Don Q Cristal Rum

 
Don Q is the most popular rum brand in Puerto Rico, and has been in production since 1932 in a distillery started in 1865 by the Serrallés family. Most of their rums seem aimed at the lower end of the market, but the Cristal has some quite nice characteristics, for such an inexpensive rum.

Nose: sweet, some alcohol, cane sugar, light scents of banana, pineapple and papaya.

Taste: sweet, definitely warm, cane sugar and light molasses, banana cream pie, papaya, pineapple, vanilla.

Finish: dry, fairly light, minerals, fairly quick fading cane and molasses.

This is a perfectly fine rum for most cocktails where you are wanting lighter, cleaner, rum flavors, but want to stay away from the funk and chewiness of the rums which tend to be made in former British colonies. Our favorite and most frequent uses for the Don Q Cristal rum have been Hemingway Daiquiris and Mojitos. In complex Tiki, or other more rum-forward drinks, I’d suggest it be paired with other rums with more personality.

Don Q Cristal (Destilería Serrallés, Ponce, Puerto Rico) 80 proof $16

Sample provided by Don Q.