Origenes Don Pancho Reserva 8-Year

Great rum. But it tastes a bit to much alcohol for my mouth.. Nice finish though.

I finally found a rum identical to Havana Club 7 Year in the U.S.…in a very likely source actually. This is a rum I had been been putting off because I wanted to try Don Panchos other expressions first. Don Pancho makes rum in Panama in the Cuban style and method that is extremely close to Havana Club expressions. The reason they are so similar to Havana Club expressions is actually simple. Don Pancho himself was the former Director of Research and Development for Agriculture in Cuba overseeing Havana Club and was deeply ingrained in the creation of Havana Club creations itself prior to its sale in the early 1990s. He left Cuba for Panama and after a few years collaborating with Ron Abuelo, he set out to develop his own distillery and rum production in the Herrera Province buying the old distillery at Las Cabras which was an antique copper column still. Don Pancho began using his production methods he oversaw at Havana Club at the Las Cabras Distillery. As a result many of his expressions mirror or are almost identical to Havana Club Expressions.

I have enjoyed most of the Cuban Havana Club expressions over the years. However, there is one Havana Club expression I could never find an identical counter part to in the U.S.: Havana Club 7 Year. And that was important because, to me, Havana Club 7 Year makes the *perfect* Cuba Libre. Indeed there is really no other rum like it for that purpose. Over the years I went through a veritable litany of Cuban style rums produced by both Don Pancho and other Latin rum producers trying to find a perfect analogue to the marriage of bright fruit and rich chocolate fudge notes that HC7 has.

Enter Don Pancho Origenes Reserva 8 Year. With the Origenes line Don Pancho goes back to his roots and with the 8 Year expression produces an almost perfect facsimile of Havana Club 7 Year. I am kind of shocked just how similar they are…even though I really shouldn’t be given the context.

This is a rum produced from molasses, fermented with wild yeast, and distilled on a copper column still. It is then aged 8 years tropically in ex-bourbon barrels in Panama and bottled at 40% ABV. Per Don Pancho he “abhors additives” and makes pure rum in the original style.

So what notes does this “Origins” 8 Year play?

On the nose I get a deep rich caramel note along with cola residue mixed with a fruity apples combination. This is followed by brown sugar and rich chocolate fudge. That smells familiar. But if the nose is somewhat similar to HC7, the palate is very nearly an identical match.

On the palate the sip is exceedingly rich, an explosion of fruity red apples and rich chocolate fudge. This is followed by caramel, cola, and a slight twang of oak tannins. A damn near identical match to a certain 7 year expression produced in Cuba.

This rum has a rich decadent finish just like its Cuban counterpart. On the finish here I get the return of Chocolate Fudge, and then an almost sour twang of Antique Wood varnish, and a touch of Oak tannins. Long after on the distant retrohale I get ripe red figs. Delightful. Oh yeah, this is a keeper.

If any of you fellow Americans are looking for a legitimate twin of Havana Club 7 year in the U.S., *this* rum is exactly what you are looking for. Its combination of chocolate fudge mixed with fruitiness is a bang-on facsimile of Havana Club 7 Year

In fact how I discovered this was backwards in a way. The first thing I did after I bought this rum was make a Cuba Libre. Having just returned from Spain where I had enjoyed nightly Cuba Libres with HC7 I was stunned to find this made an identical Cuba Libre to the HC 7. So I tested other similar rums beside it to compare…there was no comparison. This wasn’t just similar it was damn near identical.

So then I tried it straight, and yep, if you switched out a bottle of this with HC7 almost no one could discern the difference.

While HC7 isn’t any kind of unicorn in terms of rum, finding an identical analogue to HC7 in the U.S. for making Cuban cocktails has been challenging….well, until now.

If you are a bar manager or a rum enjoyer unable to get Havana Club 7 Year, this is damn near identical in both cocktails and just to sip on.

ABV: 40%

Country of Origin: Panama

Distillery: Las Cabras

Nose: Caramel, Cola Residue, Red Apples, Brown Sugar, Chocolate Fudge

Palate: Very rich, Chocolate Fudge, Fruity (Red Apples), Deep Rich Caramel, Cola, Oak

Finish: Chocolate Fudge, Antique Wood Varnish, touch of Oak, Red Figs

I love this rum! I love the smoothness of the rum. I think it is smoother than the 18 year, and of course I love that too, but this is half the price. It has the perfect balance of caramel and vanilla. Tip of the hat to Don Pancho.

Hard review to write because there isn't much to this rum. There is nothing bad about it at all. But nothing memorable either, except for its averageness. Mostly marzipan, hints of burnt sugar and vanilla all the way through from nose to tongue to going down. Slight alcohol throughout. Flavours do not overpower. Neither does the alcohol. No depth or complexity. But enjoyable enough. Happy I tried it, but won't be again. Other rums with more character and depth for better prices out there.

Complexe et finale longue. Dure à caractériser mais je dirais sucre brun, caramel, bourbon, miel bref un peu de tous

Guter Rum für den Einstieg , nicht zu Süß.

Good rum to start with, not too sweet.

I am a fan of Don Pancho, and this doesn’t disappoint. It’s dosed a bit (I’m told 4g/l, seems like it could be a bit more) and it’s definitely a sweeter rum than a FDC 12 or other aged non-dosed column still rums. That being said, it’s not cloying and if you want a sweeter Don Pancho rum, then grab yourself this beautiful bottle.

Aroma - very vanilla. My initial impression was that this was flavorful but too hot - yet as it finished I realized the flavor is just really really nice. I'm tasting caramel along with the vanilla. Someone will probably disagree 😂 but I know I would enjoy this w Coca Cola on pebble ice

Nice clear golden amber rum with underwhelming aroma. Nice layered sweet but not too sweet taste. Aftertaste is a short. For me it is a good solid rum and not something I would waste as a mixer but for significantly less $$$ I prefer Plantation 5 year Barbados rum or The Real McCoy 5 year. I think it is a fine rum for sure and I only thing I can really knock about it is that around $40 i think it is over priced

Great nose. I mean this had my mouth watering. Smokey, oaky deep nose. Then the entrance. Thin, sweet and without bite or intetest. It has the signature Panamanian vanilla note but that is all. Finish is woefully short. Over priced. Over rated. Would make a damn fine room freshener.