Overview
Brand: Ron del Barrilito
Origin: Hacienda Santa Ana, Bayamón, Puerto Rico, USA
Still: Column
Age: NAS
Finish: ex-Sherry
ABV: 43%
When most people think about Puerto Rican rum, they may consider Bacardi to be the elder brand on the island, given its ubiquity. However, Ron del Barrilito in fact is the oldest Puerto Rican rum brand in current production.
Centered around Hacienda Santa Ana, Ron del Barrilito was commercialized as a brand in 1880 by Pedro Fernando Fernández, grandson of the estate's original owner, Fernando. From this point until Prohibition, rum was made at the estate via pot still, and afterwards the estate sourced rum from other distilleries (making them a non-distilling producer, or NDP), which continues to this day.
But Ron del Barrilito is not just an aging and bottling operation; they have a distinct profile they blend to, based on the Fernandez family's recipe. To do this, they have two unique production processes: first, a small percentage (~2%) of their sourced rum is macerated on-site with a secret blend of dried fruits and spices, and second, their aging in ex-Sherry casks.
Ron del Barrilito 3 Stars is a molasses-based, column still rum, that is matured, blended, and bottled at Hacienda Santa Ana in Bayamón, Puerto Rico; the distillery that provides the sourced rum is not disclosed. For this expression, rums aged in ex-Oloroso sherry casks between 6 years and 10 years are blended together and bottled at 43% ABV.
Appearance
Amber, medium viscosity
Nose
Banana split, black cherry, vanilla, wet worn leather, rotting red grapes, strawberries, caramel
Palate
Vanilla, strawberries in cream, fresh red grapes, caramel, orange zest, toffee
Finish
Medium-short, tannic, subtle; oak, Fig Newton, red grapes, old leather, hint of pine needle
Rating: 7/10
Summary
3 Stars is a remarkable rum the eschews the "light, neutral spirit" that much modern Puerto Rican rum gets branded with. The flavor profile– thanks to that sherry cask aging and fruit maceration– brings substantial complexity that enriches the base spirit.
Straight from the nosing, you can tell this isn't your run-of-the-mill Latin American rum with aromas of decadent banana split, rotting grapes, strawberries, and black cherry. 3 Stars' palate yields vanilla, strawberries in cream, and grapes up front, with toffee and caramel rounding it out towards a tannic, subtle, but flavorful finish of oak, Fig Newton, and a old leather.
My one drawback– if you can call it that– is that this is a pretty rich profile. While delicious as a sipper, I feel like this can either get lost in a cocktail, or be a little too competitive with other ingredients. Regardless, this expression makes me want to eventually splash the cash and try the higher starred bottles from Ron del Barrilito.