Objective Notes

Very Smooth (on the RnD scale of Harsh-Smooth-Very Smooth-Extremely Smooth)

The light brown shade of amber indicates lengthy aging in oak and probably no added (caramel) coloring.  Gently warming aromas are inviting, balanced between traditional craftsmanship and sublime sweetness, and include brown sugar, light caramel, vanilla, nice blend of oak from fresh and older casks, roasted walnuts, the slightest essence of frangipani, banana and spice, with a clean 45% ABV that speeds the delivery of the aromas. A dry, medium-weight body slowly spreads the rum’s warmth over the palate at the onset of tasting, less sweet than the aromas with a new complexity, very mildly earthy with oak and vanilla, dry aged leather, mild tobacco, and touches of praline.  The finish is long, consistent with the taste and aromas, sweetening perfectly as it tapers away, inviting another sip. 

Naturally fermented molasses and double distilled.  A classy rum in a unique six-sided fluted bottle that appears star shaped when viewed from top down, and cinched up in red velour pouch with drawstring closure.

Anecdotal Notes

In 1953, Jaime Omario Perdomo Sr. opened a bar in Belize City, and called  it Travellers, due to his customers, who were usually enroute to somewhere else. The bar featured spiced and blended rums modoifed from local production.  Seeking a consistently high quality source for his emerging brand One Barrel, Don Omario, partnered with Luis Alberto Espat to build a distillery in Belmopan, and eventually brought his sons Romel and Mayito into the business in the 1970’s.  A quality product and an enthusiastic family soon made the Don Omario’s rum business prosper, such that by 1989 the distillery was wholly owned by the Omario family, and named Travellers Liquors Ltd.  Today, you’ll see a small, clean,

efficient bottling plant within the Travellers’ Heritage Center, and the people working inside seem genuinely happy, proud yet humble, and enthusiastic about their work and products.  For a more thorough history of Don Omario and Traveller’s rum, please view here:

http://www.onebarrelrum.com/our_history.html

Don Omario rum was introduced in late 2008 to honor the rum’s namesake and distillery founder Don Omario Perdomo during the opening ceremony of the Heritage Center museum and bottling plant.  Travellers’ new top-line product is aged 10 years, and is available only at the Heritage Center, which is fortunately only a few minutes taxi ride from the international airport in Belize City, at:

2.5 Miles Northern Highway

Belize City, Belize

Tel: (501) 223-2855

Open 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday-Saturday

Taster’s Opinion

Dave – Following a lead given me at a local rum bar in Belize City that the maker of 5 Barrel had a ten year old aged rum for sale, but only at the Heritage Center of Traveller’s Distillery, I had my taxi driver stop by enroute to the Airport.  True enough, the wonderful spirit of Don Omario and the rare 10 year old rum were at there. The display of well preserved traditional distilling equipment in the museum makes the side trip well worth the small effort required, and complimentary samples of every liquor produced by Traveller’s is a special bonus.

Taster's Rating (10 is best):

Dave - 8.5 Flasks

Most recently reviewed by: Dave, February 2010 at Traveller’s Heritage Center, Belize City, Belize.