Angostura 1919
Category: Dark
Country: Trinidad & Tobago
Aged: Minimum 8 Years
Alcohol: 40% (80 proof)
Availability: Limited
Price: $30-$40 (750 mL)
Appearance (0-5): 5
Aroma (0-25): 25
Taste (0-35): 32
Smoothness (0-10): 9
Body (0-5): 4
Overall Quality (0-20): 20
Machete Grade (0-100): 95
Notes: Angostura 1919 from Trinidad is a rum that, for my tastes, is just shy of perfect. The elegant bottle with large cork only begins to prepare one for the quality inside. The radiant and clear golden amber hue has thin-to-medium legs. The rich bouquet is the highlight: toasted caramel, sweet molasses, ripe banana and vanilla. It's this combination of sweet aromas that makes 1919 ridiculously approachable. On the tongue it is not as sweet, but it is still excellent. Smooth and sweet, this is the crème brûlée of rums. Round, creamy, and warm, the tastes are classic and fairly uncomplicated: lightly burnt caramel, brown sugar, toffee, and vanilla with some smoky alcohol. Did I mention that it's smooth, smooth, smooth? While it could be a nice rum in a mixed drink - and Angostura themselves recommend using it in their Ninetini - it would be shameful to hide this quality behind other flavors. Sip Angostura 1919 neat, or with a single ice cube you deem worthy. This is a great rum that is mature beyond its eight years, and is as much a superb introduction to quality rum as it is a treat for connoisseurs.
Reviewed: November 2007
Website: http://www.angostura.com/
Category: Cane, White
Notes: 10 Cane lauds itself as "rum's redemption," as its creators at Moet Hennessey depart from traditional molasses and instead use first press sugar cane. The bottle is a classy combination of vintage and modern stylings. A slim square body with a long, gripped neck is designed for premium shelf placement and suited for bar handling. Its plastic-topped cork assures us that this is a high-end spirit. The color is an interesting light straw yellow (though it's still really a white rum), and from the open bottle, the aroma is of alcohol and sugar cane with a hint of vanilla. Poured into a glass, the color becomes much clearer and the smell of alcohol becomes particularly pungent. Allowed to breathe, the aroma is reminiscent of whiskey. Flavor is fairly clean and smoky-sweet with a medium burn on the tongue and young rum harshness on the throat. The heat is too much to enjoy neat and carries with it a faint bitter aftertaste. On the rocks, the cooled liquid releases subtle tastes of earthy wood with a honey and mild fruit aftertaste. A little lime and some club soda (or ginger ale, or coke), and 10 Cane will slowly start to grow on you. It's great in simple mixed drinks like classic 