Tasting

What does Diplomático Reserva Exclusiva taste like? According to the house, of orange peel, caramel, and vanilla, with chocolate and tropical fruit in the background. On the palate it feels soft and rounded, almost syrupy, with little bite. Those looking for it in Germany will find it under the name Botucal.

Three examples show the range at La Miel. Reserva Exclusiva represents the soft, dark style. Mantuano represents the blend of all three distillation methods and, according to trade press, has a higher proportion of light and medium-bodied rums. Planas is the colorless variant, where charcoal has stripped out the color while the flavors from the cask remain.

A nosing glass or small tulip glass gathers the aroma better than a tumbler. Room temperature is best. If the rum is too cold, the aromas stay locked up; if it's too warm, the alcohol stings the nose. Avoid cupping your hands around the glass, as this keeps the aroma stable.

Neat or with water? At 40 percent ABV, a drop of water is rarely needed, but with stronger bottlings it can open up aromas the alcohol would otherwise mask. Trial and error matters more here than any rule, and a second sip often tastes different from the first.

With the first sip, a fixed order helps: smell first, then let a small sip spread across the palate, then wait for the finish. If you notice sweetness, try to place it. It may come from the cask, but it could also be added sugar, since up to 20 grams per liter is permitted in the EU without needing to appear on the label.

If the rum tastes of chocolate, that has nothing to do with cocoa. These are roasted notes from the wood that interact with vanilla and caramel. It's precisely this closeness that makes rums like Reserva Exclusiva such a rewarding match for a piece of dark chocolate.