We were recently invited to taste a very special rum, ARÔME True Rum 28. As we were not familiar with the name, we did a little research prior to our tasting and found that this luxurious rum is produced in Panama under the guidance of a rum mastero with over 50 years of experience making Cuban style rums and it had been awarded a Double Gold Award at the San Francisco World Spirit Awards in 2018. Additionally, ARÔME 28 has been aged for no less than 28 years in white oak casks formerly used to age Kentucky bourbon, and is a very limited edition.
The bottle and outer packaging were extraordinary – a white hand stitched box with an embossed leather label. The appearance of the box was quite luxurious and was a worthy container for the simple, but elegantly curved glass bottle with a black label and gold embossed lettering. The color of the rum in the bottle was deep and inviting.
We poured a sample, neat, and studied the nose. The aroma was one of the best we’d experienced (perhaps why it’s named ARÔME?) and we anticipated the taste would be equal, or perhaps even better (if that was possible), than the aroma. Once we forced ourselve to stop sniffing the deliciousness, we took our first taste. It certainly did not disappoint! A beautiful balance of spices and flavors that was not too sweet and an incredible smoothness from start to finish.
As mentioned previously, ARÔME 28 has been produced in a very limited edition and can be purchased at these fine shops according to their website. The price is indicative of a very fine rum ($500+ per bottle), so this is one for rum collectors and those that appreciate a limited edition, luxurious rum. In our opinion, ARÔME 28 would be one that is reserved for the most important occasions and shared only with those that really appreciate a fine rum. Use your best rum glasses for this one and try it neat so you can appreciate the excellent aroma and velvety smoothness.
Have you been lucky enough to sample ARÔME 28? If so, tell us what you thought!
