Rum: Rum Mocambo 20 Yr. Art Edition

[Davidaston]

Hi,

I just came back from Cancun and everybody there seems to be drinking this new Rum Mocambo 20 year Art Edition. I tried it and liked it very much and now I am thinking to buy some cases for the holidays as presents. But before I do so I would like your opinion on it. This is a review I have found on the Internet:

"This 20 year old art edition single barrel takes the flavor profile to another level. The initial taste is warm, rich molasses, very smooth, sweet but not overbearing. The finish is at first quick, then a warmth returns to remain on the palette at length. Very unique. I could easily learn to love this rum, sitting in the cool shade of the veranda after a long hot day." Robert A. Burr. Gifted Rums Guide Mocambo - Rum Lovers @ the Ministry of Rum , and www.rummocamboartedition.com

Has anyone tried this new rum, have you seen more reviews ? Your opinions would help me greatly.

Thanks,
David Aston

[Capn Jimbo]

"Mocambo": Free African settlement, Hollywood Nightclub and now...

Rum!?

"Mocambo" was actually a very well known Hollywood hangout in the 1940's, attended by the motion picture elite. It featured a Latin American theme, live parrots and big band music. Frank Sinatra debuted his solo act there. Bottom line: a totally made up theme club sadly based on the real Mocambos - freed Africans in Brazil.

Great name for a condescendingly faux rum.

With all due respect to Robert and his commercial ventures, this rum has not really garnered all that much attention. His own reviews are generally positive. Even so his general comments re the entire line - "These three (Mocambo rums) have some common traits... a good amount of oak barrel flavor, a mildly sweet start and a slightly rough, warm finish. Each is a numbered bottle." - are not impressive. The other MOR reviews that appeared were not particularly favorable, offering only faint praise. These rums are alien to the net and have earned no real following.

The presentation smacks of marketing.

Refer to Vizcaya Cask 23, Tommy Bahama, 10 Cane. The labeling implies the rum is 20 years old from a single barrel. We all know how misleading age statements are, and any rum that truly spends 20 years in a single barrel is bound to be way over-oaked.

The best "Mocambo" has done are just two rather modest (silver) awards, at the recent secretive and commercial Ministry of Rum 'competition", and at the better organized Polished Palate events.

The MOR awards don't mean much, as the competitors are not listed, and the entrants were very limited in several categories. It doesn't mean much to win a gold in a category with one competitor. This "competition" is more a sop to the distillers, and is really more a glorified rum tasting with a mish mosh of "judges" (at least one of whom professed his inexperience).

The Polished Palate event is much more serious, but until this rum earns a string of awards, a lone silver doesn't mean much, particularly considering the ultra premium price of what appears to be a poorly presented product of a second rate marketing department.

The "Mocambo" website is amateurish, marketing oriented and completely sans any useful information. No history, no methods, no descriptions. Looks like it was created as a freshman web design project by the marketing manager's daughter. It is noteworthy that the crude "awards" page actually features two awards for packaging - along with Cheeto's Spider Man 3!

Ridiculous. This is not a serious company.

Certainly if you like it - and are willing to pay its unjustified and inflated price - then why not. Whether the contents are deserving or not (and they are likely not), at least the bottle is of gift quality. I think you could do much, much better.

*************

Note: David, I'd be curious to hear your remembered tasting impressions of this rum. If you list your price range I'm sure we all have some better suggestions for you...

Later Special Note: Mr. Aston now appears to be a marketing ringer who has made the same exact post, or similar all over the net, including the Miami Herald, Chowhound, et al (Chowhound even deleted his post). Additionally, his failure to list any interests on his profile, or answer my personal emails work to confirm my impression.

His email address turned out to be fraudulent.

[Capn Jimbo]

And you thought General Motors was out of business...

Despite the crude webpage of the "Mocambo" website linked above (you really have to see it), I was able to find the actual distiller of "Rum Mocambo", and...

Tequila,
Mezcal,
Vodka,
Liqueurs,
Anis,
Vermouth,
Aguardiente,
Agave,
Wine,
Miniatures, and, oh yeah...

Rum.

Let Licores Veracruz factory speak for themselves:

Licores Veracruz, S.A. de C.V. is one of the few companies in Mexico that offer such a great variety of alcoholic drinks.

This diversity is exactly what I look for in a distiller of fine aged rum. Let's not kid ourselves. This appears to be lower shelf manufacturer of almost anything that can be sold in a bottle.

Here's the entirety of what they say about their rum in their own English version...

Rum & Habanero

Several centuries of development in the New World, together with the flourishing of the sciences and arts, contributed to the perfection and smoothness, which has turned rum into a prestigious beverage of broad aceptance.

The tropical hot climate, the humidity of the Caribbean and the Gulf of Mexico, were one determinant element of its production. The region of Cordoba is recognized as the cradle of high quality rum and it is in this zone where Ron Mocambo is born, the product of a long and careful process of which arises a pure and fine beverage.

Honest guys and gals (sorry, Sarah), they have so many products they can't even name them all.

Ay, carumba!

[thomson2008]

I saw Mocambo last night for the first time. I have only had a few Mexican rums, but this one is new to me. At $15 a bottle and six years old, this seems like a great deal if it's decent. Anyone had it or know anything about it?

[Quine]

So all of these reviews and comments are 7 years past. This is the second of three rums that got me started on rums. Prices are much higher now but I went through a half dozen bottles of this before I stumbled on S.T. 1796 which I liked better though more expensive. Still this is IMHO not a bad rum and the only Mexican rum I know. It is a little less sweet than the 1796, has enough complexity to hold my interest and the best part is that no one I've shared it with has ever heard of it before. It is rather oakey but with enough sweetness to compensate for the bitterness of the wood.

[The Black Tot]

I bought a bunch of the 20yrs in my earlier days, impressed by the packaging and the 20yr age statement...

They still look pretty in my storage space.

I'll drink them someday.

They're not awful. They're just not special either. They just kinda are.

I hereby damn them with faint praise.