About a month ago I had the distinct pleasure of visiting the Ron del Barrilito factory in Puerto Rico in the late afternoon. It was about 80 degrees and a couple of hours before sunset. A small The remnants of an old brick windmill graced the property. As we entered the bottling area to look for someone to speak with, we met Luis Planas, the master rum maker who generously spoke with us for about an hour. The beautiful aged casks were cellared just a few feet away, while Luis told us about the rum-making process and informed us that Ron de Barrilito would soon release a 4-star rum. He gave us a generous tasting which both briny and sweet, tasting of figs and raisins.
A few days after our visit to the factory, which consisted of a retail area, bottling facility and cellar, we went to a private rum tasting bar in Old San Juan. We splurged on a tasting of the 5-star Ron de Barrilito. The 5-star rum provided a deeper, richer color and flavor profile–like an amplified version of the 4-star. All of the Ron de Barrilito rums are high quality and reasonably priced for the quality, starting at about $35 in the U.S.
I give their rum 4.5 out of 5 stars.