Cihuatan Xaman XO is a molasses rum from El Salvador, which once again recounts one of the legends of Mayan culture. Indeed, the distillery takes its name from the valley where it is located: the Cihuatan Valley. In Mayan, this means "the land next to the sleeping woman", in reference to a nearby mountain in the shape of a woman. This cuvée also bears the name of Xaman, god of the North Star and protector of the valley. It is this star, and therefore this god, that the sleeping woman looks to as she lies in bed.
This rum was first aged for 15 years in American ex-bourbon oak barrels. It was then finished for a further year in a rare species of wood, Ceiba Maya (a local variety of cheese tree).
Nico's tasting notes
The nose is like a little orangette, with candied citrus peel coated in milk chocolate. A thin strip of toffee-encrusted oak has crept in between the cocoa and the fruit, bringing structure to our very fragrant orange.
Aeration removes some of the citrus freshness, insisting on caramel, molasses and the brown register of roasting. There's also more oak, with its softly spicy notes.
The palate is rather round but not very sweet, despite the melted cane sugar flavors that first appear on the palate. Orange peel stands alongside vanilla, and both seem caught in a soft wood glazed with caramel. A very slight hint of roastiness fetches a few hints of nuts and molasses, but this palate always remains in a rather light spirit.
The finish is soft, sweeter than the attack. Orange and vanilla reinforce each other in a slightly acidic syrup.
"A rum that takes us to the confectionery side, with candied orange and sweet spice..."
Pierrick Bouillennec
Excellent rum from El Salvador