Opthimus Oporto 15 year old

Description

A 15 year old, ex-bourbon barrel Solera aged, molasses-based rum, column distilled in various Caribbean distilleries then matured in the Dominican Republic – Exclusive in Australia to The Rum Tribe with only 2000 bottles existing worldwide, the Opthimus Oporto 15 year old is nothing short of a rum miracle!

A beautiful, lush, and fruity drop with a summer-time ABV of 43%. This is absolutely perfect for sipping. Whatever way you roll the Opthimus Oporto 15 will fit right in. Straight up, over ice, in a tall glass with your favourite mixer – or get creative with your best cocktails. 

The Dominican rum producers Oliver and Oliver need no introduction here at The Rum Tribe. We’ve featured other brands in their stable of rums before – and we still get requests for more of the ‘Exquisito’. Sadly, supplying is easier said than done with this mob as their products are in huge demand worldwide.  So, when we were offered the Australian allocation of their latest ‘Opthimus’ release – we naturally jumped!

We must make it clear that Oliver and Oliver does not distil their own rum. They buy spirit from the nearby Caribbean producers and then age these spirits themselves in the Dominican Republic. They use traditional Solera systems to produce their rums, and the Opthimus Oporto 15 is no exception.

The Opthimus Oporto 15 is a Solera aged, 15 year old, molassas-based rum, column distilled in various Caribbean distilleries then matured in the Dominican Republic. Aged in an ex-bourbon barrel Solera, then finished for 6 months in an ex-port cask.

It is produced in periodic releases and this is the very latest (2021) release. Only 2000 individually numbered bottles of this have been made available worldwide. It’s only because Oliver and Oliver knows how much the Rum Tribe loves their rum we got any at all this time! It’s nice to know we’re being treated as a market all of our own! Gotta supply the Tribe!

We’ve found that the Opthimus Oporto 15 does, appear to have some sugar added at 29g/l.  Now some of that will be from the port cask finishing, but it is not a ‘pure rum’ – it’s known as a ‘gold rum’. Don’t get us wrong, it’s a lovely rum, but Oliver and Oliver do appear to use some sugar or colouring. We’re letting you know because we firmly believe you should know what you’re getting. If the labels won’t tell us we will attempt to find out. We maintain that there is nothing inherently wrong in putting sugar in rum (and spices as well for that matter) – after all, it’s been done for centuries, but we stand firmly in the ‘transparency’ camp and believe all manufacturers should provide transparency in their packaging/labelling of their products – so we know what we’re getting. 

Our Tasting Notes

Nose: Mocha frappe, rich honey and salted caramel. Some bright floral notes behind it all and the whole lot under a thin veil of oak.

Palate: Lovely, syrupy mouthfeel with dark chocolate, more of that rich honey and also toasted coconut with just a mild suggestion of pepper-spice there as well.

Finish: Rich and satisfying – the sweetness lingers and fades just in time to pour your next one!

On the whole the Opthimus Oporto 15 is a very ‘rounded’ rum with no ‘pointy’ flavours or smells – rich and refined as the solera method does so well. Certainly a sweet rum – but no overly so. Easy to drink strait up, and wonderful with a little ice on a hot summers day. The chocolate notes would sit well in a milk-based cocktail methinks… hmmm… now there’s a thought!

From Oliver and Oliver

Its appearance is a very old cognac or brandy, its exquisite aroma and pungent nose is product of the complexities of alcohol and very mature malts. Its contemporary style makes the presence on the palate flexible and friendly. It is full and deep with a long breath. A lavish rum!

Colour: Dark gold
Nose: Vanilla and toasted wood
Palate: Incomparable fusion of flavours, which include molasses, grapes and aged wood
Finish: Well balanced and persistent

The O&O Cuban Rum Maestros make a choice of which alcohols they consider to be the finest and obtain selected ultra-fine alcohol from distilleries in Panama, Guatemala, Nicaragua and Dominican Republic as well as medium alcohol or malt from Trinidad & Tobago and other distilleries in the French and English Caribbean Islands. 

The exceptional barrels are brought to the bodegas for rum aging in the Hato Nuevo valley, located in the rural area of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.

They age, blend and fusion the different distillates and place them to mature in Tempranillo and Bourbon barrels, under the traditional solera method. 

Opthimus rums are distinguished by their quality, aromas and flavours. They are amongst the most highly awarded in the world and have been receiving impressive results from competitive tastings worldwide. 

The special finish rums are placed to finish for approximately six months in barrels that were previously used to age Malt Whisky, Sherry or Port. Once the finishing process has commenced, the rum is bottled and the label indicates which cask the rum was finished in.