Bacardi Reserva Limitada

Bacardi, makers of rum enjoyed by purists and college students alike for nearly 150 years, recently introduced the Reserva Limitada, first released in 2003, to the United States. Before now, it was only available in Puerto Rico and a few neighboring islands.

On this evening, we sampled the Reserva Limitada as well as the standard Superior, and a few cocktails made with the Superior, while listening to an informative talk on the nature of Bacardi products and the history of the brand at the Flatiron Lounge.

The Limitada consists of a blend of rums aged in charred oak barrels for between 10 and 16 years. The oak imparts many of the more complex flavors of the finished product, along with the color. So I went in expecting the standard oak and vanilla to stand out in this rare rum.

But first, a daiquiri, made with very fresh lime juice and Superior. Did you know the first daiquiri was made in 1898 using Bacardi? Me either. Turns out the first Cuba Libre and first Mojito also used Bacardi. David Córdoba, brand ambassador, evangelized to our small group at the Flatiron Lounge while we tasted the spirits as well as a few cocktails he created for his book of classic and modern drinks.

This daiquiri featured the standard burn of alcohol down my jaw, with a massive tingle from the citrus and taken together. It was a refreshing welcoming drink, heavy with alcohol and a little sugary-sweet. There was enough pulp to prove the juice was fresh, too.

Then we moved to a pour of the special guest, which retails for around $110 per bottle. The clear caramel color yields a wealth of aromas — vanilla and oak, certainly, but also stewed plums was suggested (and made sense). The taste was more toffeeish/caramelly and very dry from the woodiness, with a spicy finish that lingered forever. The heavy burn reminded me of the strength of this little glass.

We then moved on to sample cocktails made with the classic Bacardi Superior. First up, the Mary Pickford, a “legacy” cocktail: pineapple, maraschino, grenadine, rum. As expected, aromas and flavors of a sour cherry pie dominated, and pretty much wiped out any heat from the Superior. It was certainly a pretty drink, but I don’t see myself being able to drink more than the little sampler we were offered.

September Morn: created by the bartender at the Savoy Hotel, this drink consists of fresh lime juice, simple syrup, egg white, pomegranate grenadine, and rum. Oh, that is a pink drink. It’s also very, very sour, which adds to the sensation of dryness along with the pomegranate flavors, but the long finish seemed primarily due to the Superior and its licorice. Fun fact that I did not know: the egg white apparently is added to create multiple layers of flavor in the mouth. It also adds a bit of froth to the drink, but good to know there are other reasons for its inclusion.

In the mood for something rich and spicy and dense in your cocktail? Mayas Daiquiri, created for competition, combines agave syrup, lime juice, sugar, and avocado with Bacardi 8 Year Old rum (and garnished with a pineapple leaf). Yup. It was surprisingly good, as creamy as I suspected — almost like ice cream — and smelled more of tequila and citrus than avocado. Again, though, I couldn’t see myself drinking much of this at once. It was a definite sipper.

Finally, we sampled the Superior neat. Superior is aged a minimum of four years in single-use bourbon casks that aren’t recharred first.

Aside from the aforementioned licorice/anise, notes of almond and peppery spice floated through, with a definite woody undertone in the mouth. Long, spicy dry finish also, and surprisingly I found I could finish my sample, a rarity with rums I’ve found.

I was impressed by the presentation of the Bacardi rums, and I greatly enjoyed the informative talk. If I were more into rum, sure, a limited-edition $110 bottle of quality rum is probably worth at least one purchase. It’s definitely not suited to mixing, so a nightcap from time to time seems the perfect way to enjoy the Reserva Limitada. It should be out in shops right about now, but definitely before the end of the year, in corked, boxed packaging suitable for a gift (to certain beverage bloggers…).