Several years ago, I tasted Angostura 7 Year Old Rum for the first time. This was a pivotal moment that stoked my interest in rum in general, and Trinidad rum in particular. This was due to how different it was in comparison to the other Angostura premium rums on the market; Angostura 1919, and Angostura 1824. 1919 is light, floral, and dry, but this seven year old rum was rich, buttery, and well-rounded. It had the deep caramel, molasses and oak notes of 1824, but without the cloying sweetness of that rum. Most importantly, it was significantly more affordable than both of those rums. The only downside was that it was only available at the shop at the Angostura distillery and in the duty free section of the airport at Piarco.
In the time since then, it has undergone a bottle update, and become more widely available. It’s common to see an Angostura Queen’s Park Swizzle bar at carnival fetes, and even University of the West Indies nightlife events. At such events, instead of a swizzle, I would often ask the bartender for some seven year old rum with ice. Starting in late 2018 until Covid lockdowns, I probably had some Angostura 7 Year Old Rum about twice every month. While drinking this rum fairly often, I have also had the opportunity to sample a lot more rum from across the Caribbean. In the case of examples like the Foursquare Distillery exceptional cask series, they’re aged for far longer, and bottled at higher strength. Others like clairin or agricole blancs are unaged white rums, but more artisanally produced and easily more aromatic and intense than anything from Angostura.
Ultimately, Angostura 7 Year Old Rum has never impressed me like it did the first time that I tried it, leading me to wonder if Angostura changed the blend in some way. It’s well known that the blend for Angostura 1919 was modified a few years ago and that it is now arguably better than the previous version since it no longer has added sugar. It’s now about seven years since I tasted Angostura 7 Year Old, and I often wonder; Did Angostura change the formula for their seven year old rum making it less intense than it once was? Or has my taste in rum broadened, making me less impressed with a column still rum with a single digit age statement?
Recently, I came across some older bottles, and I decided to sample some alongside the newer version to satisfy my own curiosity, and do a review of this rum. Everything, from the aroma, the taste, and the mouthfeel suggest that there was no change to the blend and that the rum is still deserving of the high regard that I initially held it in.
Angostura 7 Year Old Rum Review;
On the nose, there is caramelized banana, light spice, and little else. Sips reveal some more flavours hiding behind the dominant caramel notes; there is marmalade, earl gray tea, mango blossoms, and the faintest hints of gasoline and olive brine. This rum beautifully brings together the light notes of orange and banana typically found in Fernandes rums, with the heavier, diesel-like character that Caroni rum is known for.
When compared to the other Spanish style seven year old rums like Flor de Caña 7 Gran Reserva, Bacardi Reserva Ocho, and Havana Club 7 Años; this is a serious contender for best in class as it is a bit richer than those three. It even has some more heft than similarly priced offerings from Appleton and Mount Gay. Angostura 7 Year Old is an excellent rum, really only held back by the relatively tame strength and caramel note that might be a bit too dominant.
