Continuing on with the Dominican Republic. Let’s talk about Brugal XV. The name might make you think it stands for “Xtra Viejo”, but so far, the two have coexisted without XV being an outright replacement for Extra Viejo.

Review

Smell

Vanilla, oak, sweet, but with a strong alcohol smell.

Taste

The taste is predominantly alcohol burn. There’s some vanilla, oak, and caramel taste, with a similar flavor profile to the other Brugals, but you can really taste that this one could use some more time in the barrel. There’s also a slightly sour taste, I am guessing that’s some sort of wine influence. I would say that it’s about as flavorful as Bacardi gold, but it does burn less than Bacardi gold, though I would say that both of them belong to the mixer category. I do not enjoy sipping XV. In fact, I think that, side by side with Brugal Añejo, the flavor and burn level is pretty similar. Of course, this rum has no real body or complexity. We have entered the territory of gold mixer rums.

It makes a pretty mediocre daiquiri. Barceló Imperial beats it, and actually, even Añejo beats it. I tried it in a rum fashioned, and Barceló Imperial, Brugal Doble Reserva, and Havana Club 7 easily beat it.

Verdict 4.75/10

I don’t understand this rum’s existence. It is the price of Extra Viejo and Doble Reserva, but significantly worse as a sipper, and it’s more expensive and not as good as a mixer compared to Brugal Añejo. What’s a positive? I like it better than Bacardi gold. It is less harsh sipping it compared to Bacardi, but, again, I wouldn’t recommend sipping either. If you are in the Dominican Republic and want the best mixer, get Havana Club 3. If it must be Brugal, then get Añejo. If you want the best sipper and your budget is only around 800 pesos, get Extra Viejo.