On paper, Mexico should be a prime rum producer. It grows abundant sugar cane, it has the right climate in many spots, it’s between Cuba and Central America in terms of latitude. Parts of it face the Caribbean, where much of the rum in the world’s bars comes from. Finding good Mexican rum like Ron Potosi isn’t easy though.
So far though, I haven’t found much rum at all from Mexico, much less a brand that’s good enough to be sipped neat. I had heard for years though about a rum called Ron Potosi Añejo from the sugar cane region of that namesake state. I had always come up empty when looking for it though and figured it was an El Dorado type story about some mythical product that didn’t really exist. Even when I was in the Huasteca region waterfall jumping and rafting, I couldn’t find it in the local supermarket or liquor store near my hotel.
So I got a jolt of excitement when I was back in Guanajuato this month and found the bottle pictured here in the Mega supermarket, for 160 pesos. (At today’s exchange rate, that’s less than $10).
I won’t say this is the best bottle of rum I’ve ever tasted, but Ron Potosi is the best $8 bottle of rum for sure. I wish I could find it more often.
Compared to what else I’ve found that’s made in Mexico—cheap cocktail rum and more expensive but disappointing Ron Prohibido—this one takes the crown. In a country best known for tequila and mezcal, rum just hasn’t been taken seriously it seems, despite a high level of domestic consumption.
Ron Potosi Tasting Notes
The first impression of this anejo rum is good, but it’s in the finish where it really shines. It has a nice caramel and vanilla nose, but in the initial sip the alcohol takes too much of a lead, despite Mexico’s 38 percent level. Once that dissipates, however, you are left with a balanced warmth that at least tries to reach the level of the best rums from Central America. It has all the right elements, they just don’t come together as flawlessly as they do in a bottle costing four times as much.
There’s no indication of how long this is aged, so I’m guessing at least four years based on the color (unless coloring is added—hopefully not). The company produces an extra añejo version too marked as 8 years, but considering how many years it took me to find this bottle, it might be a while before I get a chance to review that one.
I had some minor quibbles about balance and complexity when sipping this neat, but Ron Potosi is a downright excellent cocktail rum. Better than mass market Meyers, Appleton, or Bacardi, but at a much better price within Mexico. If it keeps selling at this price, you won’t feel guilty about combining it with ice and a mixer.
Easier to Find in the Future?
Ron Potosi hails from the city of Ciudad Valles in San Luis Potosi, which is best known for its adventure activities. It’s also a major sugar cane growing area though. A news story in Spanish from the local newspaper last year noted that the local government is spending a lot on infrastructure in the area. It is hoping that leads to luring this the rum company’s distillery and aging warehouses back to the area. They’re currently in Aguas Calientes, in another state.
If that happens, the company plans to provide tours and a tasting room as well, so fingers crossed for the future.
2024 update: We still can’t figure out where the processing and aging is taking place these days to see if it has moved, but Ron Potosi has a slick new website with information on their rum and it appears from their Facebook page that they have a boutique store in the city of San Luis Potosi, the capital of the state. The contact page just leads to WhatsApp, but it looks like they’re here to stay. Hopefully they’ll get wider distribution in the coming years.
Hi, I one found this rum a few years ago in NYC.
The bottle was way different then. Less modern.
They only had one. Been hunting it ever since.
I have a collection of over 100 rums, but liked this one a LOT!
I see this article was written in May 2017.
Since then, do you know if it can be purchased anywhere online?
Thanks
I haven’t seen it anywhere in the USA yet.
Hi Kenny,
Just saw your comment while searching for this Rum online to gift to my manager. I was hoping to find the newer version online, but I’m not seeing it. Were you able to find it anywhere else? If not, let me know if you’re still searching for it. I go back twice a year and really need to stock up on this, but probably not until 2020.
Word is that the company ceased all operations, but recently came back in this new form. I believe they’re using the supply that was left over. I have yet to inquire about its current status. Hoping someone will pick up where they left off and continue distilling it.
Don’t know if you are still on this website. it’s been 3 years. I did find one, the Blanco version.
It was in Juniper Liquors, Rego Park NYC.
Any luck on your end?
I would need a place that can ship to New york
You can taste it on the “La opera” bar in downtown in Mexico city too. And a few blocks from there is the licour store “La Europea” you can buy there all its varieties of ron potosÃ
I live in Cancun. This rum is up there with some of the good ones I have drank in Cuba, Costa Rica and Venezuela.
Great article as well mate. I will be following.
Thanks for the post.
Thanks for the feedback Bryce. It only it wasn’t so hard to find!
According to an article in the Universal, very recent, this rum company is coming back to life.
Never before heard about this rum, but supposedly, it was up there with the best rums in the world.
During my teenage years me and my friends drank Presidente or that other rum that is also made in Puerto Rico and Cuba – these were awful so bad. Only reason we drank this awful Bacardi or Presidente during the town fiesta was because this is the only alcoholic drinks were available. Real bad rums.
You ought to try zacapa, a rum from Guatemala. Pretty good.
Yes, we’ve reviewed a few from Zacapa, they’re terrific.