El Paujil

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

El Paujil is polished golden copper colored rum, with are light and subtly sweet aromas, including the delicate scent of frangipani flowers, apricot, pear, spice, caramel, and very little bitter alcohol to bother your nose.  The initial taste is floral, accompanied immediately by flavors of butterscotch, vanilla and banana (nice and not overwhelming), with a slightly sweet flavor of added sugar and caramel.  Overall, the taste reminds me of a cross between Panama’s Seco  and the 2 year old mildly spiced rums you find in the Grenadines.  Judging by the color and aroma before sipping, the medium-full body is a complete (though pleasant) surprise.  Dry fruity spice – like clove with orange – characterizes the flavors, making the limited but smooth finish all the more refined.  A slight sweetness remains on your lips while the throat ends dryly.  Finally, El Paujil delivers a bit more than you expect; it’s actually a pretty interesting, if delicate finish.

Anecdotal Notes
El Paujil will very likely be difficult to find.  I purchased the bottle pictured here from a bar owner in the eastern Caribbean on the tiny, sleepy and beautiful island of Mayreau.  My shipmates and I were hot and thirsty for a lot of rum drinks after hiking up and over Mayreau’s hill. At Combination Café, I spied an unfamiliar rum bottle behind the bar. Always eager to sample a new rum, I had to try a snifter full.  I was instantly and favorably disposed toward El Paujil.  I struck a bargain to purchase the bottle for $18, , for this was surely the best rum we were going to find on the island,  and then“drinks all around” as is their custom.  A nearly empty bottle was all that remained by nightfall (thus explaining the rather depleted looking picture of the bottle at left).

Taster's Opinion
Okay, so El Paujil won’t win any awards in the ‘complexity-from-aging-in-the-dungeon-till-brown’ contests so en vogue today.  So what?  It drinks well during a hot day, it’s easy on the wallet and the senses, stands up to sipping all by itself, and mixes well.  El Paujil is one of those unassuming little surprises, a rum that delightfully delivers beyond your simple expectations.

Taster's Rating (10 is best):  Dave - 7.5 flasks

Most Recently reviewed by: Dave, September 2008 on Mayreau, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Eastern Caribbean.

*750ml unless otherwise stated.