La Marielita 18-Year

Sweet and peppery caramel nose. Lots of spice on the first taste, for me too much and makes it tough to get through to other flavors. Maybe hints of nuts and leather, I get a little cherry as well. Maybe a little bitter. Long finish is nice, to me no unappealing notes last and this makes it more stoppable and raises the score a bit.

I find myself wanting to like this expression, but it’s just not hitting home - maybe it’s that overall not many notes shine through the spice.

This rum definitely tastes more like Bourbon than rum, which is not a surprise since it is aged in bourbon barrels. It might be a slight bit more gentle as you begin to sip, than straight bourbon, but half way through, the corn and rye come through very clearly. Overall, it seems pretty well balanced between the alcohol bloom and the amount of flavor from the rum; however, it is not a sipper. It works well as a shot (like tequila); and it might work well mixed with a cola.

It has a lingering finish with a round caramel and oak flavor. I say oily because it is heavy and sticks to your tongue and palate. Good sipper!

Buddy sent me a sample of this. Its straight up molasses ginger cookies in a glass. Really rich on the palate, nice bit of bitterness that has a licorice note to it. Lovely stuff for the price but may not be to everyone's liking.

I am an avid rum connoisseur and I can tell you that La Marielita Rum is exceptional. It is now my go to ultra-premium rum.
Great for Whiskey/Bourbon fans. It has layers of complex flavors in your palate, including butterscotch, chocolate a hint of some spice followed by caramel, burnt crème brûlée and some oak. Goes down very smooth. I highly recommend!

Initial sweet taste when it hits your palate. Good amber color with a floral after taste.

A nice rum. Someone described it as oily. I get that - has a nice mouth feel. Good flavor, quite smooth, and a nice finish. Could use a bit more complexity for the price.

Black licorice, vanilla and crème brûlée on the nose leads to a very rich and sweet caramel palate. Some long nutty oaky notes on the finish.

Too sweet with burnt caramel taste with a coffee finish. Almost good but more like a dessert rum

We found this beauty while treasure hunting in #orlando at @bevflywine (our Local Liquor Store Spotlight this week).

We have been wanting to try @lamarielitarum since we read about Janet Diaz-Bonilla and her efforts to tell the story of the 1980 Mariel Boatlift, her journey and her grandfather.

The artwork by Humberto Benitez just takes it to another level.

We had to go to a couple places but we were beyond excited to add this to our collection.