The winner: Diplomatico Mantuano
Both bottles land at the exact same ratings, so this comes down to price: Mantuano delivers the same score for meaningfully less money. Reserva Exclusiva is worth the upgrade only if you want its extra aging and deeper caramel notes on the rocks.
Taste & craft
Here's the catch: despite that extra age statement, both bottles score identically, 2.5/5 on The Fat Rum Pirate (below that critic's rum average of 3.5) and 7.0/10 on RumX (right at that source's category average, just under its 7.1 median). The ratings data doesn't reward the extra years, even if the palate does.
