Copalli White Rum

I did not have high expectations for this rum but have been pleasently surprised. It is quite lite on the "funky" flavor I expected and is okay sipping, but a bit ethanol forward for that I believe. It makes an adequate old fashioned but (though I don't usually smoke a rum old fashioned) it takes cherry smoke quite nicely and ends up with a very deep and complex flavor that was not there originally. I have no intention of sipping this in the future, but...

Where this rum REALLY shines is in a classic daquiri. The lime and simple combined with this particular rum is exquisite and in my top three right now for this cocktail.

Thanks to a recent Shaker & Spoon livestream where they featured Copalli rums, I decided to give this bottle a try. I enjoy this cane juice style of rum. It's like a softer version of a Martinique rhum agricole. There's a big burst of banana on the nose, and a fair amount of ethanol, too. There are notes of grassy sugar cane, but it's in the background. There's surprisingly little burn on the palate, given the nose, and less tropical fruit than I would expect. It's more vanilla with some fresh grass. The finish is sweet, especially given that there's no sugar added. The mouth feel is soft.

If you told me this was a blend of cane juice and molasses rums, I would have believed you. I believe this is the least funky cane juice rum I've experienced. That isn't a bad thing, but it's unexpected given how Copalli is produced.

This reminds me of Huihui from Kuleana, but a bit diluted in comparison. It seems like it was likely made for cocktails. I tried it in a Ti' Punch, but it didn't hold up to the sugar and lime. I actually preferred it neat rather than in a Ti' Punch. That inspired me to try it in a rum old fashioned—something I wouldn't typically think to do with a young rum like this. I used a barspoon of simple syrup, a dash of Ms. Betters Bitters Banana Bergamot Bitters and a dash of El Guapo Cuban Bitters. Those bitters did a nice job of enhancing the flavors of the rum and adding depth.

There's a bonus recipe using this bottle in the Born to Rum: Jamaica box from Shaker…