I have once again gone on vacation, and as it was my turn to pick where we go this time, I picked outer space. You would think that space would have the best rum, since it’s incomprehensibly larger than our planet, but nope, all they have is Ron Abuelo. Every time I leave the US, I am confronted with the fact that, no, it doesn’t get better. We have the best rum selection already.

To best compare this 7 year old column still rum, I figured it makes almost too much sense to compare it to Angostura 7 and Havana Club 7.

Review

Smell

As expected from a spanish-style rum, it’s pretty much all barrel. Oak, vanilla, maybe a bit of caramel and a slight citrusy note. Havana Club 7 is much deeper and richer in the caramel and oak aromas, while Ron Abuelo 7 is definitely slightly fruity. It kind of reminds me of Havana Club 3 in that regard. Angostura 7 smells the most different, where it’s just oaky and vanilla smelling but otherwise quite plain.

Taste

I wasn’t expecting to like this rum as much as I do. It’s quite sweet actually. Did they sweeten it? It has nice caramel and toffee notes. It’s slightly bitter, and burns more than I would expect from a 7 year old 40%, but overall not unpleasant to drink neat. Like with the aroma, on the palate, it also has a slight fruity note which reminds me more of Havana Club 3 than any of these 7 year aged rums. I would say that, compared to Angostura, it’s not even a comparison as Angostura is very boring, but compared to Havana Club 7, Abuelo 7 is not interesting enough.

In a daiquiri, I don’t really feel like I can make a call on this, because both Ron Abuelo 7 and Havana Club 7 lose their nuance and complexity, and just become daiquiris made from aged column still rum.

Verdict 6/10

(Edited from 6.5/10 on 1/4/26)

I am never a big fan of column still rums, because it just isn’t as interesting to drink. It’s like rum pretending to be aged vodka. But regardless, Ron Abuelo has something going for it, and I don’t remember how I rated Havana Club 7, but I suspect that I underrated it, because I couldn’t appreciate the deep complexity and just preferred sweet and fruity flavors. But on that subject, Ron Abuelo 7 is not bad. Definitely needs to be above Angostura 7 and below Havana Club 7. Overall though, I’d give it a 6.5

January 4, 2026 Update:

This rum has honestly stood the test of time in terms of Spanish style rums. As much as I dislike Central American rums as a category, Ron Abuelo stands out as one that sucks a bit less than the rest. It has some body, it has some flavor, it’s relatively smooth… I can genuinely recommend this as a starter rum.