Although Bacardi is perhaps Puerto Rico’s more famous rum export, it’s Don Q that is the more popular at home, in terms of sales.

And like Bacardi, the company has a long, storied history. Cataluña’s Don Juan Serrallés began the story by bringing a pot still to Puerto Rico from France, a tradition that has been passed down at Destilería Serrallés in Ponce for more than 145 years.

The name was a nod to another famous Don — Quijote.

But while Don Q’s white rum is the top seller, its top-of-the-line dark rum, Don Q Gran Añejo, is the star of the show.

The Gran Añejo includes rums aged between three and 12 years, and all of the time is well spent.

Don Q has a light, golden amber colour, with an aroma of caramel, citrus peel and pepper. The taste is marked by caramel again, a hint of pepper and almond and a finish of maple — all of the flavours are consistent throughout the palate.

An exquisitely smooth rum, the Gran Añejo is robust without being overpowering. It preserves the smoothness for which Don Q’s white rum is known and praised, but embodies the complexity of a top aged rum.

So smooth, in fact, that we wholeheartedly recommend it served only neat.

The verdict? Hands down, one of the five best rums Rum Journal has ever tasted – and indeed, one of the greatest rums on the market today.

— CJ