Review #97: Botran Solera 1893 Rum (Guatemala), 40% abv

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This is Botran, which is like Diageo-free Ron Zacapa. (Same distillery, different brand.) This is made from cane juice (excuse me, "virgin sugar cane honey") and aged at altitude in lots of different barrels for lots of different lengths of time.

nose: some naked ethanol and curious esters, but then resolves into bananas foster and candied nuts with lots of miscellaneous winey notes. it's mostly typical rum aromas (various versions of brown sugar), but a little grassiness and dusty oak makes it interesting. I'd guess there's some older stuff in the solera, too: there are hints of honey and flowers and even some red fruit.

palate: I find it a little sour, oddly. Thin, too, but maybe that's for the best. Bunches of sour fruits and a little vanilla to go along with the brown sugar.

finish: didn't really get started.

The nose was above average, and the palate was sort of interesting, I guess. It's cheap, too.

score: 82