Sipping tips: When you pick this up, I implore you to chew your food before swallowing. Most spirits taste harsh if you down them immediately (shots): you’re blasting your taste buds with high-proof alcohol. Take a small swig, let the liquid sit in your mouth, and hug every crevice for 4-5 seconds (open the taste buds). Down it. You’ll pick up all the flavors and truly know what the beverage tastes like. Once you do that 1-2 times, your palate is ready. Drink away. And to my NY’ers, I am sorry for all that wild language.
The last time I wrote about a single Brugal expression (Leyenda) was August 2025:
In last year’s article, I highlighted that I own their Colección Visionaria Edición Limitada 02 Ron (part of my collection piece). Fortunately, good friends also helped me snag the CV01, which I highlighted in the write-up below:
CV01, check. CV02, check. It’s only natural that this article discusses…ding ding ding…that CV03. To my friends who procured the CV01, thank you for helping me get the CV03. Here’s all three (for reference) →
A quick reminder, courtesy of Maestra Ronera Jassil Villanueva Quintana, regarding what the limited edition series represents:
…Colección Visionaria is a series of three limited editions inspired by iconic elements of Dominican culture. Through our pioneering Aromatic Cask Toasting process, each expression reveals a distinctive profile. — CV03
CV01’s distinctive profile: cacao
CV02’s distinctive profile: coffee
CV03’s distinctive profile: coconut [final in the trilogy]
For this final addition, I chose coconut because it is the rhythm of our island — from the shade of the palms to the ritual of coconut water shared among friends. In Colección Visionaria Edición 03, we have captured that warmth, creating a rum that is as much a tribute to our future as it is to our heritage — The Maestra
Disclaimers before we jump in:
This is a Brugal vs. Brugal analysis. I am not comparing it to other brands, rum-making styles in other countries, etc.
From what I understand, the toasting process will not transfer those specific tastes 1-for-1. The infusion/toast character certainly influences the taste of the rum, above and beyond what it would taste like without the combination (i.e., influences the wood character). But you shouldn’t go into the CV03 (for instance) expecting coconut. If you’ve read any of my rum reviews, you know that wouldn’t really fly with me anyhow; rum supposed to taste like rum.
All things considered, (1) giving the people a rum that is produced in limited batches, (2) centered & influenced by an agricultural product (beyond cane), (3) that allows us to have something unique to the DR…I love that (hence my collection bent on this series).
Colección Visionaria Edición 03
Sounding the siren for my Washington Heights (NYC) and Lawrence (MA) crew — your big brand did a good one with this expression. Let’s jump in.
The rum’s appearance is layered. If you look at it from above, there’s a beautiful ring of gold sitting at the top. As you look lower toward the base / bottom of the liquid, you get a more amber-reddish brown. Brugal: “Bright amber gold.” If viscosity in the glass is your thing—what many in the spirits industry call “legs”—then you’ll be pleased.
When I got a whiff of CV03’s aroma, lemon head candy dipped in vanilla & brown sugar is the only thing that my brain went to. There’s a sweetness to the nose that’s inviting, but also rounded out with a mild intensity; my guess — the toasted oak has something to do with that intensity. Nothing too crazy (i.e., 45% ABV). Brugal: “Creamy vanilla and burnt sugar reminiscent of caramel. Accompanied by sweet lemon, hints of coconut water, toasted/smoky nuances, and a touch of wood spice.” Also, for anyone drawing a blank on the lemon head candy, here you go →
First taste, a balance of creamy and sharp. I call that good balance. A lot more umph on the palate than you’d expect from Brugal (again, the toasting). I get it, special edition, you gotta give the people a bit more than they’d get from, say, the 1888. Brugal: “Creamy and enveloping with bright citrus notes of orange peel blend, sweetness of coconut water, vanilla, and caramel. Texture and depth are added with its woody and smoky character. A smooth finish with hints of toffee and almond.”
Second taste, that lemon head candy + vanilla/brown sugar is prominent. Man, I think this would pair magically with a medium-to-light-bodied cigar (and I understand the DR to be a prominent cigar nation); there’s just enough packing in the rum’s flavor department. Not overly complex, but you certainly won’t think it’s lacking in good flavor. Disclaimer: cigar novice, but decently good at recognizing good flavor in rum and what it would pair well with. The oak comes through ever so spic-y-ly on the finish — fantastic! Brugal: “Lingering echoes of spice, toasted oak, and a soft sweetness.”
I am surprised at how much I like this rum. Some cane spirits you can just sit and nurse while watching a film (for example). The CV03 works really well for a manageable sip-and-enjoy session. At $69.99 (SRP), less than 35,000 bottles (“Only six batches will be distilled and sold worldwide”), and it being the last of the trilogy, the CV03 is worth the wallet.
Before we wrap, a little bit of technicals for the keen eyes among us:
ABV: 90 proof / 45% ABV
Molasses rum, usually distilled to 95% ABV (continuous)
I believe that the CV03 follows the 1888 style. When Brugal says that the “[d]ouble aged rum is then added to the toasted cask,” I interpret this as the ex-bourbon + ex-Oloroso sherry rum is “finished in toasted new French oak casks.” I’m not reading this as the exact same 1888 recipe per se, but it’s a similar rum-making protocol. The toasted cask gives it the CV love. Disclaimer: I could be wrong, this is my educated analysis/guess.
That’s all folks. I interrupted my ‘writing break’ because I missed putting a bit of pen to papel. Rum & typing writing is a lovely combo, for me at least. I can imagine not so much for most. Whoa, I forgot to include some music in the damn mix. Here we go:
All in all, I’d recommend grabbing a bottle (for me / so that I can have another one for the collection stash) →
I’m out.
#rumresponsibly
