Aroma visualization from community tastings
Valinch & Mallet The Spirit of Art 1998
Opinions land all over the place on this 25-year-old Nicaraguan. Some tasters found a heavy, dark, almost Caroni-like smoky profile with cocoa, ashes and espresso, and one member "loved it." Others shrugged: lots of column-still character but thin on flavour, an earthy-musty note, and an alcohol bite that hints at the cheaper young stuff underneath. Wood-forward, drier than you'd expect, with red berries and vanilla.
The community says- Dark, smoky depth
- Red berries + vanilla
- But: Alcohol bite
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The look inside the bottle
How does Valinch & Mallet The Spirit of Art 1998 taste?
Aggregated from 18 community reviews.
Divisive, wood-forward aged Nicaraguan Genuinely divisive. Fans get dark smoke, cocoa and berries with well-integrated oak; skeptics find it woody, earthy and a bit hot, with more column character than depth.
Drinkers who like dry, wood-forward aged rum with dark, smoky notes
Anyone wanting sweet, easy sipping or put off by an alcohol bite
How the community classifies this rum. Each category takes you to similar rums.
Which glass for which rum? The community guide →
7 of 18 left detailed tasting impressions · Click an aroma to explore similar rums
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How is Valinch & Mallet The Spirit of Art 1998 rated?
RumX’s 0–10 scale is strict: 7.3 sits in the “Good” band. 66% of tasters rate it Good or better; only 0% rate it below average. See the full rating guide →
Community voices
What does the community say?
72% rate it between 6 and 8. 9 selected write-ups from 18 community ratings. You can view the complete list in our app.
Review by Adrien B
Most helpful positive review
B fumé cacao torréfié très sombre fumé charbon cendres Excellent, à un profil crade qui fait penser à un Caroni. Très surprenant. Est ce une erreur que l'échantillon ? On va prendre une bouteille pour tester !
Review by Kevin Sorensen 🇩🇰
Most helpful mixed review
#4123 This one was also a bit disappointing. Lightly fruity with a floral touch and some berries. The palate is oily and it draws really nice curtains in the glass. The empty glass has some caramel, leather and a hint of chocolate. I'd say that this set has failed and it's probably the last one I'm buying 🤔
Review by Jakob
Beautiful nose, with a more classic Nicaraguan profile on the palate and a somewhat disturbing earthy, musty note. Solid.
Review by Righrum
The taste is not so different from a standard 12yo, just a bit stronger, which is positive, but when sipping an unpleasant alcohol bite is there resembling the cheaper version. Still better than usual releases, but not interesting nor better than other FDC from IB
Review by Michael Schou
#1806 11-07-2026 - Rate 7.6 Second evening in a summer tasting with my mate Anders This was an nice rum to try. Have not tasted that many Nicaragua rums. Liked the nose more than the taste. Not that it’s a bad rum at all.
Review by Raul Valero Garcia
Tried this rum at whisky live Paris and loved it. Mild sweet at first and a bit bitter at the end with woody and earthy notes, expresso and olives praline. The nose is amazing.
Review by Pavel Spacek
Lightly smoked
Review by Johannes
Lots of column, little taste.
Review by Mihay Gonzalez
A delicious sipping rum! Lots of caramelized molasses and some bright red berries, with a hint of nuts. Wood and alcohol well integrated and not overpowering. A medium body, with very nice bouquet and a decent finish. Loved it!
Expert reviews
Reviews from RumX's blog partners, independent experts who have tasted, evaluated, and described this rum..
Expert review by The Dunder Hut
A really heavy relying on the spices nose, some apple brandy and dry wood. surpringly toned down sweetness on the palate and a lot of cask wood flavours. The cask overwhelms at the end, but not the train wreck one could get.
Live auctions
Current bids for this rum at Europe's leading auction houses.
Market value
What this bottle last achieved at auction. A research indicator, not a forecast.
Auction results 79 € – 97 €
from 2 sales, latest 07/2026
Prices incl. buyer's premium — what a buyer pays, not what a sale nets you.
Avg. community purchase price 130 €
What members paid for this bottle, self-reported. Not a market value — the purchases are over three years old at the median and unverified.
Details about Valinch & Mallet The Spirit of Art 1998
A Column Still Rum from Nicaragua, bottled by Valinch & Mallet, at 57,1%.
Community purchases
10 bottles logged by 7 collectors.
A drinker & collector.
30% opened, 1 emptied and repurchased.
What does Valinch & Mallet The Spirit of Art 1998 cost?
Community paid 120–250 €.
Current best price: 216.35 € – within the typical community range.
What members actually paid for their bottles. A typical range, not the current shop price. Full price & collection history in RX+ →
10 purchased · 18 tasted · 1 wishlist · as of
Read on in the RumX Guide
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I'm Oliver, and RumX began in 2018 as a small passion project in Stuttgart, back then under the name Rum Tasting Notes.
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