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Barbancourt 5 Stars 8 Years Réserve Spéciale
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Newcomers and cane-juice-curious drinkers get the most out of this Haitian oddity. Made from sugarcane juice yet it drinks more like a molasses rum — light honey, vanilla and cane sugar on the nose, then oak, pepper and spice on the palate. Most call it "smooth, not overly complex," with a short finish. The 43% alcohol isn't always well integrated.
The community says- Unique cane-juice profile
- Easy to drink
- Keep in mind: Short finish
Offers & prices
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Offers & prices
No shop currently delivers to Germany.
Auction results: 28–34 € (2 sales in 24 months, incl. buyer's premium, latest 04/2025). How the range is built ›
The look inside the bottle
How does Barbancourt 5 Stars 8 Years Réserve Spéciale taste?
From community reviews · summarized with AI
Easy, spicy cane-juice rum, short finish A pleasant, easy Haitian that splits people: fans call it a unique, well-priced sipper, while enthusiasts find it thin, short and a touch hot for the flavor it gives.
Aroma profileBeginners and drinkers curious about Haitian cane-juice rum
People chasing depth, length and big flavor
Style & occasion: Fresh & grassySipping neatCocktails & mixing
Full aroma profile Aroma families · nose & palate · top aromas
Relative to this rum's strongest aroma family
48 of 153 left detailed tasting impressions · Click an aroma to explore similar rums
Which glass for which rum? The community guide ›
Buying advice
Is it right for you?
Yes, if you're after characterful, fresh, grassy rums for sipping neat.
Similar in style and available now.
Rated better
Fruitier
Afro-Caribbean Rum Equiano Light7.2/10 (27)35.38 €
Similar rating, cheaper
Plantation Barbados 5 Years7.1/10 (281)28.56 €
Sweeter
Plantation Gran Añejo (Guatemala & Belize)7.3/10 (325)27.47 €
Milder
Barbancourt Rhum vieux Réserve du Domaine7.5/10 (184)60.88 €
51 rated both: 33 scored it higher, 11 scored Barbancourt 5 Stars 8 Years Réserve Spéciale higher, 7 gave both the same score.
What does the community say?
153 community reviews
Rating scale & review checks
On RumX, 7 means “Good” and 8 means “Very good”.
See the full rating guideHow ratings are made and how we check them ›The website shows a selection of written reviews. The distribution also includes ratings without text. All published reviews are available in the RumX app.
42 selected written reviews
The distribution above includes all 153 ratings, including those without text.
Review by JST MLLR
Most helpful positive review
Super rum, really quality, worth its price. A must-have for a rum collector or someone who wants to have a good cellar to offer!
Review by Julien Ries
Most helpful critical review
A bottle given by my sister for Christmas 2024. On the nose, quite flattering on fruit with baked apple, with a little vanilla and grey pepper. The palate is quite strong in alcohol, with an integration of the alcohol that could have been better. Few aromas apart from light vanilla and a tiny bit of oak. A very ephemeral finish that leaves nothing memorable. Not much to say about this rum, which remains pleasant but forgettable.
Review by cigares
A rum tasted at the Lucerne Gin and Rum Festival 2024. A nose of bitter root, like gentian, but also sugar, yellow fruit and a herbaceous side. The palate is very bitter and alcoholic, a gentian spirit? But also with a sweet/honey side. The finish is short, leaving only bitterness in the mouth. To the untrained eye, you'd think it was a slightly sweet root liqueur rather than a rum. That said, it's pleasant on the palate and well made. I like it less than the 4-year-old.
Review by Galli33
I tried this rum at a local bar… Very sweet, round, soft and spicy rum. I didn’t like it much, because it’s not the kind of rum I’ used to drink. I can recommend it to beginners or guys who want to make the next step 😜 Also the alcohol isn’t integrated well.
Review by Kevin Sorensen 🇩🇰
Considering the price tag you get a lot for your money. Beautiful colour with fruity caramel nose and sweet on the palate. Could be a good beginner rum i think.
Review by Eugene227
This rum feels slightly sweet, spicy, and pleasantly distinctive. Wood, sugarcane, light fruit notes, and an almost cognac-like elegance give it significantly more character than many standard rums in this price range. An honest, straightforward sipping rum with a strong price-enjoyment ratio.
Review by TheJackDrop
Tasted at the Rhum Fest Paris, partial notes. EDIT: too simple and not long enough. It's rather funny, I don't have points of comparison with other Barbancourt in my memory. Overall too watery and a bit alcoholic for that strength, but otherwise the nose is melon/watermelon then the palate is all about spices, almost only that...
Review by Johannes
Flavor very thin, but alcohol better integrated.
Review by Eric Frechin
It can be a good introduction for someone starting with rum, due to its low price and simplicity. It still remains a bit alcoholic and slightly spicy. But it also offers some pleasant palettes of sugar, vanilla, herb. I preferred it to the 15 years.
Review by Rare Akuma
Something I keep on hand as a mixer, but lets see how it stands up on its own. On the nose and in the mouth a mellow, but flat profile. Sparse dried fruits, burnt sugar and barrel notes. Mineralic with rainwater, but really no complexity and nothing to excite the senses.
Review by Rick Meyer
Didn’t know what to expect on this one but enjoyed it in every way. Nose and palate are completely different. Tasty!
Review by Godspeed
A very odd and unique bird in the rum world. Made from pure cane juice but you would swear it’s a molasses rum. The Limousine barrels or the second distilling in pot stills must work magic because it’s unlike any other pure cane juice rhum you’ve ever tried. My issue with Barbancourt is this: As a technical oddity I find it fascinating but if someone had told me this is just another smooth bajan or st lucian rum I would’ve enjoyed it but then quickly forgotten about it. Yes, it’s unique in cane juice rums, but the flavor of that uniqueness is not itself unique. I love it to be sure but I dont enjoy it more than I do, say, a standard bottle of chairman’s reserve. Special note must be made to their production methods where they do genuinely help a lot of small farmers in Haiti.
Review by crazyforgoodbooze
Alcohol could be a little better integrated but all in all a solid Haiti rum.
Review by Ty Hill
Sweet like cane sugar, mild bite, fairly short finish. A decent sip, not the most complex, but fair and enjoyable. Terrific in cocktails but can be drank neat in a pinch or for something new.
Review by JB
Round and very balanced. A rather "flat" nose, but full of complexity and flavor. Very pleasant
Review by Rum Runner Labs - Will
Woody, but in a really sawdusty way. Refractometer: 15.0% brix
Review by RumCzar
This rhum has grown endearing over time. At first I was disappointed that the flavors of the Haitian OP were subdued by the cask aging, but compared to it's contemporaries it's managed to keep a lot of flavor without becoming overly woody. I drink this neat. I will rebuy.
Review by Righrum
A light rum, mainly driven by sugar and caramel notes. Great price to quality, as I paid 20€ for a bottle, this could be a great entry level for beginners while rum lovers could skip it, the sweetness is too relevant and almost artificial (even if I do not think this rum does have any additive)
Review by Émile Shevek
Intense, pungent, notes of solvent and pepper, but without finish or depth, honeyed notes far away.
Review by High Ester Maitai
Nose is light. Sweet with honey and sugar cane and oak counter. Taste is much more interesting. Oak, spice, pepper and toasted notes. All this with a touch of sugar cane sweetness. In-between all of that is cacao and really dark caramel. All is really nice combine. Finish is medium-short with quickly fading spice and more present sweetness Overall it is really nice rum for sipping and cocktails. I think it should be more define and have stronger flavour
Review by Mátyás Géczy
Illat: alkoholos, majd gyümölcsök, enyhe mandarin, már érezni a borsosságot az orrban. Enyhe vanília is megérkezett. Íz: az alkohol az ízében is érződik, borsos, csípős. Mazsola és aszalt szilva érkezik. Lecsengés: bors és fűszerek, minimális keserűség, szárazság. Az aszaltgyümölcsök, főként szilva, itt a végén is érződik. Összességében nem rossz rum, de kilóg az alkohol és ízekben sem túl intenzív.
Review by Hogo Monster
First impressions are it's a nice sipper but would not think of it as an agricole without being told. Looking forward to putting this in some cocktails, but probably won't sip it much more.
Review by Todd Craig
Oak forward with notes of pepper and spices. Short finish but doesn't leave the pallet dry. Great example of a quality Haitian Rhum.
Review by Jeremy Beranger
Woody and alcoholic smell.... On the palate the bitterness is very present until the (short) finish Good rum but nothing special
Review by Julien BEUZON
Closer to a Jamaican than a clairin, this Haitian stands out with a rather gourmand nose with notes of slightly cooked tropical fruits, slightly woody vanilla. On the palate, it stays on these tropical fruits. Dry profile and medium but pleasant finish.
Review by Pandemonia
This one was a bit strange to me, but probably because it's just after a 2 week period of only excellent (mostly) AOC Agricoles. And this one is kind of in-between molasses rum and sugarcane agricole rums for me. Maybe not unexpected, but it was not all in a good way, not a true, neutral middle of the two. While it has some taste notes of mocha, spice and woodiness with a certain but small backbone, it overall seems kind of thin. It does not go far in any direction but seems small. The aftertaste is short and feels equally disappointing in a way I struggle to explain. It is not watery but definitely in the area of feeling diluted. It struggles to find its place and above all should punch noticeably stronger in the direction it chooses. As it is, it is too unassuming, weak and diluted to stand out among giants. That said it is not a bad rum. For my part I will use this in cocktails with a clean conscience.
Review by TNTspeed
Unique tones, sweet but easy
Review by Dave Dahlgren
Väldigt lätt len och behaglig att dricka. Söt och karamellig vanilj ekig. En bra fransk rhum för noob s
Review by Solidfunk
Perfume and vanilla. A touch of harshness and then caramel. Harsh then smoothe.
Review by Mark Leggett
Did not smell like I expected. Dried fruit, caramel and woody hints. Flavor follows the smell with some earthy hints. First rum from Haiti I have had and I enjoyed it. Not tired it as a mixer yet but I'm sure it would work in many different aspects.
Review by Kay Meertens
Rubber. Finish is nutty with caramel.
Review by Max13
Smooth, not overly complex,
Review by Jo Hoo
HH Whisky Live 2026
Review by Richard Krupa
Not bad for an agricole. When I first tasted it six months ago, I didn't like it at all. Almonds and spices.
Review by Pascal Gwada
Rum quite non-existent especially on the nose. Palate quite flat. The length is medium to short, dry, spicy.
Review by Antoine L C
A classic with a always pleasant balance
Review by paulgi86
What’s weird rum…. I thought my senses were off because the nose is so tight, there was nothing coming off it…. Smelt of slight vegetal grass, spice and oak, that’s it…. Added a couple of drops of water and it was hazy for a moment which was nice to see but made no difference to the flavour Just bland, generic spirit - it’s borderline flavourless, like vodka… Can’t really get behind this one - to gentle a flavour for me…. Maybe the 43% ABV is what’s killing it because it’s rather bland
Review by Hordamer Mendelbaum
Vegetal. Meady. Not my style
Review by Matiss
Good bridge between a classic molasses based rum and an Agricole style rum, has a bit of both styles with a mild vegetal flavor. The French barrels add an interesting complexity to this rum. Sadly for a 8 year old old, this rum has a strong/sharp taste of alcohol that diminishes potential for this rum to be a good sipper.
Review by Kelby
Burn. Wood with peppery finish. Then it’s gone. Lingering barrel.
Review by Filip Heimerle
Tragedy, and this 4-year-old is better than the 8-year-old.
Review by Ticesud Gdd
Average tasting, a bit dry.
This selection contains no written reviews in this rating range.
Expert reviews
Reviews from RumX's blog partners, independent experts who have tasted, evaluated, and described this rum.
Expert review by The Fat Rum Pirate
Read full review ›A bottle of Rhum Barbancourt 5 star will set you back just over £30 for a 70cl bottle at 43% ABV. This is an excellent rum and an absolute bargain at that price. It's a must try. Please do not delay because you don't like Agricole. This is very different.
Barbancourt 5 Stars 8 Years Réserve Spéciale at live auctions
A bid is not a final price: the house sets the buyer's premium, shipping and any customs duty.
All live auctions ›Community shelf
358 bottles logged by 326 collectors.
Both drunk and collected.
33% opened, 39 emptied.
What does Barbancourt 5 Stars 8 Years Réserve Spéciale cost?
Community paid 27–50 €.
Current best price: 34.58 € – within the typical community range.
Purchase prices reported by members, not a shop price. Avg. 38 €. Price history with 2 auction results in RX+ ›
+8 additions in the last 3 months.
Additions per month over the last 12 months; dark bars: the last 3.
358 purchased · 168 tasted · 64 wishlist · as of
Details about Barbancourt 5 Stars 8 Years Réserve Spéciale
A Rhum Agricole from Haiti, distilled by Barbancourt, at 43%.
About the Barbancourt distillery
The Barbancourt distillery is located in Haiti. Rums from Barbancourt have been reviewed 1,093 times with an average of 7.5/10.
To Barbancourt ›Read on in the RumX Guide
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