Now here’s the part where I had intended to tie this to one of my goto rums (for silver/white) that would be a constant recommendation for readers of this site – which is Don Q. I would then say that despite this I am not a fan of the gold. However like trying to flip an omelet overhand I have quite the egg on my face, and I will make sure to review the clear spirit in the future.
I got this to hopefully contrast (and to see if it improved my lime-based summer-y drinks – spoiler it really didn’t despite me not scoring) my typical white rum antics. (I normally just through some random juices and citrus and see what happens) This however is just overall distasteful and since I know often gold rums are more like changes and extensions to the normal spirit.
What they Say: “Don Q Gold is a favorite of those searching for a classic rum taste. With a similar production process to Cristal—but more flavor to punch up a traditional rum cocktail—it’s aged 1 1/2 to 5 years, smooth, and easy-to-drink. Our carbon filtration process removes impurities but leaves all the delicious rummy flavors. Give Gold a try when you’re being creative behind the bar.”
Taste: 5.0 – Here the rum taste is fairly par for the course.
Aftertaste: 2.5 – However we get this weird tartness almost like a citrus, and then it leaves you with an awful lingering taste. I love you Don Q for my summer mixing white rum needs – but this gold is not doing well.
Burn/Smooth: 3.0 – Smooth and no burn are simply not words I would never use when describing this rum.
Aroma: 1.0 – I will admit this might be the memories of the past haunting me, but a whiff of this literally sends me into a coughing fit that ends in a ‘please don’t vomit’ sort of thought process. I give it a point for the benefit of the doubt.
Honesty: 4.0 – This is far from something that would be considered easy-to-drink (although it might mix well), but they lie about being smooth or this being what one wants from a ‘classic rum’.
Mixability: 3.75
W/ Rocks: 3.5 – I mean. It’s not bad. Overall though still a hard pass.
Rum and Coke: 4.0 – I mean sure it’s a rum and coke, but not a good one. I’m sorry but if you are not a sipping rum or a coke rum – than what is your purpose?
Value: 3.0 – I would normally say you pay for what you get, but if you don’t think this is good neat, rocked, or coked – what are you paying money for?
Google Shop Average: $12
Website: http://donq.com/
Reviewer Scores:
BuffaloJern: 2.5
Want to compare this spirit against our archives? Visit our statistics page.
Metric Score: 22.25/70 |+| Metric Average: 3.18 |+| Reviewer Average: 2.5
New to Honest Booze Reviews, or just wondering how we score? See our FAQ/Review Policy.
Final Thoughts: I haven’t been a huge purveyor of gold rum on this site, but unlike gold tequila which tends to improve things (or at least change them for other usage) this is just an awful rum in any manner of usage.
