Here we are today in Peru to discover the Millonario rum in its Solera 15 version (there is also an XO version). It is Fabio Rossi, Italian bottler (who also produces Rum Nation) and former oenologist who in 2005, discovered and fell in love with this distillery that he bought to produce this rum; a rum with a relatively recent name but founded on a long tradition: it is in fact distilled in old Scottish column stills over a century old, and aged in American and Slovenian oak barrels (bourbon (whiskey) and sherry (white wine) barrels). It is aged using the solera method, and its average age is 8 years (blend of rums between 6 and 15 years old). This rum has a very dark caramel (mahogany) color, almost tending towards red ; This seems quite surprising for such a young rum, but the answer comes from its aging in Oloroso casks (wine made from very dark sherry).

The nose is rich and dense, as delicious as a confectionery ; it is persistent on very ripe or candied fruit (bananas, plums), vanilla. Notes of liquorice stand out, and a certain cola smell that is quite surprising and destabilizing. Once rested, we can smell more precisely the spices (clove, cinnamon) and dried fruits (fig, raisin). The nose is appetizing and delicious, like a very fatty pastry...

In the mouth it is sweet, FAT, oily, creamy,
it covers the palate but without persistence, on the contrary it even ends up disappearing quite quickly.

Always this caramelized touch, with an impression of marmalade in the mouth. Dried fruit always (fig, grape) and very ripe (banana, plum), liquorice, and always spices (clove, cinnamon) which give a very light hold to the whole.

The finish is quite short, still as sweet and delicious. It leaves a dry taste in the mouth and throat, which will either make you want to go back or drink a large glass of water to make the taste go away, like when you drink soda that is not very fresh, a sweet taste that dries out the mouth; can be a good base for a cocktail.

This is a rich rum, with an exuberant and gourmand character, strong on molasses and ripe fruits. I personally would have liked to find a much more woody/spicy side to harmonize the whole and counterbalance all this sugar which ends up drying the mouth. I am impatient to see what its big brother the Millonario XO gives, to be continued…

Note: no cap on the bottle but a screw cap, it's a shame because it's not very practical to use. the problem may only be on my bottle but it screws very badly.

Rating : 64

To help you (and me) find your way around, regarding the notes:

90 and + : exceptional and unique rum, it is the best of the best
between 85 and 89 : highly recommended rum, with that little something that makes the difference
between 80 and 84 : recommendable rum
75-79 POINTS : above average
70-74 POINTS : in the low average
less than 70 : not very good

Review courtesy of DuRhum.com.

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