Alambique Serrano 4 Años Single Cask #374 - “Binny’s Beverage Depot”
Reviewer: Tashtego (with notes from Pickwick)
Distillery: Alambique Serrano
Origin: Oaxaca, Mexico
Bottle Size: 700 ml
Bottle Count: 290
ABV: 59.1%
Distilled: June 2021
Base Material: Sugarcane juice
Still: Krassel column still
Aging specs: Aged for 4 years in a new French oak barrel in an underground cellar
Bottled: November 2025
Nose: Lemon pound cake, anise, caramel
Palate: Limoncello, caramel, lemon bars, jasmine tea, spa water, flowering garden, cardamom, vanilla
Finish: Spiced honey
The Krassel Brothers at Alambique Serrano down in Oaxaca practice alchemy. They take sugarcane juice and turn it into so many different things it boggles the mind — and the palate. This expression is another entry in their 4 Años collection, and it’s bottled for Binny’s Beverage Depot. It came out quietly a few months ago, and it’s still widely available for $79 throughout their stores in the Chicago area. The fact that it’s still on the shelves is probably due to the fact that there are just so many Alambique Serranos that it’s nearly impossible to know which ones are the big winners.
This one is a big winner. On the nose it’s straight-up lemon pound cake. What’s your favorite lemon dessert? It’s in here. There are also some baking spices that pop up, but it’s overwhelmingly a citrus aroma that’s unlike any other rum I’ve ever tried. The palate really pays off the nose, too - it’s like distilled limoncello. You pick up more lemony desserts, complemented by some spa water and floral notes. This bottle would feel right at home at a high tea service. The usual Alambique Serrano spices have been sprinkled in, including a nice hit of cardamom. I get just a wisp of “horse blanket” (wet hay) that you often find with aged cane juice rums, but it’s not too distracting. The finish is mostly honey, but spiced honey (with some pleasant herbs).
Where does all the lemon come from, given that this is cane juice distillate aged in new French oak? I imagine no one knows, and that’s fun. That means it’s magic. When their much-ballyhooed Pico Canoa was released in 2025, everyone noted its explosion of watermelon. No one at Alambique Serrano could really explain it. And what Pico Canoa is to watermelon, this Binny’s pick is to lemon. And while I loved the Pico Canoa, I think this bottle is even better because I prefer lemon over watermelon.
This is a solid 5 on Taste. While I’ve mostly talked about the unique lemon note, it’s also just a standout rum in general. It’s sweet and caramelly with nice spice accents. For Haste, we’re giving it a 4. You know Alambique Serrano is going to churn out more hits, so it’s not like you have to chase every great bottle. If you find yourself in the Chicago area, and you love interesting cane juice rums, you’d do well to grab yourself this 4 Años while you still can. It’s magic in a bottle.
Taste/Haste Scale: 5 / 4
