Don Q Double Aged Zinfandel Cask Finish Rum
Don Q Double Aged Zinfandel Cask Finish Rum is Puerto Rican rum meets California wine country — a 40% ABV (80 proof) 750mL bottle of Don Q rum aged 5–8 years in American white oak, then rested a further three years in California Zinfandel wine casks. It's the Serrallés family's whisky-world move applied to rum: take an already-aged blend and finish it in wine wood until the cask becomes the story. Available to order online at Del Mesa Liquor, San Diego, CA.
- ABV / size: 40% ABV (80 proof) — 750mL
- Aging: double-aged — 5–8 years in American white oak, then 3 years in California Zinfandel casks (no age statement on label)
- Blend: rare rums from single and multiple-column distillations
- Origin: Destilería Serrallés, Ponce, Puerto Rico (est. 1865)
- Line: paired release with the Port Cask Finish expression
Three Years in Zinfandel Wood
Don Q's Double Aged program started with Cognac and Vermouth cask finishes; the Zinfandel expression is the fruit-forward turn. Three years in California Zinfandel barrels pushes the rum somewhere no core-range Don Q goes — tart red fruit, jammy brightness, and wine tannin over the familiar vanilla-and-caramel base. The Daily Pour (85) found the Zinfandel "pops with fruitiness in a unique and unusual way": funky brown sugar, maple, banana, and raisin bread on the nose; maple, caramel, toffee, red berries, cherry, and honey on the palate. Compare it with its sibling — the Don Q Double Aged Port Cask Finish — browse more rum, or explore the full Don Q range at Del Mesa.
Tasting Notes
Official sell-sheet copy: vanilla and citric notes with hints of dry wood, tobacco, and caramel; savory citrus with moderate-to-high dry wood and a mild-to-spicy long aftertaste. The Daily Pour adds maple, caramel, toffee, red berries, cherry, and honey with a short-to-medium finish. That Rum Drinker (6/10): prickly pear, strawberries, raspberries, vanilla, and polished wood on the nose; tart and acidic red fruits, manuka honey, and vanilla on the palate; sticky burnt-strawberry jam with tannins on the finish.
How to Enjoy
Neat or with a single cube — the wine-cask character is the point, and cola would bury it. It also makes a remarkable Old Fashioned variant with a Luxardo cherry.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does "double aged" mean?
The rum is aged twice: first 5–8 years in American white oak, then a further 3 years in Zinfandel wine casks.
How is it different from the Port Cask Finish?
Same base, different wine wood: the Zinfandel finish is brighter and tarter (red fruit, jam), while the Port finish is deeper (dried fruit, nuts, port wine).
Is Don Q a real distillery?
Yes — Destilería Serrallés in Ponce, Puerto Rico, founded in 1865, one of the Caribbean's great rum houses.
Caribbean rum, California soul — order Don Q Zinfandel Cask Finish online from Del Mesa Liquor, San Diego, CA.