Alambique Serrano Blend #11 "Besadiablos"

Alambique Serrano Blend #11 "Besadiablos" is a five-cask, cask-strength rum produced from Java sugarcane harvested at over 3,000 feet above sea level in the mountains of Santa María Tlalixtac, Oaxaca. Distilled by the third-generation Krassel family at Alambique Serrano, this is high-altitude rum from a region better known for mezcal, and it stands as the spiritual successor to 2024's Matadiablo release. The blend marries pot still rum with spirit from the Krassel still, a specialized still design unique to the distillery, and includes 14% unaged, high-ester pot still rum for extra funk and complexity. The Krassel family has spent years adapting both traditional and engineered distillation techniques to the steep, mist-covered hillsides they call home in Oaxaca's Cañada region. Blend #11's aging programme is where much of the architectural complexity is built: the rum spent time in New French Oak, New Hungarian Oak, ex-red wine American Oak, ex-rum American Oak, and ex-bourbon American Oak casks, each contributing its own layer before the five were brought together. It was bottled at cask strength, 59.6% ABV, with no water, sugar, or colouring added, a transparent, full-proof expression of the blend exactly as it emerged from the barrels. The nose shows walnuts, grilled pineapple, and dried berries, while the palate offers toasted walnuts, fruit leather, grilled pineapple, and dried pine leaves. It is remarkably potent yet nimble, with dozens of layers to unpack over slow, deliberate sips. This is a rum that rewards patience and attention, best suited to those who approach spirits the way they approach mezcal or single malt whisky: with curiosity and without ice. Pair it with dark chocolate, aged cheese, or grilled tropical fruit to match its intensity and layered sweetness. In stock at Off Premise in Lincoln Park.