Rum Review: Brugal Extra Viejo Gran Reserve Rum

The fifth and last major standard style, the lighter Cuban rums pioneered by Bacardi, who left their facilities and quality, but not their politics, behind when Fidel lit up. Por Cuba Libre!
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How do you rate Brugal Extra Viejo Rum (five is best)?

5
0
No votes
4
0
No votes
3
1
33%
2
2
67%
1
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No votes
 
Total votes: 3

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Capn Jimbo
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Rum Review: Brugal Extra Viejo Gran Reserve Rum

Post by Capn Jimbo »

Brugal Extra Viejo Gran Reserve Rum

A great many Cubans expatriates reside in the Dominican Republic. These include cigarmakers and distillers of rum. Accordingly Brugal Extra Viejo Rum ended up in this category for reasons that will become apparent.

The Rum Project and Rum Project Forum came to pass back when Sue Sea and I were new to rum; I was repeatedly confronted with descriptors such as "a classic rum". The question that naturally came to mind was "...compared to what?".

This question was never really answered.

Fortunately I bought the wonderful book "Rum" by Dave Broom. There are few more experienced tasters/authors than Dave. He identified four basic styles (not origins) of rum. As an avid student of history and lover of tradition I felt obligated to add a fifth: Barbadian rum. Not necessary a style, but then again just perhaps - smooth, sophisticated and complex. Think Mount Gay Extra Old.

Recently Sue Sea and I came upon a unique aroma and taste when we tasted Brugal Extra Viejo Rum, and realized that this unusual tone was familiar. That aroma/taste:

Musty cork.

We then realized that we'd experienced this before in a couple of other Dominican rums. It was so memorable and different that we toyed with the notion of naming yet another style: Dominican. A notion that persists and currently remains under advisement. But as always, I digress. The reviews:

Sue Sea:
Brugal Extra Viejo Rum comes in a tall, slim bottle wrapped in faux woven netting with a striking classic label featuring a string of world's fair gold awards from the early 1900's . Jim was quick to point out that wrapping in straw or raffia was originally done to protect fragile bottle, jugs and other containers from the rigors of shipping and handling. Today, like almost everything else about rum, such features are simply marketing.

On nosing the Brugal Extra Viejo Rum displayed a light, caney aroma over a background of a bit of oak, molasses and a corky must. The early palate was of bitter orange followed by the expected growing white pepper heat. Latecomers included a light ginger, while the hot, hot white pepper expanded for a very dry, almost pruney, strong musty cork which lingered in the aftertaste.

As a result the Brugal Extra Viejo Rum seems weathered, with an in-the-cellar taste. I really didn't like it. Why? Not only is the musty cork not typical of rums, it's late development is in striking contrast to its initial presentation and destroys any sempblance of balance or consistency.

It is rare for me to truly dislike a rum, but Brugal Extra Viejo Rum makes my short list of rums to avoid.
Me:

Brugal Extra Viejo Rum can be hard to find. It presented as a deep amber with a nice green edge, which I hoped confirmed the "extra viejo (aged)" contents. Legs were of the lingering string of pearls type. Hmm. I found the aroma quite pleasant with a nice high sweet over a musty deep orange leather, and a low/deep alcohol prickle. So far, so good. What musty cork present was so subdued as to support a striking classic opening.

Even the early palate confirmed this and was completely consistent. From the mid-palate on it was all downhill. Hot white pepper and the corky mustiness came to the fore, grew and took over to dominate the late palate. The finish was atringent, very hot and very musty, period. Brugal Extra Viejo Rum left an unpleasantly lingering mustiness.

Now I have no doubt that this rum might be an acquired taste, but I rather doubt it. Just like a good single malt whisky, truly pure and unaltered rum has its own characteristic aromas and tastes. But musty cork is not one of them.

Still we have noticed this characteristic in a number of Dominican rums, so perhaps an open mind may be in order. Perhaps.

Sue Sea hit it on the screw-on cap when she found the juxtaposition of lighter sweet opening and hot musty finish to be so different as to be jarring and surprising. This flies in the face of what most expect from a fine aged rum, namely balance, consistency, growing complexity and enticing memorability.

Too bad. Although I am not as ready as Sue Sea to reject this rum, I do concur with the rating for other reasons.

Rating (10 is best): 5.


*******

Note: As an aside the straw or raffia wrapping of squat chianti bottle was referred to as a "fiasco". The name might just apply to this rum.
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