As a category of spirit, rum is as beautiful as it is broad. For well over four centuries it has been distilled from sugarcane juice and/or its derivatives. Although originally born in the Caribbean, today it is crafted in considerable volume across all corners of the globe–from Canada to Cape Town. There are literally hundreds of worthwhile labels to choose from along the shelves of any major liquor store.
All this is to say, the task of calling out one expression of rum to stand tall above the rest is a monumental challenge, indeed. But if there are any industry professionals uniquely qualified for the job, they would have to be your friendly neighborhood bartenders. We recently caught up with three such heroes who, without hesitation, landed on a common name between them: Diplomatico Reserva Exclusiva.
The signature offering from the beloved 66-year-old Venezuelan rum producer is an elegant blending of both heavy and light rums aged for up to 12 years in the barrel. It holds orange zest and anise aromatics, backed by a thick body which paints the palate in shades of vanilla and pineapple before dried tobacco emerges in a protracted finish.
Equally optimal for slow sipping as it is for hearty cocktail creations, it’s not hard to understand why this 80-proof liquid is so universally beloved. Particularly when you factor in the level of quality it contains at a relatively modest price point of $33 a bottle.
But that’s just, like, our opinion. Let’s turn to those aforementioned experts to see why they’re comfortable calling Diplo Reserva Exclusiva the best bottle of rum money can buy…
Giancarlo Quiroz Jesus is the beverage director at 53AD, a hip new bar and tasting room in the Bushwick neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York. What does he love most about this renowned rum?
“The diversity in the spirit,” he concludes. “The ability to have it neat, served in a stirred styled cocktail that shows its intricacies but also a bold spirit that can be used in shaken cocktails for its chocolatey-ness. Personally, I love it as an old fashioned. It has a much rounder body with a good back bone that only evolves as the drink opens up, making the old fashioned great from beginning to end. Consumers love the accessibility but also the comparison between quality and price. It helps having a product that can stand alone but also if a guest wanted a cocktail, it won’t break the bank.”
Jesus’s preferred cocktail application is in Airmail form. When mixed alongside honey, lime juice, and champagne, it brings a little hint of banana to the party that you wouldn’t fetch from a flimsier rum base.
Sarah An is the bartender at Jolene Sound Room, a retro-themed watering hole in downtown Miami. Diplomatico Reserva Exclusiva is her preferred pour out of the dozens of rums she might dispense on any given evening. “I love it neat so I can really grab ahold of those complexities that play between buttery toffee and licorice,” she says, while conceding that many of her guests have been steering instead towards a playful cocktail variation that has gained significant traction over the last several months. “We make a Carajillo at Jolene Soundroom using Diplomatico Reserva Exclusiva, which has been a major hit with our guests late into the night.”
In 2023, celebrated mixologist Christine Wiseman was named the US Bartender of the Year at Tales of the Cocktail. She knows a thing or two about engineering tipples around quality rum. When asked why Diplomatico is worthy of superlative praise, she offered the following: “With its notes of toffee, chocolate, and dried fruit–along with its inviting aroma–it is a delicious and complex rum that I love to create cocktails with. When it is such special spirit, I prefer to make cocktails that are spirit-forward like a nice rum Manhattan or an Old Fashioned variation. As for the consumer, I think it resonates because it is made in Venezuela and people enjoy to explore different cultural drinking experiences.”
Do you have an expert opinion on the subject? If so, share your pick for world’s best-tasting rum in the comments below…
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