Los Valientes 10 Year Tasting Note

"Wow"

"Holy Sh*t"

"I couldn't ask for more than that in a glass"

Those are a selection of the comments I have heard upon introducing people to this rum for the first time, a smug, self satisfied grin on my face knowing the reaction which awaits.

This has got to be a serious candidate for 'best daily drinking' rum (although the clipboard waving politician types may have something to say about such an award).
For those of you who don't know about L.V, it's made from a blend of 70% pot stilled sugar cane juice, and 30% column stilled molasses. This is the same across the range, with age being the only difference. This a a completely unique approach to rum production. Whilst there are other rums which blend pot and column stills, I have yet to discover another which combines both raw materials and distillation methods. But I'm not so interested in recording the history here as the tasting note, so I'll crack on.

A mouth-watering, sweet and enticing nose reveals the fresh tropical fruit scents of the sugar cane juice, whilst the chocolatey sweetness suggests the molasses content.

On the palette, caramel gives way to butterscotch and milk chocolate, then vanilla as the oak expresses itself. Arriving promptly after is the herbaceous freshness of the agricole style cane distillate, with a taste of earthy capsicum.
The aftertaste develops the spicy edge, and a crunchy green freshness you can almost chew.
This spiciness lends itself well to a "Mexican Mojito" - made as you would expect, then topped with a dash of fiery ginger beer. Delicious!

Already gracing some of the most highly respected tables in London, I hope to see this Mexican marvel taking the rest of the country by storm in the not-too-distant future.