Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/581407
96 / the tasting panel / october 2015 Rum Malecon 25-Years Reserva Imperial Leads a Rum Renaiance The ongoing rum renaissance, in some measure, can be attributed to the efforts of one man, Maestro Ronero Francisco "Don Pancho" Fernandez. For over 35 years he was the former Cuban Minister of Rum and the master- mind behind the international brand, Havana Club. After emigrating from Cuba, Don Pancho headed to the jungles of Panama. There he set up shop about four hours outside of Panama City and soon the world was beating a path to his door. It's accepted as fact in the spirit world that no one knows more about crafting world-class rum than Don Pancho. Among his many accomplishments is Rum Malecon—a collaboration with spirits connoisseur Marco Savio—an exquisite range of ultra-premium rums made from hand-cut sugarcane cultivated in the fields adjacent to the distillery. The harvested cane is brought to the distillery where it is rendered into top-grade molasses and allowed to slowly ferment in open vats using naturally occurring airborne yeast. The fermented wash is then distilled in copper column stills built nearly a century ago. After the rum exits the still, it is reduced to 75% alcohol and transferred into re-charred, American white oak barrels for maturation. The 210-liter, ex-bourbon barrels are stored in the distillery's rum cellar, where they will remain for more than two decades. When Don Pancho deems the rum has reached optimum maturation, it is filtered for clarity and bottled at 40% alcohol (80 proof). The classy Rum Malecon portfolio features four distinc- tive expressions. Rum Malecon Reserva Superior is a medium-bodied, highly aromatic rum matured for a mini- mum of ten years, while Rum Malecon 12-Year Reserva Superior clearly demonstrates how significantly a rum can further develop with just two more years of aging in the Panamanian heat and humidity. The additional time in wood augments its body and nose and brings out more of the rum's citrus and spicy character. Rum Malecon 18-Year Reserva Imperial was clearly created with a snifter in mind. Its breadth of flavor and alluring aromatics are sensational, making it a natural to enjoy neat. However, when it comes to rum luxury, few marques can match the elegance of 25-year-old Rum Malecon Reserva Imperial. After spending a quarter of a century in oak, the elder Reserva Imperial is an incompa- rable rum, a sippable masterpiece. COBALT BRANDS Tasting Notes Rum Malecon 25-Years Reserva Imperial During the extended stay in oak it develops a nose saturated with baked apples, caramel, vanilla and dark chocolate and a heavenly palate of plums, cinnamon, light spice and warm toffee. Its curvaceous body and sultry finish wrap things up nicely. 94 —R. P.