Review: Angostura Royal Oak Select

[Arctic Wolf]

A new review exclusively for the Ministry of Rum.

Angostura Royal Oak Select 87/100

20 years ago my wife and I spent three weeks in Tobago at the Turtle beach Resort. At the time I was a whisky drinker and not a fan of rum at all. However, when in Rome....

So at the hotel and on the beach I drank rum. And I liked it. What they were serving me was a locally produced rum and although 20 years have past I do believe it was Angostura Royal Oak Select. I went back to Canada with two 40 ounce bottles but alas they are long gone. I went back to drinking whisky, as the Rums available in my locale just didn't measure up. It was during the recent rum explosion that my palate for rum has been rekindled. Flor de Cana, Ron Matusalem, and El Dorado have helped to bring me back in the fold.

But wouldn't you know a couple weeks ago I found 3 Bottles of Royal Oak Select covered in dust in a local liquor store. The proprietor said they were new stock, the dust said otherwise, but I bought all three to see if that rum still tasted as good as 20 years ago.


In the Bottle (4.0/5)

This is kind of a early 80s style glass bottle, screw top, and clear glass.. Nothing fancy, but this rum only cost me 20 bucks a bottle so I don't expect much.

In the Glass (8.5/10)

The rum is aptly named as it has a nice golden colour. It is a little darker than than I would expect for a 3 to 6 yr old rum. I smell lots of caramel and a light smell of coconut. It nice but I wonder if caramel has been added to achieve the colour.

In the Mouth (53/60)

This has a sweet caramel flavour. If caramel has been added it does not bother me. Taste is what counts and this tastes nice. I can taste that hint of coconut I smelled in the glass and also a mellow spiciness. Everything is light and relaxed.

In the Throat (12/15)

The finish is tight with little to no oil to lengthen the experience. A nice burn, but things are a little rough on the way down. The younger spirits in the blend have their say in the throat.

The Afterburn (9.5/10)

Going through my scores I was surprised that each part of the drink experience had not scored higher. I like this rum. Its not outstanding, but it is a very pleasant diversion. I have tried it in a few cocktails and the results have been stellar. Mixed with coke it is outstanding. I guess that is why I like it so much. I like to mix and this rum has been great in every type of rum drink I tried. I even prefer it to Flor de Cana in my Sloe Lime Daiquiri. So I'm bumping up the score in the afterburn because the rum is more than the sum of its experiences.

[Edoc]

Nice review. I'm a big fan of all Angostura's rums.

[Edge]

I'm new to Angostura's rums, but after trying a bottle of Zaya (Trinidad), I'm quite impressed. I've typically been a Cruzan SBE/Anniversario Pampero drinker, but I'm going to find some Angostura's this week and try some more of them out.

Great review!

[TheRumelier]

Mr. Wolf, how do you compare it to the other Angostura offerings, 1919 & 1824?? I find there is quite a variation between these two and most of their other rums, but all good in their own way.

[Arctic Wolf]

Originally Posted by TheRumelier

Mr. Wolf, how do you compare it to the other Angostura offerings, 1919 & 1824?? I find there is quite a variation between these two and most of their other rums, but all good in their own way.

At this time I have tried the 1919 only once at a friends house. I had two glasses, one neat and the other mixed with coke. I would have tried it more often but my friend seemed to like it too much and the next time I visited it was all gone.

My memory of that one taste was that it was much smoother than the Royal Oak, but with a similar flavour profile. Whereas the Royal Oak is great in cocktails and rum cokes I would suggest that the 1919 would be more suitable for drinking neat or sipping with just a dash of coke. (It probably would make great cocktails but as royal Oak does fine their I think I would sip the 1919.)

As for the 1824, I have two bottles, in my collection based upon a small sip I had at CSN Liquor Store in Calgary. I remember that I was somewhat blown away the flavour. I remember a robust flavour profile but I am not sure whether i would consider it as smooth as the 1919.

I should warn you though that giving you my impressions after such a small sample (for both the 1824 and the 1919) is like recommending to your friend that he should marry a woman you have met only once. Such a rcommendation is frought with peril. At some point this winter I plan to open the 1824 and do a proper assessment. But I have far too many bottles open nowat the moment which must be consumed first.

[TheRumelier]

I like the Royal Oak as a mixer too. I like the flavour it pushes through the mixer, usually ginger ale for me. Another rum that does that for me is the Appleton Special Gold. I have neglected the Royal Oak recently, so that sounds like a plan for Monday Night Football tonight, and it is reasonably priced here at US$13:99.

[Arctic Wolf]

I think we are in 100% agreement on Appleton VX. I've never reviewed it but it is my standard mixer when I have a larger crowd to please. I rarely encounter anyone who dislikes the it. In fact when I did my interview for Rum Connection and was asked what my favourite non premium gold rum was, I first rum I mentioned was Appleton VX.

The Angostura Royal Oak surprised me when I tried it. I had remembered how much I liked it in Tobago, but that was 20 years ago. It was nice to find it again, and discover that even though it is inexpensive ($20 CAN), it still tasted so nice.