Roble Viejo Extra Anejo is a molasses rum from Venezuela. Distilled to 96% alcohol in a multi-column complex, it is one of the so-called "light" rums. It is the years spent in oak barrels ("Roble") that give it all its aromas.
Bourbon-flavored American white oak barrels are used, for durations ranging from 8 to 12 years.
Nico's tasting notes
The nose is immediately fresh, with a gourmet profile that is not overpowered by caramel or vanilla. The few roasted aromas are measured, delicately coated and gently spicy.
Aeration brings sharper notes, tight coffee, strongly toasted wood and forgotten nuts in the pan. Dark molasses oozes from the sides of the barrel, sowing its own toasty licorice notes.
The palate is soft, and immediately seized by roasting in all its forms. After a slightly spicy flight tickled by alcohol, the rum applies its toasty flavors on the tongue. Coffee and charred oak take hold of the palate with a certain astringency, but begin to melt halfway through.
The finish sees the return of roundness, and the alcohol continues to tickle the taste buds like a good handful of spices.
"A rum that relies on roasting to dress up its light, bubbly side..."
