Diplomatico Ambassador Selection

Nice bottle, excellent smell, nice aged taste at first with a firm body, and an exceptionally complex and delightful after taste. 10/10.

I bought a bottle of this on holiday in Curacao from a lovely young lady in a rather unassuming shack in the cruise terminal. It cost me the equivalent of £165, so a littl cheaper than I could get it at home in the UK. She gave me a few free samples of different rums before I made my decision to get this one ... It was early afternoon, so I was a little worried that I had made a rash choice due to intoxication, but no. Not a bit of it.
The policy of the cruise company we were holidaying with is to confiscate alcohol bought whilst ashore and hand it back prior to disembarkation at the end of the cruise, so I was fully expecting to have to wait to taste it. However, they either couldn't be bothered with the paperwork, or they didn't spot it on the scanner due to the unbelievably heavy wooden box it comes in. I kid you not, this thing is heavy! The stopper alone probably weighs a kilogram.
Anyhoo ... I sampled this the first time with a good book and cigar on the deck one afternoon when we were out at sea.
The first thing I noticed was the strength. It is a little hot on the tongue, but that is to be expected, given its high ABV content. I decided to let it mellow for a few minutes, but the book was good and I ended up leaving it slightly too long in the Caribbean heat, because quite a lot of the alcohol evaporated off and it rather bizarrely went a little cloudy. 10 minutes at room temperature is all that's required to let it breathe and ease the burn a little.
On the nose, there is xmas cake, freshly sawn oak, glace cherries, vanilla and treacle.
In the mouth (once you get used to the burn) it is noticeaby less sweet than Reserva Exclusiva (one of my favourites) and slightly drier. There is still quite a lot of oak, but it is perfectly balanced against the demerara and caramel notes. All of the aromas you get from the nose, you get in the mouth, but some of them you have to search for.
This stuff is eminently sippable and dangerously easy to drink a lot of. I polished-off the bottle in about 10 days (I was on holiday! Don't judge me.)
I was very keen to try this, because of my fondness for it's younger brother, Reserva Exclusiva, but really they are not much alike at all. The Ambassador Selection is well-rounded, balanced, stronger and grown-up, where the Exclusiva is sweet and fun, if a little immature.
I really hope that Venezuela settles down quickly, because I am looking forward to getting my hands on another bottle of this really soon!

One of the top 5 rum’s I’ve ever had! Probably #2 overall

Аромат закрытый,яркие ноты тоффи и сырая кожа,сухая доска и сухофрукты,шоколад и сырое тесто с ванилью(22)
Жирный,плотный,шоколад и фрукты,дерево(22,5)
Финиш фруктовый,чуть лака и пряности,кожа,карамель,ваниль,изюм,кислые ягоды,мягкое дерево и капля ментола (22,5)
Баланс(22)
Крутой ром(89)

Tasted at the 2018 Chicago Rum Festival. I've been wanting to try this for some time and it did not disappoint. Great depth of flavor and pleasingly sweet.

Wish to have and taste it some of these days, no doubt iy is my new target. Lets go for it!!!

Fell in love with this classic, smooth tasting rum. Hard to find but well worth the effort and money.

This rom is full of taste. A grown up rom for the best of guests

Tento rum je skutečně velejemný. Už vůně je jemná, bez výrazaných tónů s jemnými tóny nasládlé vanilky, lehká vůně tropických květin. Po upití je první dojem naprosté hladkosti, po které se na jazyku rozleje řeka jemných komplexních chutí (vanilka, lehké ovocně dřevité tóny s jemnými kořenitými tóny), z nichž žádná nevyčnívá, což může být pro někoho fádní. Ten nástup řeky chutí je ovšem opravdu vyjímečný! Je nutné také ocenit chuťovou komplexnost a hladkost a především velmi dlouhý dozvuk chutí. Ještě dlouho po upití jsou plná ústa barev. Vzhledem k ceně rozhodně nečekejte šestkrát lepší zážitek, než u některých jiných výborných rumů. Stojí za to ochutnat, stejně jako svézt se v mercedesu vyšší třídy. Krásná prezentace - láhev a krabice ve dřevě - kus nábytku:)

I've been partial to the Exclusiva Reserve for many years, seeking out this and the single vintage for comparison and to see if it could get any better. For the price paid to the quality, I'm still an advocate for DER, feeling the massive price jump doesn't equate to a massive quality jump. It is definitely smooth, silky on the tongue with tamed caramel and sugar cane notes. There's an empty on my dead soldier shelf and a full, untouched in my prize cabinet. Will share with friends when the moment calls, but stick with DER for the best value for premium rum.