Cruzan 2 year old light rum becomes 14 month

Cruzan 2 year old light rum is now a 14 month old rum. The change in taste is noticable, too. There are still a lot of the old batches with the "2" displayed proudly on the bottle still in stores, so stock up.

So the 14 month old is no good???

So, I have to wait 10 months to drink it?

Is it still better than Bacardi?

That's odd. The Cruzan web site still lists Cruzan 2 year. Are you sure the 14 month is not a separate product?

Is the 5 year now 35 months?

"I am Lono!" -- http://www.347steps.com

[ Edited by: arriano 2008-06-05 14:00 ]

It changed some time ago due to demand. The Cruzan "Dark" is 14 months as well now, as it's the same product with caramel coloring.

"So the 14 month old is no good???"

No, it's fine. A slight decline, but I challenge you to taste the difference once it's in a drink.

"So, I have to wait 10 months to drink it?"

You know that rum doesn't age in glass, right?

"Is it still better than Bacardi?"

oh god yes.

"Are you sure the 14 month is not a separate product?"

Yes. 2 year is gone. Look for the highly misleading new label that says "Aged VIII" as though it's eight years old, and then in the VERY small print says "Eight generations of distillers". Very lame.

"Is the 5 year now 35 months?"

The Five year (Estate Diamond) is apparently going to be discontinued, which is a terrible shame, so definitely stock up on that one.

On 2008-06-05 18:08, martiki wrote:

"So, I have to wait 10 months to drink it?"

You know that rum doesn't age in glass, right?

It sure doesn't, especially once it's poured into my glass. Tee hee!!

Geez, I'm a pain in the a$$.

I agree with Martiki if the cocktail is made with 3 or 4 ingredients. But, I'll take that challenge on a Mojito, though. It's not "bad" at all, just less taste. Somewhat diminished in flavor and body which made it so special for a rum in its price range. When my stockpile of 2 year is gone, will I buy the 14 month? Sure! but, I'll miss an old friend. Bacardi ligth rum, to me has no taste.

There is a discussion on this at the Ministry Of Rum as well:

http://www.ministryofrum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1587

[ Edited by: Little Fragrant Tiare 2008-06-06 07:52 ]

On 2008-06-05 20:25, bewarethe151 wrote:
I agree with Martiki if the cocktail is made with 3 or 4 ingredients. But, I'll take that challenge on a Mojito, though. It's not "bad" at all, just less taste. Somewhat diminished in flavor and body which made it so special for a rum in its price range. When my stockpile of 2 year is gone, will I buy the 14 month? Sure! but, I'll miss an old friend. Bacardi ligth rum, to me has no taste.

I don't know how many ingredients your Mojito has, but I did do a side-by-side tonight and the difference is there, but slight to my taste.

Cruzan is a rum distilled to a very high proof and then barrel aged, so what you're starting with is a very light, nearly neutral spirit. The flavor your finding in the rum is almost solely the effect of the wood. After aging, it's charcoal filtered to remove the color from aging. This process also strips some flavor. They then add a slight amount of caramel to give it that pale straw color, so that there's consistency to the products appearance. In fairness, eight months difference in aging is not a small thing in a tropical climate, however the charcoal filtration somewhat mutes that difference.

If you're looking for another good value in a white rum, try the Flor De Cana which also benefits from quite a long time on oak.

Bacardi silver is aged by law for one year, but in stainless steel, which has no effect- hence it's complete worthlessness.

Oh, also upon closer inspection I am wrong about the dark rum- it is still 2 years.

On 2008-06-06 18:52, martiki wrote:
Bacardi silver is aged by law for one year, but in stainless steel, which has no effect- hence it's complete worthlessness.

Aged in stainless steel?? ah..so that`s why its so tasteless........

On 2008-06-05 18:08, martiki wrote:

"Is it still better than Bacardi?"

oh god yes.

my point, exactly.

On 2008-06-06 18:54, martiki wrote:
Oh, also upon closer inspection I am wrong about the dark rum- it is still 2 years.

Thanks for that clarification Martin. I was just going to ask you about that because although the dark rum has the new "Aged VIII" label, it still says "aged a minimum of two years".

And I agree that the new label is highly misleading. I held up a bottle to Trish last night and asked her how old she thought the rum was. She said "8 years?"

On 2008-06-06 18:52, martiki wrote:

On 2008-06-05 20:25, bewarethe151 wrote:
I agree with Martiki if the cocktail is made with 3 or 4 ingredients. But, I'll take that challenge on a Mojito, though. It's not "bad" at all, just less taste. Somewhat diminished in flavor and body which made it so special for a rum in its price range. When my stockpile of 2 year is gone, will I buy the 14 month? Sure! but, I'll miss an old friend. Bacardi ligth rum, to me has no taste.

I don't know how many ingredients your Mojito has, but I did do a side-by-side tonight and the difference is there, but slight to my taste.

Cruzan is a rum distilled to a very high proof and then barrel aged, so what you're starting with is a very light, nearly neutral spirit. The flavor your finding in the rum is almost solely the effect of the wood. After aging, it's charcoal filtered to remove the color from aging. This process also strips some flavor. They then add a slight amount of caramel to give it that pale straw color, so that there's consistency to the products appearance. In fairness, eight months difference in aging is not a small thing in a tropical climate, however the charcoal filtration somewhat mutes that difference.

If you're looking for another good value in a white rum, try the Flor De Cana which also benefits from quite a long time on oak.

Bacardi silver is aged by law for one year, but in stainless steel, which has no effect- hence it's complete worthlessness.

Martiki, you are so right about the FDC 4. (You're correct, my mojito has 5 ingredients, but only 1 rum and 1 fruit)It's my Mojito favorite when I want it a little drier. And, it's cheap! Good call. Rhum St. James Blanc which I order 2 cases at a time from Europe is a grand slam. I've had good luck with the Montecristo blanco, too. Around here, it's only $9.00 a bottle. With me, it's not about nitpicking a product just for something to do in between good cocktails. It's more about having lived for a long time and seeing products gradually slip in quality. For Cruzan, it's a matter of increasing volume in a market segment which isn't too picky. I hope that this shift in aging is their last and I will be happy to finish my days with the 14 month as "good buy". For my favorite light rum, it's Havana Club Anejo Blanco. But, I pay $33.00 per 1.14 litre bottle! I always keep a case on hand, but, I am ashamed to admit that it's only my "inner circle" of friends for which I crack those! The general mob gets the Cruzan.

a little of topic, but seeing as Martin's on the phone, does anybody know about heat and alcohol and negative side effects? I keep my good liquor in a bar in the living room, but my everyday stuff, which is most of my mixing rums (including that Cruzan 2 year) in a cabinet above the fridge. On really hot days (i have no AC) the fridge works extra hard, giving off a lot of heat which rises and warms the cabinet. Some hot days my rums are like probably near body temperature. I know it ruined my chambord for sure. I know heat ruins beer too, but I can't seem to tell if it's hurting my rums. It makes the ice melt a lot faster, which sucks.

Not a good spot for storage of any bottles which you intend to keep more than, say, a month. The cycle from warm to cool, warm to cool, ... aids the change of a molecule. Certainly, liquors are the most effected with the breakdown of sugar. With spirits, the amount of air in the bottle (how much has been drunk) is a major factor in stability and the ill effects of thermo-cycling. A full bottle is better suited for storage in adverse conditions than one which is half full. A stable cool spot is best for long term storage. One side note, direct sunlight, even in a cool place is bad, too.

On 2008-06-07 17:02, bewarethe151 wrote:
Not a good spot for storage of any bottles which you intend to keep more than, say, a month. The cycle from warm to cool, warm to cool, ... aids the change of a molecule. Certainly, liquors are the most effected with the breakdown of sugar. With spirits, the amount of air in the bottle (how much has been drunk) is a major factor in stability and the ill effects of thermo-cycling. A full bottle is better suited for storage in adverse conditions than one which is half full. A stable cool spot is best for long term storage. One side note, direct sunlight, even in a cool place is bad, too.

All true- especially pronounced as mentioned with a hi-sugar product, regardless of proof. Best just to put them into a low dark cabinet away from a heat source. Better still to drink them, thus providing the excuse to get more, which will have less air in the bottle, at least for a while. Then repeat. It's a vicious circle.

Crap. I just recently got a new bottle of Cruzan White to do my own comparison to Mt Gay White. No wonder the Cruzan didn't taste as good as my last bottle. I checked the label yesterday and it is the new 14 month.

Regardless, Cruzan is still one of the best rum values on the shelf, and I'll continue to buy it.

After seeing this thread, I finally got by my liquor store to see if they had any more of the 2 yr white. They had 6 1.75L bottles ($16.49), so I cleaned 'em out. Still have 9 750ml bottles of white 2 yr, but at $11.49, I passed.
All their Cruzan dark still has the old 2 yr label.

On 2008-06-11 10:22, Limbo Lizard wrote:
After seeing this thread, I finally got by my liquor store to see if they had any more of the 2 yr white. They had 6 1.75L bottles ($16.49), so I cleaned 'em out. Still have 9 750ml bottles of white 2 yr, but at $11.49, I passed.
All their Cruzan dark still has the old 2 yr label.

I picked up two 1.75L bottles of the 2 year-old dark for $14.99 each yesterday. That ought to keep me stocked for a few months.

On the other hand, Hors d'Age was selling at the same store for $55. OUCH.

[ Edited by: BrickHorn 2008-06-11 12:43 ]

Dang sneaky bastards! I feel like reenacting the Boston Tea Party. We should outlaw fine print in advertising.

What's going on with Cruzan? There have been two more re-designs of the label, since the initial change that prompted this topic. The ones I saw today say, "Aged at least 2 years" on the dark, and "Aged at least 1 year" on the light. So, they may have dropped another 2 months off the aging of their light rum.
There was another label on the dark, between this one and the one that had "Aged VII" on it. I had planned to take a comparison picture of the bottles, next time I restocked. But it had changed again, before I bought one!

(Later) Well, apparently there've been a couple changes of ownership, recently, judging by some posts about Cruzan at the Ministry of Rum.

"The rum's the thing..."

[ Edited by: Limbo Lizard 2008-12-30 16:21 ]

I noticed new labels and a slightly different bottle design on Cruzan white & gold rum bottles at the liquor store yesterday. Labels referred to both as "aged rums." Didn't take a picture. Quality of the rum aside, I liked the new labels and bottles.

And is it me, or has the Coruba label changed a little? I can't confirm it, since I recycled my old bottle before buying the new one, but it seems different to me.

I'm pretty sure that "aged at least one year" is simply another way to say "14 months".