as Brugal Añejo falls short of Havana Club 3 for mixed drinks, so too does Barceló Dorado fall short of Brugal Añejo. It’s a judgement call in terms of whether it’s better than Bacardi gold.