Review: Brugal Titanium Rum   90/100
a review by Chip Dykstra (Aka Arctic Wolf)
Posted on September 29, 2013

The Brugal Distillery was founded in 1888, by Andrés Brugal Montaner. Over the next one hundred and twenty years the company grew steadily, and it is now one of three large Rum Distillers in the Dominican Republic. The original family which founded Brugal is still in the control. George Arzeno Brugal, is the current chairman, and most of the board members are direct descendants of the original company founder. In fact, the Brugal Distillery has become an institution in the Dominican Republic. Just about every friend of mine who has visited this the Dominican Republic has a vivid tale to tell of their amazing bus ride to the distillery,  and another tale to tell of how much fun it was to sample the Brugal Rum.

Brugal Titanium Rum is a triple distilled premium white rum produced primarily for the domestic market (and in parts of Europe) as a high-end cocktail spirit meant to compete with ultra premium Vodka.

If it suits your wishes you can learn a little more with a click on the link here to visit the Brugal Website.

In the Bottle 4.5/5

As you can see to the left, the Brugal Titanium arrives in a very elegant tall bottle pictured to the left. I like the soft yet masculine look the bottle implies. The only flaw is the metallic screw cap. A nice cork topper would have been superb.

According to the label this product is bottled at 38 % Alcohol by volume.

In the Glass 9/10

The titanium is a clear white rum which shows no trace of colour in the glass. When that glass is tilted and twirled, the rum gives up some skinny legs which traverse rather quickly back to the bottom of the glass. The nose is lightly effervescent with a spiciness which reminds me of the lemon-like scent of coriander seeds and the rye-like scents of ginger and cardamon spice. A light sugar cane scent is evident, as well as hints of anise and licorice, light mushy banana smells and perhaps a touch of mint.

The spiciness of the nose is very intriguing. My impression is that the Titanium represents an elegant hybrid spirit. It demonstrates the both the class of an ultra-premium Vodka and the character of a fine white rum.

In the Mouth 54/60

When I bring the Titanium rum to my lips and have a sip, I am struck by an initial impression that the spirit has a light mineral character as if the water used in its production was softened by limestone. This gives the rum a soft mouth feel which is very pleasant. A light butterscotch flavour leads out with hints of soft mushy banana and very mild anise and mint flavours. Very quickly, the spiciness I sensed on the nose begins to show through as flavours of spicy cardamom and ginger settle into the mouth. Finally the palate is washed over by a light lemon-like citric spiciness which tastes quite appealing. This spiciness seems to beg for a few cocktails to be mixed.

To that end, I begin by mixing a daiquiri. Delicious is an understatement as this is one of the best daiquiris I have had in quite a while. Next I moved to a mojito and my sentiments remain the same. Each of the cocktails seem to carry a ‘refined’ quality which I usually encounter only in the best white spirits. Again I find the Titanium spirit implies the refinement of a great vodka; yet it also carries the charm (and flavour) of quality white rum.

In the Throat 13.5/15

The finish carries ghostly flavours of butterscotch and mint. After the rum is swallowed a slow creeping spicy heat seems to build at the back of the mouth and in the throat. Much to my delight this spicy character seems to carry into the cocktail.

The Afterburn  9/10

The Brugal Titanium is one of the best white rums I have sampled to this point in my rum explorations. This is a refined spirit filled with spicy character and suave refinement within the flavour nuances.

If you are interested in comparing more scores, here is a link to my other published Rum Reviews.

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Suggested Recipes

The Emissary Daiquiri

2 1/2 oz Brugal Titanium
3/8 oz fresh squeezed Lemon Juice
3/8 oz fresh squeezed Lime Juice
3/4 oz fresh squeezed Grapefruit Juice
3/4 oz sugar syrup
Ice
Lemon or Lime slice

Add the premium white rum, the fruit juice and sugar syrup, into a metal cocktail shaker with ice
Shake until the sides of the shaker frost
Strain into a cocktail glass
Add a Lemon (or Lime) Slice for garnish
Enjoy!

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

My Final Score is out of 100 and you may (loosely) interpret that score as follows:

0-25 A spirit with a rating this low would actually kill you.
26-49 Depending upon your fortitude you might actually survive this.
50 -59 You are safe to drink this…but you shouldn’t.
60-69 Substandard swill which you may offer to people you do not want to see again.
70-74 Now we have a fair mixing spirit. Accept this but make sure it is mixed into a cocktail.
75-79 You may begin to serve this to friends, again probably still cocktail territory.
80-84 We begin to enjoy this spirit neat or on the rocks. (I will still primarily mix cocktails)
85-89 Excellent for sipping or for mixing!
90-94 Definitely a primary sipping spirit, in fact you may want to hoard this for yourself.
95-97.5 The Cream of the Crop
98+ I haven’t met this bottle yet…but I want to.

Very loosely we may put my scores into terms that you may be familiar with on a Gold, Silver, and Bronze medal scale as follows:

70 – 79.5 Bronze Medal (Recommended only as a mixer)
80 – 89.5 Silver Medal (Recommended for sipping and or a high quality mixer)
90 – 95 Gold Medal (Highly recommended for sipping and for sublime cocktails.)
95.5+ Platinum Award (Highest Recommendation)