Product: Brinley’s Gold Mango Rum Producer: Brinley Gold Approximate Retail Value: $22/750 ml Category: Rum Country of Origin: Carribean Reviewer: R. Pietsch The F Words: Flavor – Like eating a ripe mango on a warm day. Feel – Heavy with an intense viscosity. Finish – Marvelous flavor hangs around until it’s time for the next sip.

Rating:

A friend of mine has always put little stock in my opinion of various alcohols. But when he heard that Malibu had a new mango-flavored rum, he asked me to review it as a favor to him. My previous experience with Malibu products left me in no rush to give it a taste. But upon learning that Brinley’s Gold was to start distributing their new Mango rum, I knew I had found a compromise and must get a bottle to give it a taste.

After a little hunting, I tracked it down. Brinley’s products are not easy to find on the shelves just yet, but their website will ship bottles just about anywhere that it’s legal to do so (for a very fair price at that).

Now I’m not a fan of sipping on flavored rums, but after having their vanilla rum my expectations were considerably higher than usual. So, it arrives in a bottle that feels much like Grey Goose (tall body, long neck and frosted glass) complete with a cork stopper and all. Not hesitating to pour a shot into a glass (neat), I took one whiff and it’s all over. It actually smells like mango. Fresh and ripe mango. It’s color is deep and the liquid is thick. Simple, but true. It coats the sides of the glass and sticks, like a mixture of half-honey, half-water.

The flavor is unparalleled. The balance is unbelievable. It’s sweet, but not too sweet. It’s a quality product, no doubt. It is ridiculously smooth for a whopping 72 proof (compare to the revolting bite of Bacardi flavors at 70 proof). It's easy enough to drink or sip on straight at room temperature.

My only qualm is that, while it is impeccably produced, it is too rich to be sipped for a considerable amount of time. I think just about everybody needs to taste this rum to understand just how exquisitely it is made, but I would not expect everyone to drink large quantities of it straight.

Where Brinley’s Mango makes up for this is in its ability to be mixed. Brinley’s puts other flavored rums to shame. I can’t wait for summer to come around just so I can make PITCHERS of Brinley’s Mango Mojitos. If nothing else, maybe my friend will forsake his beloved Malibu and try this fruity rum that has substance, depth and character.