Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/990824
june 2018 / the tasting panel / 89 june 2018 / the tasting panel / 89 ~ june june june june june 2018 2018 2018 / the the the ta ting ting panel panel panel panel / 89 89 89 89 Sun's Out, Rum's Out: Don Q Pina Flavored spirits can polarize consumers, but when a distillery gets one just right, it can open a whole new world of possibilities to mixologists and customers. It takes a very special distillery to capture the essence of a natural flavor, but there are certain producers you can trust to hit the right notes every time. Destilería Serrallés is one of these trusted brands. Founded in 1865 in Ponce, Puerto Rico, by Juan Eugenio Serrallés Colón, the family still owns and runs the distillery and has maintained the original vision of making excellent rums for more than 150 years. While the distillery created many different brands of rum, it began selling its most popular brand, Don Q—originally known as Ron Don Q—in 1932. This beloved Puerto Rican brand uses high-quality molasses, water from the Río Inabón, and a proprietary yeast strain it has kept alive for the past 75 years to create its remarkable line of rums. In its efforts to master the art of producing flavored rum over the past 20 years, the distillery added Don Q Piña to its portfolio last summer alongside its Limón, Coco, Mojito, and Pasión expressions. To make the Piña, Destilería Serrallés begins by aging its signature rum in American white oak barrels for one to one and a half years before introducing natural pineapple juice to the spirit and infusing it with natural pineapple flavors. The blend of flavor profiles from the Don Q rum and the natural pineapple produces the perfect base for summer cocktails. Tasting Notes Don Q Piña ($14) is a Puerto Rican rum with natural pineapple flavor. Crafted by the Serrallés family, this 60-proof spirit has a delicate scent of just-ripe pineapple with a hint of vanilla. At first sip, the pineapple flavors emerge, springing forward with sweetness and a creamy mouthfeel. 91 —M.M. SERRALLÉS USA