Aroma visualization from community tastings
Dictador 12 Years
Opinion here really divides. Almost everyone tastes the same thing: coffee, walnut, chocolate and caramel, with a sweet, syrupy body. Fans call it a lovely everyday sipper; skeptics say it reads more like coffee liqueur than rum and comes across too sweet and one-note. One taster nailed the split calling it "like super sweet coffee liquor." Pleasant, dessert-leaning, and easy to like or shrug off.
The community says- Coffee-chocolate nose
- Nutty and smooth
- But: Tastes sweetened
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Buy Dictador 12 Years:
Compare all 11 shop offers from 35.12 €
Prices & availability last updated on
The look inside the bottle
How does Dictador 12 Years taste?
Aggregated from 395 community reviews.
Sweet, coffee-and-walnut dessert sipper Most find it pleasant and easy — heavy on coffee, walnut and caramel. The recurring catch: it tastes sweeter than the label suggests, and detractors call it one-dimensional, almost liqueur-like.
People who like sweet, coffee-forward, easy sippers and dessert rums
Anyone wanting a dry, fruity or complex rum with real character
How the community classifies this rum. Each category takes you to similar rums.
Which glass for which rum? The community guide →
124 of 395 left detailed tasting impressions · Click an aroma to explore similar rums
Recommendation
Your next rum
One difference each to this rum.
Rated better
Dictador XO Perpetual / Aurum
7.6/1085 €
More intense
Plantation Original Dark
7.0/1016 €
Similar rating, cheaper
Abuelo 12 Años
7.1/1027 €First choice: 47 of 58 tasters who tried both prefer it.
How is Dictador 12 Years rated?
RumX’s 0–10 scale is strict: 7.0 sits in the “Good” band. 49% of tasters rate it Good or better; only 6% rate it below average. See the full rating guide →
Community voices
What does the community say?
70% rate it between 6 and 8. 46 selected write-ups from 395 community ratings. You can view the complete list in our app.
One of the community's most-rated rums
Review by Richard Colwell
This rum is simple, but pleasant. The dominant flavor (and nose) is maple syrup, with an overall sweet profile. Subtle baking spices and mild burned caramel bitterness. Smooth throughout the palate with a sweet finish.
Review by TheFrenchRefill
Most helpful positive review
I really enjoyed this rum, with its strong chocolate aroma and cappuccino mouthfeel. I really liked this rum
Review by Jean Louisss
Most helpful critical review
A walnut dipped in coffee!
Review by Rumpalumpa
I have to say, I really like the very unique aroma of the Dictador rums. It comes through especially well in the 12-year-old: Maggi, honey, and malt beer. Slightly roasted, sweet, and woody.
Review by Kevin Sorensen 🇩🇰
Had a very nice Dictador tasting this Sunday and this is the first one of the six. Despite this one being a young rum from the destillery it still manages to be very complex with a very nice nose and palate. The vanilla is perfectly matched with the rest and the finish is long and has a bit of smoke to it. All in all a very good price tag for this bottle. This bottle won gold at the International Rum Expert Panel 2010.
Review by Galli33
Buuh very unspectacular boring Rum. No fruits found there, only nuts, roasted aromas, wood, sweet caramles and a bit licorice. The alcohol is very present for the 40% only… Not really my taste of a good rum
Review by LukaŽiga
6,2:On the nose it is quite an unusual rum, heavy/sharp on the nose with notes of walnut nougat, coffee, marshmallow and vanilla. No feeling of smoothiness that comes in mouth yet.It feels pretty heavy, quite rigid. Airing doesn’t help much...We find some vegetal notes... Mouth shows a bit different story. 7:Complexity is felt pretty intense on the palate, where a heavy, Demerara sugar-fueled sweetness awaits. Notes of sweet cream and cinnamon stick give this a decadence usually only seen in ice cream or Mexican desserts, unctuous and becoming almost gaudy with its sweetness from the moment it hits the tongue. 6,2:The finish is medium and sweet. On its own, Dictador 12 can be a bit overwhelming, some drop of water could solve the issue for unexperienced drinkers...but as far as I am concerned, I do never want to use any outside help improving mediocre rhums or any other alcohol drinks. I Just don't drink them! Edit:30.1.26, as an ingredient in a port/rum Negroni, it fits perfectly well
Review by Vincent D
Un des premiers rhums que j'ai goûté au début de mon voyage. J'ai retrouvé une phot de la bouteille que j'avais à l'époque et que j'ai pu goûter de nouveau ce week-end. Trop sucré malheureusement mais j'avais apprécié à l'époque le gros marqueurs café.
Review by Anonymous
Smooth and Carmel flavored.
Review by heckto🥃
Sehr angenehme Nase mit Nuss-, Karamell- und Schokoladenaromen. Am Gaumen kommen Lakritz, Eiche und holzige Röstaromen hinzu. Für mich steht er seinen älteren Brüdern in nichts nach. Ein guter Rum zum top Preis.
Review by crazyforgoodbooze
Raisin/walnut/sherry/honey and a slight inherent sweetness.... that with the 1g sugar per liter irritates me a bit because it feels sweeter.
Review by Martin Ekrt
Vyloženě čuchací rum. Výborné kombo vanilky, sudu, sušeného ovoce a ořechů. Chuť je pro mě bohužel zabitá přemírou doslazení. Chutná to jak levné české rumy, kde cukr přebije úplně všechno. Ideální řešení: nalít, očichat a hodit zpět do láhve 😀
Review by F.L.O.
Kakao, Schokolade, süße….. Wenn da nicht Zucker im Spiel ist fress ich nen Besen, zumindest ein bisschen. Prinzipiell ganz ok für einen Einsteiger,- für mich aber zu süß. Und der Alkohol ist zwar ordentlich eingebunden, aber er harmoniert nicht mit dem Kaffee-Geschmack. Wirkt fast wie ein Fremdkörper. Klingt komisch…aber weniger Prozente täten dem Rum besser stehen. Und dann als Dash in den Kaffee Latte rein !
Review by Rumantisch
Dictador war lange einer meiner lieblinge nun kommt er mir recht süß vor Aber die kaffee note ist einfach top Süß trifft herb wunderbar Für einsteiger ,die mehr geschmack erfassenwollen oder sich damit noch sehr schwer tun absolut zu empfehlen da die kaffee/kakao Noten sehr dominat sind
Review by Mate
My favorite rum. A little coffee, chocolate, a little tobacco, vanilla. For the price, I think it's a very good choice.
Review by Stefan Graßl
A bit of fruitiness would do it good.Overall very earthy/roasty.For me the flavor profile is a bit too one-sided.
Review by rum_sk
Walnuts all the way, whether it is 👃 or 👅. Everything else is irrelevant, maybe I should mention it is a little bit alcoholic on the 👅. I cannot think that such taste of walnuts can be done naturally. This must be artificially added by non-natural processes and non-natural conpounds. It is medium sweet with short to medium finish.
Review by Tom K
coffee and fine
Review by Kicker
Well rounded, roasted nuts, bit of raisins.
Review by Werner10
This one is great for beginners i think. It's not too sweet imo. This one still has the coffee flavors that are typical to Dictador rums.
Review by Montana
The smell is spicy and sweet (vanilla), somewhat medicinal. A taste of vanilla, slightly alcoholic, a bit of cherry.
Review by RumTaTa
At first moment I thought I had a coffee liqueur in the glass! Nose: super mild and one-sided after walnut and coffee. Walnut but very clear and defined. Mouth: Tastes like liqueur with 32% again with coffee and walnut. Finish: again the familiar notes and no surprise. A very homogeneous "drink". But too sweet and artificial for my taste.
Review by Markus Fjellstad Israelsen
Absolutely love the coffee and chocolate nose and taste. Very different from other rums I have tasted! Will definitely buy another bottle and also want to try other rums in their lineup.
Review by Anonymous
Egy kellemes kis rum az also ár kategóriában. Nem vártam tőle csodát, de egy picit azért ennél tobbet. Egy szép hagyományos rum, enyhe kávés csokis jegyekkel, nem édes, viszont talán az alkoholfok érzet nekem túl magas ami elnyomja az íz jegyeket.
Review by Jan Králík
This rum was a big surprise for me. When I smelled it, the aroma of nuts and coffee with caramel really got me. The taste is exactly the same as the smell. The rum is really only slightly sweet and it's just right. It's very pleasant to drink.
Review by Solidfunk
Honey and a little coffee, like some others have said. A hint of peat, maybe some smoke. Apricot. Like this a lot.
Review by Thunderbird
For cake or dessert I find him okay! But overall too weak to arouse any emotions! The coffee / chocolate notes predominate.
Review by Adam Rajchert
Zapach: palony cukier, kawa, melasa, karmel wanilia, chipsy bananowe, cynamon, czekolada, chili, dąb, alkohol, coś co przypomina mi skórkę sera pleśniowego floralny zapach. Smak: bardzo słodki, rodzynki, figi, cynamon, chipsy bananowe, kawa, palony cukier, dębina, orzechy finish lekki, średnio długi, dębowy, kawowy, metaliczny Zwyczajny solidny hiszpański column still, niczym się nie wyróżnia.
Review by Rowald Sweet Empire
like super sweet coffee liquor. barely a rum.
Review by RumCzar
This is my dessert rum. It's heavily sweetened and quite syrupy. It's wood notes are well covered up with it's excessive sweetness. I exclusively drink this neat. I rebuy when it's on sale.
Review by Émile Shevek
Molto simile ad un PocketCoffee, quindi prevalenza di caffè, poi cacao e nel breve finale si aggiunge però anche della liquirizia fresca e persistente
Review by Kamil Čmiel
For me a very pleasant rum at an affordable price. Sweet with a pleasant aroma of nuts.
Review by Renato
Pleasant notes of coffee and walnut.
Review by JonasTh
Spicy. Quite tasty
Review by Master P
For the price quite good, only after a few sips he has geschmecht me. Initially coffee, then vanilla wood and chocolate.
Review by Michael Janek
ZELIV, 2.6.1023, Velet XXVI I smell nothing the taste is a little heavier, denser, but slightly sweetened finish slightly simrajici
Review by Fuhgetaboutit
Nose reminds me of maple waffle cereal from my childhood. Sweet. Easy. Long pours will be a struggle.
Review by Jonas Kofod
Smooth and easy. Brown sugar and vanilla/cinnamon.
Review by elias
Nice round rum with a finish of walnut.
Review by Jakub Hrubý
not much. compared to the 20y much worse
Review by Anonymous
Good rum to drink every day. Very soft if let it to breathe. The nose seems better when you open it and then noticeably degrades. It seemed a bit rustic to me, perhaps the manufacturer should increase the strength.
Review by Kieron Wood
Coffee chocolate in the taste ... A incredibly sweet rum Nosing Pecans , toffee raisens
Review by Kamil Křenek
Velmi nádherná vůně oříšková s čokoládou chuťově taky dobrý na 40% paráda
Review by Wallis
I was very surprised by the taste of the first glass. I must buy it again.
Review by B. Van Groenendael
Nice rum. Has a slight taste of port.
Review by Константин
Хороший ром из Колумбии
No reviews match this filter.
Expert reviews
4 critics scored it, averaging 7.8/10. Reviews from RumX's blog partners, independent experts who have tasted, evaluated, and described this rum..
Expert review by RumRecenze.cz
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Expert review by Alkotip
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Expert review by RumRock
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Expert review by Zucker und Zeste
Very sweet for the stated sugar content of less than 1g. Bin so far always assumed that it is a sweetened rum. Beautiful aroma and a good PLV.
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 23 € – 30 €
from 11 sales, latest 06/2026
Prices incl. buyer's premium — what a buyer pays, not what a sale nets you.
Avg. community purchase price 35 €
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 Dictador 12 Years
A Pot & Column Still Rum from Colombia, distilled by Destilería Colombiana, at 40%.
Community purchases
727 bottles logged by 680 collectors.
A drinker's rum.
38% opened, 115 emptied and repurchased.
What does Dictador 12 Years cost?
Community paid 24–49 €.
Current best price: 35.12 € – 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+ →
727 purchased · 441 tasted · 180 wishlist · as of
About the Destilería Colombiana distillery
The Destilería Colombiana distillery is located in Colombia. Rums from Destilería Colombiana have been reviewed 1,922 times with an average of 7.5/10.
To Destilería Colombiana →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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