Aroma visualization from community tastings
Matusalem Gran Reserva 15 Años
Opinions land all over the place here: plenty call it a friendly first rum, others find it thin, a bit hot for 40%, or just plain average. What most agree on is the profile — vanilla, caramel, a little wood and honey, light body, short finish. Some taste a bourbon-like or brandy edge and a touch of bitterness. Easy Dominican/Cuban-style sipping, nothing complicated.
The community says- Vanilla and caramel
- But: Thin body
- But: Noticeable alcohol
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The look inside the bottle
How does Matusalem Gran Reserva 15 Años taste?
Aggregated from 407 community reviews.
Light vanilla-caramel everyday sipper, simple Most see an easy, vanilla-caramel everyday rum that's fine neat or in cola. The recurring gripes: thin body, noticeable alcohol for 40%, and a flavor that stays simple and short.
People easing into rum who like soft, sweet, vanilla-forward sippers
Anyone wanting a bold, deep, complex rum
How the community classifies this rum. Each category takes you to similar rums.
Which glass for which rum? The community guide →
97 of 407 left detailed tasting impressions · Click an aroma to explore similar rums
Recommendation
Your next rum
One difference each to this rum.
Rated better
Matusalem Gran Reserva Solera 23 Años
7.5/1048 €
More intense
Oliver & Oliver Relicario Superior
7.0/1028 €First choice: 54 of 69 tasters who tried both prefer it.
How is Matusalem Gran Reserva 15 Años rated?
RumX’s 0–10 scale is strict: 6.9 sits in the “Pleasant” band. 32% of tasters rate it Good or better; only 8% rate it below average. See the full rating guide →
Community voices
What does the community say?
71% rate it between 6 and 8. 17 selected write-ups from 407 community ratings. You can view the complete list in our app.
One of the community's most-rated rums
Review by cola-rum trinker
Most helpful positive review
lecker.....spritik finde ich.....lecker mit schwarzer brause von pepsi oder sinalco.....daumen hoch
Review by Stefan Persson
Most helpful critical review
This was one of the first aged rum I tasted and definitely the first Cuban styled. So now many years after I’m quite sure that that affected my rating. Have to get it a second chance if I run into it.
Review by BjörnNi 🥃
Solider Discounter Rum.
Review by LukaŽiga
6,8:On the nose, there is a basic similarity to his younger brother-10y.We have strong, almost Madagascar vanilla, viscose butter and certainly some nice, smooth caramel and a very light coffee note.Airing brings more concentrated vanilla/caramel dimension, with toasted coconut and wood and sweet spices. In comparison to his younger brother, this rum is more smooth and rounded. 7,5:On the palate, it is only slightly sweet, characterized mainly by a caramel aroma, vanilla, spice, some fruitiness-peach and subtle hints of wood.Let s not forget buttery notes of creme brulee, tiramisu. There is no alcohol burn, except maybe for rum beginners. 7:The moderately long finish again features caramel, vanilla and is smooth..
Review by Kevin Sorensen 🇩🇰
Thus rum originates from Cuba but destilled and matured in the Domenican Republic today, following the old Cuban methods to the point. Beginners may want to add an icecube when enjoying this rum. It is a rum in the cheap end so don't expect too much 😊
Review by w00tAN
An absolute evergreen for me. Available almost everywhere and always at a very good price. I don't share the sometimes poor ratings here (<6). With only 5 grams of sugar (ALKO) added, in this price range, much more honest and likeable than other sugar water. I stick to it: Perfect for beginners or easy sippers.
Review by Fabian Kohler
Smells much better than it tastes. The caramel smell does not arrive on the tongue
Review by Rumclub Latvia
Not bad catch for beginners it this price category
Review by zabo
Edit: Yes, you have to admit it, you can't deny the initial sin of tasting every rum. Possibly still suitable as a beginner's rum if you're more into the sweet stuff. Again, a little too sweet and artificial as a mixer. Just a sweet rum
Review by TheJackDrop
Bcp trop classique et sucré En resume, mes notes de degutation : Au nez : Caramel En bouche : Caramel, Vanillé La finale plutot orientee vers : Caramel. J'ai remonté la note car c'éait un peu méchant mais bon...
Review by rum_sk
Nose: Alcohol and wood along with spicy notes. Taste: Semi-sweet, taste of burnt sugar with bitter finish. You can mostly taste the wood with candied fruit and vanilla although the taste is not intense and rather seems diluted. Finish: Very short. Overall I am not impressed and can think of dozen rums in this price tag which are much better in terms of value against what you get for your money.
Review by Steffmaus🇩🇰
I think this is a good entry into rum. It is cheap and easy to drink, though the taste is not that prominent. I found the nose to be very cocoa-like and sweet and I got notes of cocoa, oak and molasses
Review by Heffernan
Für Abende, an denen man etwas "weiches" braucht. Pur getrunken, ein relativ milder und weicher Rum, leichte Vanille, einfach nur rund. Einer meiner Lieblinge. Zu vergleichen mit seinem dominikanischen Bruder Ron Barcelo Imperial Dominicano. Kann ich nur weiterempfehlen.
Review by Fabrice Rouanet
Rum facile à déguster, aux arômes de miel, caramel et vanille. Rien de bien compliqué mais fait le job sans grande richesse et intensité aromatique. La finale est courte mais pas désagréable avec les arômes du nez et de la bouche
Review by RumTaTa
Unbearably sweet! There it makes me no fun to sniff and taste more precisely.
Review by Émile Shevek
Ottimo in miscelazione
Review by ilRummista
Un rum per neofiti, con note caramellate, abbastanza dolce ma con un retrogusto alcolico. Il rapporto qualità prezzo gioca sicuramente a suo favore tra i rum da supermercato.
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Expert reviews
3 critics scored it, averaging 5.6/10. Reviews from RumX's blog partners, independent experts who have tasted, evaluated, and described this rum..
Expert review by Alkotip
Read full review →Rum without added sugar with a simple flavor profile of vanilla, chocolate and cocoa, which is not a problem to drink in the evening in front of the TV or with friends at a party. If you're a rum fan and haven't had a Matusalem buying Gran Reserva 15yo won't hurt your wallet.
Expert review by RumRock
Read full review →
Expert review by The Fat Rum Pirate
Read full review →The rum doesn't burst with tropical fruit. Its a light smooth easy drinking rum with hints of vanilla and a smokiness in the profile. All in all a good rum at a good price. It doesn't offer any surprises but for any lover of Cuban/Dominican style rums this is sure...
Expert review by Rum Diaries Blog
Read full review →
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 24 € – 34 €
from 11 sales, latest 02/2026
Prices incl. buyer's premium — what a buyer pays, not what a sale nets you.
Avg. community purchase price 29 €
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 Matusalem Gran Reserva 15 Años
A Column Still Rum from Dominican Republic, at 40%.
Community purchases
1,079 bottles logged by 1,007 collectors.
A drinker's rum.
41% opened, 178 emptied and repurchased.
What does Matusalem Gran Reserva 15 Años cost?
Community paid 23–44 €.
Current best price: 24.38 € – 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+ →
+18 purchases in the last 3 months.
Added to collections, last 12 months — dark bars are the last 3.
1,079 purchased · 456 tasted · 200 wishlist · as of
Read on in the RumX Guide
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Oliver · FounderBy rum lovers, for rum lovers
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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