Los Valientes 15 year Tasting Note

I just love this rum! And I'm not the only one...
When this rum entered the Drinks Business Rum Masters, as an unknown new comer, it made one heck of an entrance. Picking up the only Gold medal in it's class is a pretty strong debut.
Slightly darker than it's 10 year old counterpart but, confusingly, pretty much identical to the 20 year.
The nose offers raisin, vanilla, and dark chocolate.
On the palate, we pick up exactly where the 10 year left us. Starting with the peppery notes we found in the finish of the 10, this develops into a very rounded, almost ginger bread spice. As this fades into subtle wood characteristics, the sugar cane expresses itself again with luscious tropical fruit.
Overall, this older brother of the 10 year is a definite progression, and a very welcome addition to the rums available in the UK. The 70/30 sugar cane / molasses blend works beautifully, with the molasses providing a strong backbone on which to hang the delicate flavours of the cane juice.
The real appeal to this rum comes in the price. Buying a single bottle from an online retailer would set you back less than £30, which for a rum of this calibre is simply brilliant - a definite 5/5 for value for money.
I like to drink this rum either as a Rum Old Fashioned, or with a splash of Jamaican Ginger Beer.
It's available now from www.thedrinkshop.com, www.specialitydrinks.com or for wholesale through Bibendum.