Reviewer: Tashtego
Distillery: Legado
Origin: Arroyos y Esteros, Paraguay
Bottle Size: 750 ml
Bottle Count: Unstated
ABV: 60%
Distilled: Unstated
Base Material: Cane honey
Still: Pot still
Aging specs: Aged 30 months in American oak bourbon casks
Bottled: Unstated, purchased 2025
Nose: Brown sugar, citrus, whisky
Palate: Fresh grass, lime, caramel, vanilla, eucalyptus
Finish: Sweetgrass, lemon
The third in our series of rums from Legado distillery in Paraguay, we have an aged pot still rum made from cane honey. How exactly cane honey differs from molasses or cane syrup isn’t immediately clear online, but certainly it’s closer to a traditional molasses rum vs. the other two Paraguay rums we’ve reviewed that were made from sugar cane juice (Pampas Zorro and its aged version). The cane honey rum is labeled under the Rolling Fork brand, and it’s been aged in Paraguay for nearly 30 months in ex-bourbon casks and bottled at 60%. The label features the national flower of Paraguay, the blue passionflower.
The nose isn’t that revealing, but I do get a honeyed aroma with citrus and some barrel notes. It’s probably the most muted of the 3 Paraguay rums, and I’d be very curious to try this in its unaged form - but we don’t have that, we only have the Pampas Zorro (the cane juice version). Tasting this is almost like having a mixed drink - it’s almost like a whisky sour. You get some barrel, lime, sugar - smooth but also tangy and zippy. There are some grassy notes, despite the fact that this isn’t made from cane juice, and some medicinal character (eucalyptus, herbal notes). It’s another 60% rum that’s surprisingly sessionable - bright and warm. I’m glad this was bottled when it was - it’s teetering on the edge of being over-oaked, but the wood isn’t distracting yet.
On Taste, I’ll give this one a 3 for its cocktail-like integration of different flavors. For Haste, it’s a 3 as well due to its affordable $30 price tag. You could do a lot worse for that price, and you could sip this or mix with it (in any drink that calls for an overproof rum).
These 3 Paraguay rums from Rolling Fork all punch above their weight. If I’m ranking all three, I’ll go #1 Pampas Zorro, #2 this cane honey rum, and #3 the aged cane juice bottle. You could buy the whole set for well under $100. Maybe Paraguay isn’t at the top of your rum origins, but these are worth checking out. I’m shocked at how much I like them, and how often I’ve gone back to sip these since acquiring them over a year ago. These bottles comprise an interesting study in aging and are worthy additions to a rum collection.
Taste/Haste Scale: 3 / 3
