The chorus of flavors include creamy milk chocolate, vanilla, marzipan, raisin, cherry, hazelnut, vanilla, salted caramel, and oak. The flavor notes in Paraiso are all so finely tuned to read at the same frequency, it’s like trying to pick out a single voice in a large chorus. Where Eximo and Exquisito were quick to show off their oak, Paraiso is as restrained and subtle as its nose. Bacardi has built its business blending together lighter and heavier style rums, and Paraiso is the apex of that blending style with a mouthfeel that’s nothing short of elegant. The most noticeable thing about the entry for the Facundo Paraiso rum is the mouth feel.
While both the Eximo and the Equisito have bourbon-like qualities to them, Paraiso does adopt a cognac-like nose where the aromas are very tightly integrated and challenging to single out. Instead it’s an unexpectedly subtle nose that requires quite a bit of digging through. Paraiso’s nose is a combination of vanilla, shortbread cookie, ginger, oak, cherry, and marzipan along with milk chocolate, salted caramel, and hazelnut. Unlike the Eximo and Exquisito, the nose for Paraiso doesn’t scream oak. The rum in Paraiso is blended and then rested in French cognac barrels which previously held XO cognac. Bacardi had to fight the rest of his family so furiously to get released. Bacardi has been recasting itself recently by re-embracing its Cuban heritage and Exquisito is a perfect example of that as it clearly harkens to the glory days of Bacardi in Cuba.Facundo Paraiso XA Rum (40% ABV / 80 proof, $250) – Bacardi doesn’t disclose the complete mix of rums for Paraiso aside from saying “up to 23 years in age” with the ” highest concentration of the oldest and finest rums of the collection”, but with a hand numbered label and a decanter bearing the family seal, we’re confident that this is the rum that Facundo L. As with the other rums in the Facundo collection, Exquisito comes in a stunning package: gold leaf art deco illustration and adorned with a gold plated stopper. The journey it takes from sweet and fruity to spicy is exquisite (excuse the pun), and it illustrates how a master rum blender can bring together two vastly different aged rums into a singular expression that rivals its individual parts. Of all the rums in the Facundo collection, the Exquisito gives the most well rounded and complete flavor experience. This spice helps define the finish which is quite long and slightly dry, showcasing smoky oak and vanilla with a touch of sherry. Towards the end of the midpalate, Exquisito becomes a lot more spicy with the addition of black pepper, clove, and an additional smoky oak note. One of the great things about Exquisito is that the initial sweet notes also intensify in the midpalate and help balance out the drier and spicier notes. This oak ramps up in the midpalate where it’s met with dried cherry, raisin, and sherry. These sweet and soft notes are quickly followed by an undercurrent of oak. The entry is slightly softer than the nose, with vanilla and brown sugar notes leading the charge. Like the Eximo, Facundo Exquisito does a great job of integrating these aromas into a complex and well integrated nose. The nose on Exquisito combines classic rum notes of vanilla and brown sugar with solid oak and dried cherry. Facundo Exquisito Rum (40% ABV / 80 proof, $90) is a blend of rums aged between 7 and 23 years and finished for at least a month in sherry casks.
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