For people who don’t drink rum Angostura usually means only one thing – bitters.

Oh the things people miss when they don’t drink rum.

Angostura’s foray into the world of rum happened at the turn of the last century, so while you may not have seen their rum in your local liquor store, they’ve been in the game for a while.

First blended in 1919 (hence the name), Angostura 1919 Premium Rum hails from Trinidad & Tobago and is a blend of rums aged at least 8 years in charred American oak bourbon barrels.

The bottle itself is attractive. Short and square on the bottom, rounding up at the top, the 1919 bottle is like a little Buddha of rum. The cork is real cork attached to a large, man-hand sized stopper for easy gripping and opening by even the drunkest person and the lip flares wide like a decanter, guiding that cork home. The label is simple and understated. A large, blue 1919 takes center stage on the faux-aged label. No flash, no gimmick. Just Angostura. Old and unchanging.

The rum looks the same in the bottle as it does in the glass. It has an even, light orange gold color. Clear as clear. The same color at the edges as in the center. It’s almost too pristine and perfect in its color. When poured, the liquid looked thin coming off the bottle lip, but in the glass it seemed heavy and thick until I had just about reached the end. It clings to the glass, desperately, until gravity pulls it down leg by leg. Even then, the sides are speckled with droplets and a ghost varnish of rum marks every surface that’s been touched.

The nose is vanilla. Oh man, so much vanilla. Rich and creamy. But vanilla. There’s a slight hint of something smokey, caramelized, and perhaps woody… like roasting marshmallows on a stick. Sweet and slightly dirty. Digging deeper there’s – oh damn that’s alcohol! Let’s just hover around the top with the vanilla, shall we?

The taste is not so sweet as the nose implied, though it certainly isn’t dry. It’s still vanilla, though it’s a bit similar to drinking extract. Yes, it’s vanilla. No it’s not the sweet experience you expect to go with that flavor. The alcohol isn’t overwhelming; a slight tingle in the front of the tongue, a coating warmth at the back of the throat. But there really doesn’t seem to be much else going on. Larger drinks turn that coating warmth in the back into a sharper bite. Perhaps I’m completely out of it, but it feels like a spiced rum with the spice removed. The majority of the flavor finishes fairly quickly, leaving a warm and very slightly acrid aftertaste… somewhat like ash. Perhaps that’s where the smokey scent came from.

Water didn’t make much change. Neither did ice. A bit of lime juice and tonic, however, made a tasty little drink.

Overall, it feels very simple. And, that’s not a bad thing… it just makes reviews a little less interesting. In much the same way as there’s Vanilla ice cream and then there’s Vanilla ice cream done well, this feels like a success in not over-complicating rum. It has it’s one note and it hits it every time. It’s making a good mixed drink and it’s smooth enough to sip on it’s own though I don’t think I could sip this one every night.

The Rating – based on the New Rating System

Package: 9 – simple and respectable
Appearance: 9 – the color throws me. It feels wrong.
Nose: 8 – all I can say is “vanilla”
Taste: 9

Overall: 4.5 out of 5

Tags: Angostura, Angostura 1919, bitters, blended rum, Rum, rum review, Trinidad & Tobago

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