u/CaskStrengthStats

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Today I'm breaking into 4 Años with Single Cask #359 Caja de Especies. Specially bottled for Prizefighter Bottleshop in Emeryville, CA this is their second selection and first single cask after their blend. This rum was distilled by Axel & William Krassel in June 2021 with their Krassel Column Still before being aged for 4 years in a New French Oak Cask stored underground. It was then bottled at a cask strength of 61.3% for 150 bottles.

Nose: Cloves, cinnamon licorice, dates, cane sugar, vanilla, and artificial strawberry.

Taste: A spiced vanilla root beer with a good amount of oak, red licorice, caramel, with a bit of a herbal note underneath.

Finish: Herby grass and a ton of woody cane sugar goodness with some anise. For it being 61% ABV there is nearly no burn, if anything its warming like the spices found in the finish.

Overall: 7/10, a good bottle and I'm thankful to start seeing older releases making their way out.

Hello Friends,

Were back with another Alambique Serrano review, this time its Tres Años Single Cask #290 "Sparrow." Named after the Chicago bar that selected this cask, this rum was distilled by Axel & William Krassel via their column still before being aged for 26 months in New French Oak and an additional 16 months in ex-red wine casks. Bottled at a cask strength of 52.8% ABV for 299 total bottles.

Nose: Leather soaked in a strong fortified wine/grappa with a sweet and sour smoke. Theres a bit of a musky incense note at the end with a sweet dill.

Taste: A smokey red wine that almost hides a sour fermented grape. A bit of caramel and cane sugar to round things out with a ton of patchouli.

Finish: The aforementioned musky incense is mixed with smoke to provide most of the finish. A bit of heat at the forefront that matches the nearly 53% ABV.

Overall: 6/10, a really fun pour thats arguably the most wine forward of the three wine finished rums I've reviewed so far.

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Time for another Alambique Serrano review, today we have a bottle that eluded me for far too long, Single Cask #24: Cloud Forest. The rum from this cask was specially selected by Mad Vines, a wine and spirits distributor trageting Mississippi and Louisiana. Distilled by Rommel Krassel in May 2021 via their pot stills from local Java cane varietal it then spent 14 months in first use French Oak barrels before spending 16 months in an open topped glass demijohn, the longest I've seen so far. Bottled at 69.2% ABV for 151 bottles. Shout out to my buddy who was able to get this out to me.

Nose: Dried seaweed, miso, grapefruit rind, mushrooms, corn tortillas, and floral notes.

Taste: Cane sugars that bleeds into a deep mushroom umami funk with hints of dirt, tabacoo, and a very complex and deep savoryness.

Finish: Savory stone fruits, sweetened mushroom, and a blast of a savory sugar syrup that totally coats your tounge with a rough feeling. The heats builds quickly with a ton of savoryness that reaches a peak before it slowly dissipates.

Overall: I don't like mushroom but this is easily a 8/10. It's complex, dense, and comes way out of left field compared to other French Oak Alambique's.

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Thanks for joining me for another Alambique Serrano review, on the chopping block today is Single Cask #18: La Cima. Specifically selected and bottled for Crest Liquor in San Diego, this single origin Oaxacan rum was bottled at a cask strength of 71.9% This pot still rum was distilled in December 2021 by Rommel Krassel before being aged in New French Oak casks within a dry climate. The rum then spent 3 months in open topped glass demijohns before finding its way into 133 bottles.

Nose: Acetone followed by vanilla, root beer syrup, oak, cloves, small amounts of orange, oatmeal, overall a bit light compared to what follows.

Taste: Its as if they took a whole roll of smarties crushed them and then suspend the powder in alcohol. It gives off a phenomenal chew. Its complex enough to taste the different types of smarties with a bit of oak and citrus in between.

Finish: The smarties note just completely takes over your tounge right before the tannis and heat. It leaves an almost dusty feel in your mouth with a hint of leather.

Overall: 8/10, complex in flavor with a ton of depth thanks to the 71.5% ABV. When I first opened this I could tell from what was on the cork that I would like this.

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This time on the stand we have Alambique Serrano Single Cask #4: Lincoln Road. Named after the Mississippi Package Store that received only 138 bottles of this 51.2% ABV Oaxacan rum. Harvested Java cane was juiced and then fermented in steel tanks before being distilled by Axel & William Krassel in their custom 8-plate column still. It was then aged for 21 months in virgin French Oak in a humid climate. This bottle came through a friend and I am very thankful for their assistance.

Nose: Olive, tobacco, strawberry yogurt, all spice, cherry, menthol. Kinda like those strawberry yogurt cough drops. A little medicated but definitely tart.

Taste: Red fruits immediately into a sweet licorice with some cinnamon, tobacco, concord grapes, and oak.

Finish:  The heat sits for a decent amount of time but is silky and accompanied by the minty menthol note. Its hangs mostly on your tounge while a strong licorice takes over with a small amount of oak and an almost sour incense/patchouli note.

Overall: First few pours were a non-negotiable 4/10 but opened to a 5/10 after the nose expanded quite a bit after opening.

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Today we have our 3rd foray into non-mexican rums. This time we have a 26 year old rum from Guyana that was distilled at the Enmore Distillery and bottled by Cadenhead for the UK market.

Nose: If a bakery at the height of apple season had a motor oil spill. Baking spices, apple compote, bread, with a plenty of rubber, gasoline, and oil.

Taste: A softer rubber that slowly builds into something more intense and dense. Its followed by a heavily charred cane sugar with hints of oak and leather.

Finish: More burnt rubber, a lot of leather, graphite, cane sugar, and more rubber. Its very dense and forces a good chew before it slowly turn into something more moderate. The alcohol is contained almost entirely within the finish. Its long lasting and memorable.

Overall: 8/10, a really phenomenal pour.

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We're back with another Alambique Serrano review. This time on the stand we have Single Cask #9: Estereo. This rum was bottled exclusively for the Chicago bar of the same name that recently helped to kick off Chicago Rum Fest. The rum in this bottle was fermented in steel casks before being distilled by Axel & William Krassel in their custom 8-plate column still before spending a combined 18 months in French Oak and ex-wine casks. The total amount of time spent in each cask, the type of wine used in the cask, and the total bottles were omitted. I would persume its an ex-red wine cask although I hear of a chardonnay finished rum coming down the line.

Nose: A good mulled wine with black licorice steeping in it. Sweet oak follows with some apple, berries, and hint of cream.

Taste: A spiced apple with good amount of black licorice followed by dark grapes that slowly turn the sweetness at the end to a more wine forward sugary goodness. Theres a good amount of heat at the forefront of it all that transitions further down your throat and into the finish.

Finish: The wine sugar turns back into a deep spicy licorice cane sugar that forces a chew while the tannis coat the front of your tounge and quickly make it to the back of it. Theres a bit of anise and more oak with a hint of the wine soaked sugar from before. The aforementioned heat lingers for a good bit.

Overall: 7/10, despite my aversion for all things black licorice this is really fun. A nice and complex bottle with a good amount of depth to explore.

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Today we're back with a main stay, Alambique Serrano Tres Años 2nd Edition. This Krassel Column Still and Pot Still blend was brought to us via 11 casks then proofed down to 46.4%. With total bottles likely exceeding 1500 this is a relatively easy to acquire bottle in the world of Alambique.

Nose: If watermelon came in a granny smith variety with a ton of rind that would be the first thing I smell. A really good note of cola, a small amount of grass and limes.

Taste: Straw, watermelon followed by its rind, a very light jalapeño-esque flavor with spice, a bit of cane sugar towards the end that mixes with the straw.

Finish: Sour watermelon candy sit on your tounge while the proof coats it. Surprisingly long lasting for its proof. At the very tail and there is a savory note.

Overall: 6/10, great for mixing and sipping. The proof is really the only thing holding this back. In terms of watermelon flavor I'm ranking 297>363>2nd Edition

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Back with another Alambique Serrano review, this time we're playing catch up with Vida Nativa specifically Single Cask #3 Perro de Agua named after the freshwater Neotropical Otter that includes 3 distinct subspecies. This pot still rum was bottled was aged for 22 months in first-use Acaia casks followed by 4 months in a formerly used red wine cask. Bottled at cask strength of 62.9% and one of only 262 bottles.

Nose: Red berries, sweet oak, cinnamon, anise, incense, burnt cane sugar, a minor amount of licorice, maple syrup.

Taste: A rich woody incense indicative of acacia finished rums of Alambique. Its further ladened with cinnamon, grapes, a small spark of umami richness ending with a good amout of red wine cane sugar goodness.

Finish: The finish has rough tannis coating your tounge followed by a heavy dense oak that slowly turns sweeter. Long lasting and memorable. With the tartness of the red wine and the acaia flavor showing up at the end.

Overall: 8/10, I was really excited for this bottle. I was actively talking to folks about wanting a red wine finished Alambique a few weeks before the news of this release.

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Thank you for joining me again on another Alambique Serrano review, this time we Vida Nativa Single Cask #2 Venado Temazate. The pot still rum found in this bottle was aged for 22 months in New French Oak barrels before being finished in acaia casks for 2.5 months. Bottled as a cask strength of 62.5% for a nice round 250 bottles.

Nose: A stinky/dank diesely olive, a bit of apple, acetone, dark chocolate, pickle brine, and a minor amount of fruit and acaia towards the end.

Taste: Olive brine is as the forefront followed by a salted cane sugar that turns into a mineral studded woody note with a hint of dill.

Finish: More olive and dill before you start feeling the smoother tannins that most sit at the top of your tounge. A pretty long and medium finish overall that shows off the finishing of the acaia and French oak with a good bit of spice lingering at the end.

Overall: 7/10, fun flavors and its well balanced.

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I'm back with the final bottle of the 2025 Tres Años Single Cask Series, #268. Distilled by Axel & William Krassel in 2022 via their customed 8-plate column still from locally harvested cane sugar. This rum then found its way into ex-bourbon casks where it rested for 42 months in their humid distillery before being emptied into 264 bottles.

Nose: Figs, pine, celery, chalk, lemongrass, clementine, sassaphras.

Taste: Cherry, cola, an almost too sweet leather/tobacco going into a metallic graphite, afterwards theres a good amount of char from the ex-bourbon barrels.

Finish: More of that metallic graphite note heavily mixed with some minerality followed by a good amount of wood from the barrel. The 55.3% ABV really is not apparent until towards the end when you finally feel some heat from it. It sits on your tounge while some spice covers your tounge.

Overall: 6/10, a little too metallic for my tastes. The cola and cherry notes were good but overshadowed by the metal notes.

P.S. If you're in the Vancouver, BC area and up for doing me a favor please feel free to DM me, will happily provide a sample or two for your time.

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Welcome back to another Alambique Serrano review. Today we're knocking out another of the Tres Años 2025 Single Cask series, this time its Cask #296. This column still rum was aged for 39 months in New Hungarain Oak casks at their humid distilleriy before 299 700ml bottles were filled at a cask strength of 55.9%.

Nose: A rose flavored black licorice jumps out of the glass followed by all-spice, plenty of Hungarain oak I assume, black pepper, pine, tangerine, and cloves.

Taste: The ABV hits first before more of the earlier mentioned rose flavor, this time with a soap note mixed in. The black licorice from before is the main flavour coming out with a bit of cinnamon, citrus, and chocolate mixed in before going into a spicy sweet pine.

Finish: Most of the heat from the booze sits at your tounge before crawling its way further back. The sweet pine continues before turning into to a sweeter version of the soapy rose flavored black licorice.

Overall: Admittedly I've never been a huge fan of licorice with black licorice being something I actively avoid. Theres good complexity and depth to this bottle so I think a 6/10 is fair given my tastes.

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Welcome back to another Alambique Serrano review, this time on the chopping block we have another Tres Años Single Cask specifically cask #363. Bottled in May of 2025 for New York, Florida, and Tennessee only 301 bottles made their way out of this French Oak barrel. This 8-plate column still rum was aged for 41 months in a humid underground cellar and bottled at a cask strength if 57.6%.

Nose: Incredibly fruit candy forward. Its mostly cotton candy watermelon with other fruits layered underneath. Ive gotten raspberry, apricots, cherry licorice, and a occasional peach out of it. While its a fruit bomb there is also grains and oak dotted throughout.

Taste: Watermelon is really the star of this show but is accompanied with this bruuled sweet wheat underneath it, cinnamon, vanilla, cotton candy, and more layers of sweet fruity candy being a constant. With the proof makes itself known with the first first sip only to reappear in the finish.

Finish: The heat from the aforementioned alcohol its completely covered by the sweet fruit notes but warms the throat nicely. A sour oaky watermelon hangs on as the alcohol slowly dissipates.

Overall: Another wonderful watermelon-pico-esque bottle that is sure to delight any sweet tooth. I can only knock off points as I wish the rum felt a bit denser in its flavors, 7/10.

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Back for another Alambique Serrano review, this time we have Cartier 30 3rd Edition. Distilled in March 2025, the first Cartier 30 not to be distilled in September, by the Krassel brothers in their custom still. A total bottling number was not included.

Nose: overripe melon, olive brine, a ton of minerals, a woody note, acetone, cream, licorice, some hidden floral smells.

Taste: A smoked vegetable note makes itself apparent and is constant throughout, pencil shavings, a very light but consistent metallic note, a homogenized gasoline and cane sugar mixture, a dairy note, and then it goes into a ton of spice with a minor hint of berries.

Finish: The proof only makes itself slightly know in your mouth before sitting at the top of it for a good while while the rougher tannis make themselves known. Its a very luxurious mouth feel that covers your mouth and tounge completely. The finish is mostly just heat and mouth feel with a small note of berries.

Overall: As I've dived more into the bottle I feel that this sits around a 7/10. For a while I was pretty firm on a score on a 6/10 but I felt it improved after it was left open for a bit. A good pour but definitely preferred the earlier bottlings, I felt that the finish was less refined from earlier iterations. Just snagged the 4th Edition and looking forward to opening that one when it arrives.