Why not make it a Malecon, double bill? In the previous review I had a look at the 25yo brother/sister of this Rum, called the Reserva Imperial, and was surprised by its youthful, vibrant quality, I somehow didn’t expect of a 25yo Rum. The label mentions: Rum made in the Cuban style (a light style), although hailing from Panama. For me the Rum also suffered a bit by its reduction to 40% ABV, where clearly this should have been a bit higher to “carry” the Rum. Today we’ll have a look at an Seleccion Esplendida from 1979, what should be an exceptional vintage Rum. This one was bottled in 2008, but I am not sure. I gather, Las Cabres de Pese wasn’t working in 1979 so I’m guessing this was distilled at Varela Hermanos S.A. as well. My only fear is again the 40% ABV…

Before I set off, if you are interested more about the Malecon brand and some of its history, I ask you to read the lengthy introduction to the previous review of the Malecon 25yo.

Color: Orange brown, slightly lighter than the 25yo.

Nose: Drier. Spicy and reeks of higher quality. After only smelling it once I already like it a lot better than both Malecons I reviewed earlier. Thus, we are going into the right direction. Nice fruity acidity, better balanced and integrated compared to the 25yo. Hints of Aspirin powder and nice dry oak. Again a meaty quality like the 25yo, but this time it makes my mouth water. Dry cured meat, beef jerky and some cold gravy. Vanilla is next and quite present. Oak driven vanilla. This smells so good, I’d almost wear it as a perfume.

Taste: Well this doesn’t seem so reduced as the 25yo. Alas the fruity acidity is present, but in a less integrated way as the nose. Fruity black tea? Quite some dry wood spiciness as well, and from the start you see this has some sweetness to it, but that is well overpowered by the dry aroma’s. I don’t think they sugared this one up, guys! If so, its masked rather well. it has some bitter notes as well, but they help the whole. Even the bitterness in the finish is not hurting the Rum at all. Apart from this, some nice toffee notes stay behind next to the woody and bitter notes. Again, just like the 25yo, the finish is short, and again, this was probably reduced too much. Bugger!

We are entering super premium territory now, since today this 1979 costs about tree times more than the 25yo. Is it worth that kind of money? It is definitely a step up from both other Malecons, but for a Rum in general, it lacks complexity. It’s basically a bit too simple, to be honest. The nose promised a lot, but the taste didn’t deliver what could have been. Stop diluting it so much! I feel both the 25yo and especially the 1979 are a bit overpriced for what you are getting. Nice just isn’t enough anymore, especially at these prices, so I can’t really recommend both of them.

Points: 84