Don Q Gran Anejo

Don Q Gran Añejo is a rum from the Don Q line, listed here with a Massachusetts, United States designation. The name signals an aged, dark-leaning rum, and that style usually sits between a golden mixing rum and a full sipping pour. Expect a amber to deep gold color, with aromas of vanilla, toasted oak, caramel and dried fruit. Rums in this category often add baking spice, a little orange peel and a soft molasses sweetness. The palate is usually smooth and medium-bodied, with a dry, gently oaky finish. These are expectations for the category, not a measured profile of this bottle. Served neat, an añejo style like this does best at cool room temperature, or with a single large ice cube if you want it slightly softer and less sweet. A small tulip glass, a Glencairn or a rocks glass works. The narrow-mouthed glasses concentrate the vanilla and oak aromas, while a rocks glass suits slow sipping over ice. A few drops of water can open up the oak and spice. It also works well with dark chocolate, roasted nuts, aged cheeses such as manchego, and grilled pineapple or other caramelized fruit. In cocktails, the Rum Old Fashioned is the most natural fit. Stir 2 oz of rum with a bar spoon of demerara syrup and two dashes of Angostura bitters over a large cube, then express an orange peel over the top. An aged rum also makes a richer Daiquiri than a white rum does. Use 2 oz rum, ¾ oz fresh lime juice and ¾ oz simple syrup, shaken hard and served up in a coupe. In a Dark 'n' Stormy, it gives a smoother, rounder base than the usual black rum, under a spicy ginger beer with lime. It will also work in a Mojito or a Piña Colada if you prefer a fuller, caramel-toned version. If your goal is a crisp, light highball, a white rum is the better choice, because the oak and sweetness of an aged bottle will show through.