Don Q Cristal Rum Review

Don Q Cristal Rum is a budget-friendly light rum with no additives and a light, clean flavor profile, making it good for mixed drinks. But it’s so light-bodied that it bears more resemblances to vodka than the spirit on the label.

Tasting Notes

Color: Absolutely clear, with thick legs that creep slowly down the side of the glass. Clearly, the filters have done their job: Though Cristal contains a blend of rums aged up to five years, it doesn’t look like it spent a day in a barrel.

Nose: It would be easy to mistake the nose for a vodka’s: There’s a slight mustiness and a hint of lemon, but the predominant note is alcohol.

Palate: Lightly sweet, with notes of cane sugar, coconut, banana, and melon, a light citrus tang, and a hint of spearmint

Finish: A dry, slightly harsh charcoal flavor lingers on the back of the tongue and in the throat post-swallow. Given how light the rum is, the finish lingers surprisingly long.

Our Review

Don Q has been making Puerto Rican rum since 1865: a light, column-distilled spirit that may not be as thrilling to rum geeks as, say, a Jamaican pot still rum, but which has a smooth, elegant, approachable style that’s all its own. 

The producer launched Cristal in 1978, when the goal of most spirits was to taste like vodka. “Light” and “smooth” were the watchwords of the day, and if that’s what you’re looking for, Cristal delivers. Don Q goes so far to say on its website that Cristal is a great vodka substitute in cocktails, and indeed, it makes a fine Collins or Gimlet. As for rum cocktails, it makes a perfectly adequate if unspectacular Mojito or Daiquiri. 

But in the end, the problem with a rum that tastes like vodka is that it doesn’t taste that much like rum. Yes, it has enough telltale sweet tropical fruit notes to peg its origins to the tropics and not the frozen tundra. But while it’s clean and smooth and light, it lacks a certain something—let’s call it pizazz—that separates the really good stuff from the rest of the pack. This is a solid “rest of the pack” brand, featuring no added sugar or flavorings, at a price that encourages mixing on a blowout-party level. But if you want a white/light rum with more personality, it’s best to spend a little more and opt for The Real McCoy, Probitas, or Owney’s. And to get more of a sense of what Don Q can do, check out its excellent aged rums, such as the Gran Reserva.