Bacardí is best known for its immensely popular white rum. It is the best seller in Mexico by a long shot, but this has also prevented many to finally come to terms with, perhaps, one of the best rums Puerto Rico has to offer. Bacardi Solera its really in a class by itself when it comes to super premium rums.

Solera is, simply put: Excellent. Being so fond on aged tequila, I have always think that rums have a lot less to offer to those trained palates who have grown fond of the complexity of distilled agave spirits. But lately, extra aged rums have given me the chance to learn a very important and contundent lesson: aged spirits, no matter where they come from, are full of rich, rewarding surprises.

VISUAL


The bottle is beautiful, solemn and credible. I believe it is one of the nicest images in the rum industry nowadays. It gives this rum an enormous visual appeal.

Solera displays a reddish, cherry oak color, with notable light reflecting capabilities. This coloring is very unique, never to be found in tequilas. Movement inside the snifter is full of cadence, almost rythmic. The body of this SOlera behaves marvelously in all aspects, with superb cling to the glass. Definetly a world-class spirit here.

BOUQUET.

Solera demands a solemn and careful approach from the very beggining. The nose is expremely complex! You begin with a robust "solera" feel, or in other words, a very well structured wood accent. There are stong traces of vanilla, pepper, cinammon, and beet. The alcohol elements are powerful, indeed, but they match the caliber of this extra aged rum perfectly. The only word that comes to mind at this point is: MATURE.

FLAVOR.

I did not expected such a spicy attitude. Clove, rust, palorojo and even anise can be traced from the very begining. The upper palate gets initially pounded by a strong alcohol kick, and Solera packs a powerful punch the tongue. It is very dry to the tastebuds, but I like the velvety texture of this rum. The transition from mouth to throat is quite relaxed, smooth but energic. Here is where the full flavor from the wood comes alive. You can almost taste the humid, mossy air sorrounding the vats and Solera barrels. Charcoal and sugar cane flavors are dominant, along with a light coat of peat.

The finish, however, is the only aspect I found dissapointing on this Rum. The retronasal elements fade easily, except for the strong wood and alcohol accents. The sweet, tart ans spicy flavors simply wash away much earlier than I expected, but perhaps Im being unfair in comparing Solera to much better and refined aged rums like MAtusalem or Havana.

Bottom line: it has all the righ elements of a fully matured aged rum, but somewhere down the road, it just loses power and fades out.

Solera goes along freat on the rocks. A perfect match for dark chocolate desserts, and some people I know just love it witk Coca Cola. I tried it with a soda chaser, and I have to say it makes a great companion. This is a very good rum, a whole class apart its Blanco and Limon brothers. For the money involved, I think Solera is worthy of consideration if you are into aged rums.

Enjoy.

Recommended: Yes