Time for a summery update of the sugar list. 24 new entries in total. Quite a few Plantation releases, some local Scandinavian brands, a few spiced and flavoured rums. A little bit of everything.
What caught my eye is the lower sugar content of the latest Bacardi Reserva Ocho in comparison to the Bacardi 8. Also, we have another ron with a high level of added sugar and a misleading label. No surprise there. Misleading consumers is still common in the rum category, especially when it comes to rons. In this case it's Barceló Imperial 40 Aniversario.
Fancy bottle, added sugar and a big number on the label has been an ancient recipe for success. A lot of consumers keep seeing these things as a sign of quality and value. Some don't look at the word that's written underneath the number, or they don't know what it means, and regard it as an age statement. Even a lot of retailers sell it as products with an age statement. Think Zacapa 23 and Dictador with their non existing solera. Plantation XO 20th, which is a 20th anniversary. With Barceló it's a 40th anniversary. Producers know this misleading approach is good for their sales numbers and for lining their pockets with cash. Low production cost and a high sales price equals great profit. The consumer is left to believe that this is what premium rum is supposed to be.
I had a quick look at some reviews of this product. A lot of them raving about the beautiful bottle. It strengthens my belief that if you'd present these fancy bottle rums/rons to the same people in a blind tasting, their reviews would be vastly different. I'd love to hear their thoughts, especially what they'd be willing to pay for the product. Blind tastings can be confronting and eye opening at the same time. They are tough, but it's a great learning experience for yourself. Do it in your own home, so you don't have the feeling someone's trying to embarrass you.
Click here for the list, or use the "sugar list" link at the top of the page.
Updates that happened after March 2021 are at the bottom of the list. However, you can sort it by name, ABV, sugar and date.
