Ron Viejo de Caldas Grand Reserve

Aged rums are all the thing at the moment so it’s hardly surprising that new ones are popping up every day even if some of these new entrants have all the hallmarks of cash-in-on-the-trend-quick efforts.

Call me cynical but I do find it hard to believe the claims of some of these new arrivals. Were there really producers so prescient that in 2000 they had the foresight to lay down newly distilled rum in old cognac casks, or old whatever casks the claim they are using, so there would a nice supply of 10 year old rum just when the trend arrived in 2010?

Now I am not saying all aged rums are spurious, far from it. There are some wonderful bottlings out there, it’s just that some of them have an awfully artificial air about them.

One flavorful new entrant that tastes to me very much like the real thing is Ron Viejo Caldas Gran Reserva from Colombia, not somewhere one normally associates with rum.

It has an interesting and unusual taste. There are hints of sweetness on the front palate but this quickly gives way to citrus elements before ending in a rather short, absolutely dry, almost heathery finish.

This is not a rum for everyone but it is certainly different, perhaps even unique, and at $22, very reasonable priced.