Bruno Mars and Selva Ray Owner’s Reserve
Selva Ray
SelvaRey, the Panama rum brand co-owner by superstar Bruno Mars, launched a new “Owners Reserve” bottle this month.
The run is a single-estate rum hand-selected from the cellars of SelvaRay’s Master Distiller, Don “Pancho” Francisco Fernandez. In terms of the name, Bruno is considered the “owner” for this bottle (although he co-owns the brand with by brothers Seth and Marc Gold and Robert Herzig).
Mars asked Fernandez to blend his finest aged rums across the distillery’s best vintage blends to make a highly nuanced, deliciously smooth offering that would rival the best aged rums on the market.
The result is a 40% ABV rum that includes 15 and 25-year-old rums that were then aged together in American Oak barrels.
SelvaRay Owner’s Reserve
SelvaRay
As for how it tastes, it begins with aromas of caramelized brown sugar, pipe tobacco, Pedro Ximenez sherry, and orange peel, while finishing with endlessly silky notes of baked apple crumble and roasted Brazilian nut.
Beyond dictating what the final liquid would taste like, Mars also worked on other aspects of the project. Mars designed the logo, wordmark, bottle shape, colors, materials, iconography, and every inch of the Owner’s Reserve gift box. An expert team of artists/graphic designers and calligraphers all came together to execute his vision.
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The 750ml bottle comes in a distinctive gift box and is priced at $149.99.
As for where you can get it, the rum is available in exceptionally limited quantities at both elect high-end retailers as well as Reserve Bar.
The online sales sold out within 2 hours of going not he market, but customers can still sign up for the wait list for rum and will potentially have the opportunity to buy a bottle when the second allocation arrives in a few weeks.
SelvaRey loosely translates to “king of the jungle” in Spanish and was originally launched by the singer and his partners in 2014 with the goal of changing the public’s perception of rum.
Beyond the new “Owner’s Reserve” the brand also has a white rum as well as a five-year-old chocolate expression. The white rum is traditionally priced around $30 a bottle, while the chocolate rum is priced at $35.