One of the things I like to do at the liquor store is just walk down the rum aisle and grab something I’ve never tried or even heard of before. I do that with beer, too. I know my tastes and what I like, so I use that to guide me in my rum (or beer) discovery. But it rarely leads me astray. And it expands my pallate. Ron Marqués del Valle certainly expanded my pallette. Whether or not that’s a good thing remains to be seen.
WHAT IS THE RUM
Ron Marqués del Valle rum/rhum is an 80-proof, gold Colombian rum aged eight years in oak barrels. It’s label says it comes from refined sugar cane and distilled water from the Andes mountains. It’s certainly got fine presentation, and it’s a very robust, and distinct taste. But I’m wary of the label’s assertion that it’s Colombia’s finest rum.
HOW DOES IT TASTE
It’s nowhere near as smooth as it claims to be. It’s a very strong, very pungent rum. I don’t mean strong as in it’ll get you drunker faster, but it’s very distinct. It’s a smokier rum than I’ve reviewed thus far, and that’s the dominant flavour. The next rum I’ll be taking a look at is definitely a smokey rum, but it works better than this one.
BEST WAY TO DRINK IT
The first time I drank it was over ice. That’s how I generally enjoy rum. This is not a rum for that. I personally don’t think it works straight up over ice. The cold water only heightens that smokey-ness, and it tastes a bit off. It just doesn’t work
However, the more I drink it neat, the more I appreciate it. That isn’t to say I like it. That isn’t to say I’d add it to my regular rotation like last week’s Real McCoy. But I certainly see the appeal of it better when the rum is by itself. It’s a real solo act. I’m sitting here sipping it, and can see myself relaxing on the back patio with a glass in hand, and the firepit going. It’s not a bad fall rum.
In a simple, liquor forward cocktail, where the spirit is the star of the show, and it has a few supporting flavours, I can see this working. Think of a rum Old Fashioned, a One Last Midnight, maybe even Jungle Bird, but I don’t know how well it will play with the Campari in that. That citrus flavour to support it would do wonders, but it would be wasted in anything flashy and complicated.
DO I RECOMMEND
If you’re looking to substitute rum in for bourbon or whiskey on a cocktail, this might be the rum for you. Again, I see it’s appeal as a rum, but I don’t know if I could ever work it in to my stable of go-tos. It’s definitely worth it to try at least once. If you want to step out of your comfort zone with rums, or are just looking to try something new, give it a go. But this one’s not a stand out for me. There are better, smokier rums out there for you to try.
As a sidenote, I completely nozzed up taking the cap off, and it broke. The wood cap came off the plastic. It was a clean break, and nothing shattered. I was still able to pour it fine. So… thing I said about the nice presentation in the bottle, know that it broke easy whilst trying to remove it.
Around the Determann's Firepit 