Per the label: "Ocumare Special Aged Rum. A magical combination of the most natural ingredients and pure water...from the tropics". Oddly enough I still retain a number of rums that we never got around to. In most cases I'd had a few drams, but simply wasn't impressed enough to even review them. This was one.
Moi:
Ocumare comes in what would have been a rather standard, cheaper seamed bottle, but with the plastic insert cap designed to prevent refilling (like anyone would want to). The marketing monkeys ordered the bottle modified with the "Ocumare" name molded in, but the real highlight was a molded in round donut shaped depression featuring a black "O", with a silver chamelion/lizard to reflect the bottler (Amazona). The juice is medium amber, clear as a bell.
My recollection is that this rum was on sale for about $15, and is alleged to be about three years of age, far too young to deserve BTI's report of "silky entry, full-bodied, rich dark tones" (a Best Buy ). It's amazing what 9 grams of sugar can accomplish. As illustiration of this, allow me to share their review:
Bullshite.BTI:
" Buttered caramel, marinated olive, and leather aromas. A silky entry leads to a round dryish medium-to full-bodied palate with ripe tropical fruits, dark raisins, cocoa, fried plantains, and peppery brown spice. Finishes with a long fruity fade of caramel and smoked nuts. A remarkably rich and flavorful dark rum."
My experience was completely different. Let me put it this way. When you can actually nose a thick, dark sweetness in a rum, something is very, very wrong. And that would be sugar. As per Che, one gram is noticeable, 5 grams has a significant effect, and by the big O's nine grams it's all downhill. The rum is a clear amber, thick and very slow pearl necklace legs, and swirls full - actually heavy in the glass. Sound unnatural? Let's continue.
The palate opens with the same heavy, sweet leather, which continues through the mid-palate, and culminating in a very late mild astringent - yes, leather - and finishing with a long, hot, sweet and sticky white pepper, lick lipping finish and aftertaste. Have ice water at the ready please. The rum is very young, very ordinary and very stage managed with a real dose of smoothing, smothering sugar.
It was at this moment that the proverbial light bulb went on: "This reminds me of Santa Teresa's 1796 (7 grams)". So of course I poured a quick comparative splash of the 1796, and surprise! It WAS similar and then I had the next enlightening reaction: maple syrup. Yup, that was it! Now I've seen others bring up the notion of "cola", but honestly "maple syrup" or maybe "maple syrup and cola" would do just as well. Deep, dark, thick rich and entirely phony.
Just saying. If there's a Spanish/Venezuelan style - per JaRiMi - this is the poster sugarboy.
Score (10 is best): unrateable due to sugar.
*******
http://www.luxuryspirits.es/en/rum/amaz ... ecial.htmlHoly shite - and an addenda: well after writing the review by the hand of the Godz of Purity I saw "it". And that was? An English retail site ("Luxury Spirits") had the Ocumare on sale for $22 pounds, and in the description was included "Amazon Ocumare rum from Venezuela, is an ancient mixture of dark rum produced in Venezuela Ocumare Treasury. Finance Matured in oak barrels for three Anos enriched with guarana."
Enriched with "guarana"? WTF is THAT? I wondered, so did a quickie search and found this listing "Guarana, Paullinia cupana, syn. P. crysan, P. sorbilis is a climbing plant in the maple family, Sapindaceae, native to the Amazon basin". My god, do I have a palate or was that just idiotic luck? You decide.
http://www.tastings.com/scout_spirits.lasso?id=171932
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guarana
