Tanduay 1854 Blended Rum Blue
- Jul 29, 2025
- 5 min read
PLEASE REMEMBER TO DRINK RESPONSIBLY
Cigar smoking and drinking alcohol are for adults of legal smoking and drinking age.
PLEASE REMEMBER TO DRINK RESPONSIBLY
Cigar smoking and drinking alcohol are for adults of legal smoking and drinking age.
About This Spirit from Manila Wine
Source: Thttps://manila-wine.com/tanduay-1854-15-year-old-philippine-rum-1
DESCRIPTION
The Tanduay 1854 rum was created to honor the company’s 150th anniversary in 2004. 1854 is a blend of rums aged 15 years before being bottled at 80 proof (40% abv).
TASTING NOTES
COLOR:
Tanduay 1854 comes in a lovely, slender bottle with a crisp blue and sliver label proclaiming its contents to be “Premimum Aged” 15 years. The bottle, somewhat oddly, is only 700mL rather than the more standard 750mL for spirits. In the bottle and in the glass the rum is a golden straw color. It forms quick, oily legs on the side of the glass.
NOSE:
An intoxicating aroma flows up from a glass of the 1854. Strong scents of fruits – pineapple, banana and citrus – are the first things to tickle your Nose. There’s only a hint of vanilla which is followed by a bit of a chemical scent which seems to come and go between sniffs. The chemical smell is honestly not off-putting – more of a reminder that there be alcohol in that glass.
The Nose is unlike other rums that I’ve had. It’s somewhere between a Jamaican style with its strong notes of fruit and a Spanish style rum with its clean lack of funkiness.
TASTE:
A thin, oily body to the rum is introduced to your tongue right from the get-go. The entry is only slightly sweet and full of the same banana and pineapple notes that were found on the Nose. This gives way to a light Taste of toasted sugar and vanilla. There’s a bit of a straw Taste riding on top of the vanilla before Finishing with a peppery vanilla flavor with a hint of banana. The aftertaste has a slight chemical quality to it – which unfortunately detracts a bit from the rest of the experience.
Allowing the rum to breathe a bit before sipping promotes the citrus to the forefront of the flavors while allowing the chemical notes to diminish significantly. If you’re looking to sip this rum, I’d recommend letting your glass sit for a few minutes or add a few drops of water or an ice cube.
As with the Nose, the Taste of the Tanduay 1854 seems to be somewhere between a Jamaican and a Spanish style rum. The medium-light body and OVERALL clean feeling is definitely evocative of the Spanish style rums while the fruitiness hearkens to the flavors we’ve come to expect from a rum from Jamaica – though whereas Jamaican rums tend to run heavy with flavors of overripe fruit the Tanduay’s fruity flavors seem more fresh and less funky – lending a distinctive sweetness to the rum.
PLEASE REMEMBER TO DRINK RESPONSIBLY
Cigar smoking and drinking alcohol are for adults of legal smoking and drinking age.
How We Feel About the Spirit
Tanduay 1854 Blended Rum Blue — A His, Hers & The Good Life Story
Joint Introduction
There are bottles you buy because you planned to, and bottles you buy because they simply won’t let you walk away. Our Tanduay 1854 Blended Rum Blue falls squarely into the second category. We found it during our travels to the Philippines — Nancy Fae’s birthplace — already primed to bring home a piece of heritage. We’d picked up Tanduay’s Dark and White expressions earlier in the trip, but this regal blue cylinder practically called out from the shelf like a royal decree.
Later we learned it was crafted to honor Tanduay’s 150th anniversary back in 2004, a celebratory blend of 15-year-old rums dressed in a bottle that looks more like a commemorative artifact than a casual pour. And so, in true “we’ll know when the moment is right” fashion, we haven’t opened it — and don’t plan to anytime soon. Some bottles deserve anticipation.
PLEASE REMEMBER TO DRINK RESPONSIBLY
Cigar smoking and drinking alcohol are for adults of legal smoking and drinking age.
His Take (Jeff)
When I first saw this bottle, I felt like I’d stumbled onto something meant for a collector’s shelf rather than a casual rum night. The blue-and-gold packaging had that old-world, almost ceremonial look—the kind of thing you’d expect to find in a study with leather-bound books and a bar cart hidden inside a globe.
Knowing it was crafted for Tanduay’s 150th anniversary only deepened the sense that this wasn’t just rum; it was a milestone in a bottle. I haven’t opened it yet because, honestly, it feels like it deserves a moment that matches its presence. Until then, I’m perfectly happy admiring it like a trophy from a trip that meant something to both of us.
Her Take (Nancy Fae)
For me, this bottle feels personal. Finding a premium Filipino rum while standing in the country where I was born made it feel like more than a purchase—it felt like a homecoming gift. The packaging looks celebratory, almost regal, and the golden straw color inside hints at warmth and tradition.
I love that it’s a blend created for Tanduay’s 150th anniversary; it feels like a bottle meant for a milestone of our own someday. So it sits, intentionally unopened, reminding me of heritage, travel, and the joy of discovering something special when you weren’t even looking for it.
Joint Closing
His: This bottle is a promise—one I’m in no hurry to cash in.
Hers: It’s a memory sealed in glass, waiting for the right chapter.
The Good Life: Some bottles aren’t just enjoyed; they’re earned.
PLEASE REMEMBER TO DRINK RESPONSIBLY
Cigar smoking and drinking alcohol are for adults of legal smoking and drinking age.
How We Will Enjoy This Rum
When the moment finally arrives — maybe a milestone, maybe a celebration that feels worthy — we’ll open this bottle with intention. Tanduay 1854’s tasting notes suggest a rum that shines when allowed to breathe: pineapple, banana, citrus, toasted sugar, vanilla, and a peppery finish.
We’ll enjoy it neat first, letting it sit for a few minutes to soften the chemical edge and elevate the citrus. Then perhaps a single cube, just enough to open the aromatics.
And if the evening calls for a cocktail worthy of a 150th‑anniversary rum, we’ll craft something fittingly celebratory:
The Sesquicentennial Solera
A cocktail honoring heritage, patience, and the good life.
Ingredients
2 oz Tanduay 1854 Rum
0.5 oz pineapple gomme syrup
0.25 oz vanilla liqueur
2 dashes citrus bitters
Expressed orange peel
Instructions
Stir gently over ice, strain into a chilled coupe, garnish with the peel. A toast to history—and to ours.
Cigar smoking and drinking alcohol are for adults of legal smoking and drinking age.
Disclaimer: Cigar smoking and drinking alcohol are for adults of legal smoking and drinking age. Life’s Rants promotes the responsible and legal enjoyment of premium cigars and alcohol by individuals of legal age. We do not endorse or encourage smoking or drinking among minors.
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