There are things that are worth waiting 12 years for. In the case of rums, the newly made rum often requires longer aging. The previous two Abuelos aren't a winner for me, but this one is much more convincing. Except the plastic bottle.
Origin: Panama
Alcohol content: 40% v/v
Age: 12 years
Sugar content: n/a
Color: dark orange tending to brown, clear
Nose: cognac-like, fruity, raisin, punch, Christmas spices, slightly metallic, slightly glue-ish
Palate: fruity, coffee, alcohol (strongly) - slightly overpowering the flavors, definitely sweet, punch cake, slight wood, vanilla, honey
Aftertaste: long
The aroma of the glass when empty: smoky - in all kind: smoked bacon, campfire, cigar smoke, caramel, and the burnt sugar when I failed to make caramel (although it tasted really good)
The last of the three Abuelo samples finally made it. After tasting the second one, I started to wonder why they are selling it at all, or if people really buy it. This may sound a bit harsh, but the previous two tastings didn't give me much. However, the 12 years old in the series is clearly to my taste - at least at first. The alcohol sticks out a bit at the beginning and masks the flavors, although there is something to be felt here. But over time, this subsides and gives way to sticky sugariness. Although I have a sweet tooth, now this feels a bit much. I really like the smell, for first it was a little glue-like, but that quickly passed. Then it comes back. Oh no. The end is clearly the flavor of honeycomb toffee, without anything else. If I wanted to get someone used to rum (and I know the person likes sweets), this would be a pretty good choice, but with the harsh alcohol taste might discourage them from getting acquainted with this category of drinks. It's a shame, the smell was really good, but it was left flat with this unimaginative sweetness. What can I say? I have mixed feelings about this rum. It might have been better to release it with less sugar and let the drink prevail. So it's impossible to decide whether they were targeting a segment with it, or if this rum would be too bland otherwise. I hope it's the former.
⭐⭐
I tasted it - the rest is up to you