Santa Teresa Triple Aged Solera Arabica Coffee Cask Finish

Heavy dark roast coffee on the nose slight musk and hint of alcohol burn, on the taste molasses rum that gets interrupted on the finish with an immediate bouquet explosion of coffee grinds. This is a unique expression in that all coffee “rums/liqueurs” that i’ve tasted (maggies farm, carta vieja geisha, lyon’s) have a sweetness to them that this does not. Its like taking coffee, grinding it in the rum then taking a sip vs some type of thoughtful blending.

For those that really don't like coffee, but want subtle hints of coffee notes in this Venezuelan rum, this one may be for you. However, at $53 US, one can save about $15 US by getting a bottle of Dictador 12 with more coffee notes. That company also sells coffee beans and uses the casks where they were stored to age their rums. This Santa Teresa 1796 has final aging in "American White Oak casks used to age a rum-based cold brew made of Arabica coffee beans grown in the Hacienda Santa Teresa". This is a huge difference in coffee barrels used for final aging. The gift box also has a long explanation about all of the different stages of aging, which I won't go into here. Yes, this is an elaborate creation.

Just like the subtle notes of their Speyside Whisky Cask Finish, the notes on this one are quite subtle. In both of them, one can still taste the Venezuelan rum as the base, but both strike me as this being nothing but a marketing tactic.

I tried adding some to my morning cup of coffee made with Nicaraguan Dark Roast Arabica coffee. I have been using the much cheaper Pusser's 84 to make my Caribbean Coffee. Well, using this limited edition Santa Teresa 1796 for this purpose is basically a waste. This is a rum for those who wish to keep the taste of rum while adding subtle notes of something else.