Diplomatico Reserva Exclusiva

Destilerías Unidas sit at the foot of the Andes in Lara, in western Venezuela, and Reserva Exclusiva is the bottle that carried their name out of the country. The blend is unusual for the price: roughly four parts pot still to one part column, which is the reverse of what most aged rum at this level does. The pot still is where the weight comes from.

It all goes into small casks that previously held bourbon or malt whisky, and the oldest components in the blend have had twelve years. Bottled at 40%.

What arrives is rich and unmistakably sweet. Diplomático has never hidden that there is sugar added after ageing — it is standard practice in Venezuela, and some drinkers object to it on principle. If you want your rum dry and austere, walk past this one. If you want it dark and generous, very little else does the job as well for the money.

The nose is toffee, dried apricot, orange peel and a thread of woodsmoke. The palate lands thick, almost syrupy, then opens into vanilla and baking spice before a long, soft finish of raisin and oak. It is enormously easy to drink, which is rather the point.

How to Serve

Neat at room temperature in a tumbler, or over one large cube. No water needed at 40%. It also makes an excellent Old Fashioned, provided you drop the sugar from the recipe entirely.

Where to Drink It

Artesian at The Langham, for a rum list with genuine range. The Connaught Bar. Boisdale, if there is a cigar in your evening.

Food Pairings

Salted roast almonds and a plate of aged Gouda — the salt keeps all that sweetness honest. Coffee afterwards rather than pudding.