A name you cannot say without pausing. Esclavo means slave, and the word sits on the label on purpose, as a reminder of who paid the price for sugar cane ever becoming rum. What is inside pulls the other way: round, dark and open to anyone who sits down with a glass.
The expert's description
Ron Esclavo Solera 15 years 1423 World Class Dominican Republic Rum 38% is a Dominican Rum aged by the solera method in ex-bourbon casks of American white oak and bottled at 38%.
The number 15 is not a fixed age but a reference to the solera. In that system the casks are stacked in tiers, each drawn off in part and topped up from the tier above, so young and old rum are constantly mingled. The oldest portion in this blend is 15 years. The method is borrowed from sherry, and it is what keeps the series consistent from bottle to bottle.
The rum is made from molasses and matured in a tropical climate, where heat drives the liquid in and out of the wood far faster than it would in northern latitudes. The ex-bourbon casks of American white oak steer it towards vanilla, caramel and soft oak, and at 38% this is the gentlest of the age-marked Esclavo bottlings.
Behind the bottle stand Danish 1423 World Class Spirits, working with Dominican house Oliver & Oliver, known as a blender rather than a distillery and responsible for several of the most respected Latin American rum labels. The name Esclavo was chosen as a tribute to the people who paid the highest price in the history of sugar cane. The debate around that name is exactly why 1423 has been phasing Esclavo out in favour of the Patridom label, which makes bottles carrying the old name a closing chapter.
Tasting notes
Nose
Molasses and caramel first, soft and inviting, with vanilla right behind. A dusting of cinnamon and a trace of dark fruit sit at the bottom.
Palate
Full and plainly sweet. Toffee and honey lead, dried fruit follows, and the oak lays a thin dry stripe across the whole thing. The texture is round and soft.
Finish
Long and warm with caramel and a mild spice fading out slowly. Cinnamon is the last thing to let go.
Specifications
Name: Ron Esclavo Solera 15 years 1423 World Class Dominican Republic Rum 38%
Producer: Oliver & Oliver
Bottler: 1423 World Class Spirits
Region/Country: Dominican Republic
Type: Dominican Rum
Age: 15 years Solera
ABV: 38%
Size: 70 CL
Cask type: Ex-bourbon casks of American white oak
Serving suggestion: Neat in a tulip glass or over a single large ice cube
Flavour profile
Sweet · Caramel · Vanilla · Honey · Cinnamon
Did you know?
1423 started with a group of Danish friends at a whisky fair. They fell for a rum, found that almost nothing like it was sold at home, and began importing what they liked themselves. That decision grew into one of the largest spirits houses in the country.
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