Despite trying the Ron Abuelo 7 Yr earlier, it was only because I saw it in a small bottle. Most of the time, when I see a Ron Abuelo, it’s the Añejo. This must be the one most people buy. Anyway, same place that had that crappy Ron Viejo de Caldas, had this one as well. I think it’s a bad sign, but at least this one is in an actual bottle.

Review

Smell

Smells light, with notes of oak, vanilla, and fruit. It’s less oak-forward than Ron Abuelo 7 and less fruit-forward than Havana Club 3, but it’s similar to both.

Taste

First off, it’s pretty harsh. Not Bacardi harsh, but also, not a smooth sipper, pretty much the same as Ron Abuelo 7. It’s pretty light in flavor as well. A bit of oak, but not as much as Ron Abuelo 7, and also a bit of fruit flavor on the back but also a slight bitterness, but all of that is overshadowed by this rum being quite harsh and very sweet. I even think that 7 year is a bit fruitier than this rum. The fruit flavor in Anejo is very light.

Ron Abuelo Añejo makes a perfectly servicable daiquiri. It’s light, and a step up from Bacardi. Ron Abuelo 7, meanwhile… I don’t like my daiquiris oaky, and Ron Abuelo 7 definitely is more oaky, but also, I still like it more, just because of the added fruity complexity and depth. I also should have gone easy on the syrup, because these rums are already annoyingly sweet, and so, they made my daiquiris annoyingly sweet.

Verdict 5/10

(Edited from 6/10 on 1/20/26)

The amount of sugar added appears to be at least as much as Ron Abuelo 7, but the 7 year is a lot more balanced in sweetness and interesting in flavor, and therefore nicer to drink neat, though about equal in harshness, in my opinion. This rum is quite sweet, and even despite the sweetness, it’s not smooth, and the actual flavor of the rum is relatively bland. Still, it’s not bad by any means. It’s just alright. It’s also super cheap, so it makes a great rum to just bring to a house party if you’re an American in your 20s like me. If you’re not an American, just buy Havana Club 3. It’s slightly better in every way. 6/10.

To put things in perspective, Ron Abuelo Añejo is not as interesting and fruity as Ron Abuelo 7, which is still not as interesting and fruity as Havana Club 3, which is my favorite Spanish-style light rum for daiquiris, and even that can’t match Planteray 3 Stars, Copalli white, or San Zanj for fruity flavors. So I probably won’t be buying Ron Abuelo again.

January 20, 2026 Update:

Not much more to add, I am just amending the score down to a 5 to reflect my new scoring system.