Time to finish up Barceló. Sorry for skipping the last post. I was in Atlanta this past weekend and was very busy.

Review

Smell

It’s much lighter smelling than Barceló Imperial. It’s less woody, and also has less red wine character than Brugal XV, which shares a similar position and price point. The primary scent is alcohol with a bit of vanilla.

Taste

Trying it neat, it’s light and not bad. It’s not too sweet, and there is a slight woodiness to it, and shares a similar profile to Bermudez and Brugal rums that is hard to describe, but I pretty much feel like I can recognize the Dominican terroir when I taste it. However, it’s not as bold as Imperial, and in fact I would say that Gran Añejo tastes pretty much like a blander, harsher Imperial.

In a daiquiri, I put it head to head with Brugal Añejo, Barceló Dorado, and Bacardi Gold. I would say that the harshness on all three is about equal, and totally managable in a daiquiri, but the Gran Añejo daiquiri just didn’t have the flavor to back it up. Barceló Dorado and Bacardi Gold were better, and Brugal Añejo was my favorite. Of course, if you’re in the Dominican Republic, the best daiquiri rum you can buy at the airport is Havana Club 3.

Verdict 4.75/10

This rum faces the same crisis as Brugal XV. It’s not that great as a sipper, and for just a few bucks more, you can get the next tier of rum which is far better for sipping. But for mixing, it’s actually worse than its cheaper counterpart. It exists pretty much to fill the middle price point, and I don’t see myself ever preferring this rum over the alternatives.