Dictador 2Masters Carlos 1980/2022 (70cl, 44%)

A 1980 Colombian rum from sugar cane honey, matured for 41 years in Colombia before spending a further 15 months in a 50-year-old Oloroso sherry brandy cask. It is part of the 2Masters series, combining Colombian rum ageing with Jerez brandy cask culture, and was bottled in July 2022 at 44% ABV in an edition of 700 numbered bottles. The nose brings dark chocolate, black cherries and Oolong tea, with freshly cut oak, old books, lacquered furniture and honeyed figs. The palate opens with juicy red apples, fresh ginger, ripe red cherries and milk chocolate, then tropical fruits with pineapple in syrup, honeyed apricots and almond flakes, with fine sugar threads and a hint of ginger. The finish is long and warming, with ginger and cedar wood alongside candied orange peel in dark chocolate.