Article: Tiburón White Tip Overproof Rum Review | Whiskey Gambler
Tiburón White Tip Overproof Rum Review | Whiskey Gambler
Tiburón White Tip Overproof Rum
| TypeWhite Rum | OriginBelize | Proof92 / 46% ABV | Size750ml | Price$27.99 |
Watch the full tasting below
The Story
Tiburón comes out of a family owned distillery near the Caribbean coast of Belize, built by Basil and Elizabeth DeStefano after years of scuba diving trips turned into a genuine love affair with the country. Tiburón is Spanish for shark, and the name shows up everywhere in the branding, right down to the fin shaped bottle neck tag on White Tip.
White Tip is the unaged half of the Tiburón lineup, molasses based and run through a modern column still for a clean, crystal clear spirit. A portion of the heads gets folded back into the final blend before a polishing filter, which is their way of building in a little extra character before bottling at 92 proof. A dollar from every bottle sold goes to Oceana, the ocean conservation nonprofit, which fits a brand built by two people who fell in love with a coastline.
WG Editorial Note: White Tip wears "overproof" on the label at 92 proof / 46% ABV. Respectable, and stronger than the standard 80 proof pour, but the overproof category usually starts closer to 100 proof and climbs from there. Call this one high proof rather than true overproof. It does not change the drink in the glass, but WG calls it straight either way.
The Nose
Sweet cane sugar up front with a soft cream note underneath and a faint floral lift. No harsh alcohol burn on the approach, which is a good early sign for a rum sitting above standard proof.
The Palate
Butterscotch leads the charge, sweet but not syrupy, before the mid palate dries out into marshmallow and a touch of white chocolate. The extra proof shows up as controlled heat rather than a punch to the chest, which is exactly what you want in a rum built for mixing.
The Finish
Longer than a standard proof white rum has any business running, and balanced the whole way through. No hot finish, no medicinal edge, just a clean fade with a little lingering sweetness.
The Bottom Line
White Tip is not trying to be a sipping rum, and it does not need to be. This is a mixing rum built to survive citrus, sugar, and ice without disappearing, and the extra proof earns its keep in a Cuba Libre or a daiquiri where a standard 80 proof white rum goes flat. It is not the most exciting white rum on the shelf, but it is clean, well made, and priced fairly for what it does.
Worth a bottle for the bar cart if you build a lot of rum cocktails. Not a bottle worth chasing if you are looking for something to sip neat.
WG Scorecard
| Nose | ★★★☆☆ |
| Palate | ★★★★☆ |
| Finish | ★★★★☆ |
| Complexity | ★★★☆☆ |
| Value | ★★★★☆ |
Find This Bottle
Available through select distributors and direct online retailers