Diplomatico Mantuano Rum is a dark rum that hails from Venezuela and boy is it a gem. We got our hands on a bottle and it made a fine addition to the spirits cabinet.
As a standalone rum or in a cocktail, the Mantuano was a winner in my books.
Aged for up to 12 years, the rum is then selected by a group of master blenders from Diplomatico. As described by the distillery, the Mantuano “marries a unique body with excellent balance has made this multi-award-winning rum a reference for connoisseurs and fine spirits lovers throughout the world.”
The rum has aromas of dried fruits like orange peel plus toffee and licorice while still smooth on the palate with notes of toffee fudge following it up, offering a long-lasting finish.
It’s because of its rich flavour that the drink does so well in several cocktails including classics like an Old Fashioned, a Sazerac and a Manhattan.
I’ve been experimenting with different spirits in an old fashioned and it’s really separating the good from the great when it comes to spirits.
Outside of the traditional, I had a Piña colada-lite version (that’s what I’m calling it anyway) with this rum, mixing it with pineapple juice and coconut cream. Yes, that might be sacrilegious for such a unique bottle, but the fact it went great in an overpowering cocktail like that is all the more reason to give it a go and experiment.
As the weather gets warmer, it’s a great time to start working on those summer cocktails or new mixers like soda, lemon/lime soda, ginger beer and so on.
At the end of the day, however, I couldn’t move past a simple old fashioned or rum on the rocks.
The Diplomatico Mantuano Rum can be found at all good bottle shops or their website here.
