Does spiced rum get an unfair shake?

I've been thinking 'bout this for a awhile. Namely, how there's a strong bias against spiced rum around these parts and I think it's undeserved. ESPECIALLY now with the revelations in Sippin' Safari, consider the stuff we're putting in our cocktails: vanilla and almond extract, cinnamon and cinnamon syrup & nutmeg. I don't have it in front of me--what other weird stuff is in that book? Doesn't the mystique behind those drinks make so much more sense now that you see what the hell was in the Coffee Grog? You need a back room full of Oompa Loompas find and mix all the ingredients.

But what's even stranger is no one says boo about falernum (about which the "correct" taste nobody seems to agree), pimento liqueur (which everyone is suddenly ready to believe is just Allspice and whatever rum you have lying around) and the worst of all, Angostura Bitters which is an unfathomably complex spice mixture.

Sailor Jerry isn't a substitute for any ol' rum but I wonder why people attack it so venomously. (If you wanna attack Captain Morgan, I won't stop you.)

From the spiced rums I've tasted, about 8 of them, I'd chalk it up to 3 things:

1. Some of them taste like artificial crap.
2. Not everyone likes the same thing.
3. The flavors can vary wildly.

As to #1, much of this is because distributors need to have the rum taste good for at least 1 year on the shelf. That makes sense for such a product, since it might not sell fast enough. Next, the ATF allows something like 0.1% of the ingredients to be artificial and still have the product be called "All Natural." This is due to the 1-year-shelf-life demand, at least in part. Alas, 0.1% of an artifical flavoring can be quite powerful, so a teeny tiny bit can overwhelm any natural flavorings and end up tasting artificial. Even though it says "all natural" on the bottle.

#2 is self-explanatory.

3. New or different flavors can be difficult to introduce even if the flavor is excellent. And it's difficult to come up with cocktail recipes that suit the new/different flavor. Since bars are a huge part of the spirits industry, cocktails are by default a huge part of the reason to sell spirits. But if you can't get many people to try a new cocktail made with your new spiced rum, you don't sell much. It's much easier to produce a rum that can be substituted in any recipe that calls for rum or light rum or gold rum or whatever.

Look at all the work being done to promote Ten Cane. Moet-Hennesey is pushing this to no end, always towards the cocktail drinkers and/or bartenders. It's different, but not nearly as different as a spiced rum can be, and it's taking a huge marketing and promotion campaign to get it accepted. Just in the Boston area I've come across 3 places that have weekly Ten Cane "tastings" or "cocktail nights" just to push the stuff.

And Ten Cane is easier to push than spiced rum...

[ Edited by: Scottes 2007-11-21 12:40 ]

..no need to shake it - it adds nothing to the flavor if you do. just pour it straight from the bottle on the rocks and enjoy!!

I enjoy Spiced Rum! Especially in a bar where you can't get a Mai-Tai, or anything I'm very interested in.

I'll even admit that Captain Morgan was once my favorite rum. I was introduced to it in Root Beer, which I loved. I later even mixed it in with IBC Cream Soda, which is similar in color, and the mix of spiced rum and vanilla was nice. Of course, most of the time it comes in Coke at your local bar, and I'll drink that in a pinch. But NEVER in Pepsi.

I honestly haven't had many different types besides Captain Morgan and Sailor Jerry. I'd like to try some.

Redrum's Voodoo Spiced Rum is cool simply for the packaging. The flavor is nothing to write home about. But it's cool to have a bottle of it. coffin shaped with a tiki on it. what's not to like?

Sailor Jerry surprised me with being so fruity. i was expecting something more earthy, but I found that it was a rum you could have with a little soda and ice quite easily.

These are the only two I am willing to have at this point. Cap'n Morg'n is nasty. I avoid Bacardi except for 151 (cuz its the only 151 I can get around here). and otherwise, i have little reason to try the others.

but then I am not quite the connoisseur that Scottes is.

is it odd that so far only New Englanders have piped in on this thread? (except for Tipsy)

..sb

[ Edited by: Suffering Bastard in Maine 2007-11-21 13:29 ]

According to Tipsy's "From", he could be in Chelsea.

I just did a quick taste test. Montecristo Speiced Rum is way better than Sailor Jerry's.
SJ's tasted salty compared to the Monti. The Monti tasted like Christmas.

I bet the spiced rums sell best during the holidays.

I still have a bottle of Kuya infused rum. I seem to remember that that one actually tastes like rum and coke when it is just over ice. It has been in the bar sealed for a year with the $3.99 blowout special tag still on it. It is still good, right? At least not really any worse than fresh? :)

Pappy: Chelsea... ROFL! I was with a bunch of folks from Boston and one whined about the toll on the Tobin going up. Another quipped "They could double it and I'd still pay just to get out of Chelsea."

Mr. NoNaMe: The Montecristo Spiced is supposed to be very, very good. As good as Foursquare Spiced, which is certainly excellent. I hope to get a bottle of the Montecristo one of these days.

And yes, the Kuya is still good. WELL, as good as it was when it went into the bottle.

As loathe as I am to admit it, I was in a band once, the official drink of which was Capt'n & Capt'n. It's just like a Capt'n & Coke, except instead of pouring coke in a glass of 1 oz. of Capt'n and ice, you pour another oz. of Capt''n. That's a recipe just about any bartender I've come across can nail, first time!

captain morgans makes me hurl, blechhhh

I do like that pirate style bumbo, or bimbo, or dildo, or whatever it was.
That stuff was delish! and it is rum with spices... go figure!

All rum starts its life as some PGA and "spices" tossed ina barrel and aged. So, Spiced Rum may not be any sort of evil sacrilege, just a different recipe for the same thing we are always drinking.

Just don't tell me Coconut Rum gets a bad shake.

Yes, I think Spiced Rum does get an unfair amount of bad press.

And, saying that I am not one in favor of most spiced rums... I find the few of them I have tried to have a synthetic taste, or synthetic aftertaste, and most of the ones I have tried have a weird mouthfeel like I just ate some cloves or something.

I love the Capt'n Morgan commercials, but don't care for the rum (it is OK in Dr. Pepper...). I don't like the aftertaste I get from Sailor Jerry's. And I can't recall the other two spiced rums I have tried sort-of recently, which shows how outstanding they were....

I lump most of the spiced rums in with most of the flavored rums.... I will take a 'good' rum and add whatever I need to it to make my drink. I control the amount and quality of the additions and I can make only what I need for the task at hand.

But that is just my opinion. And listening to my opinion is dangerous because I drink.

.... Pappy the Sailor, I have a bottle of Sailor Jerry's under the bar. When you finally make it down to my place I will pour you a nice big cocktail.

On 2007-11-25 14:17, jpmartdog wrote:
captain morgans makes me hurl, blechhhh

I do like that pirate style bumbo, or bimbo, or dildo, or whatever it was.
That stuff was delish! and it is rum with spices... go figure!

Yep. Bumbo seems to be the original spiced rum. No doubt that's why Captain Morgan call theirs Captain Morgan. Bumbo is not a particularly attractive sounding name. Sounds like Bo that comes out of someone's Bum. I'm guessing that's why commercial bumbo is called spiced rum. Fortunately, homemade bumbo is great and doesn't require that you make your own rum. You just make it like the pirates did. Find rum. Spice it up. I haven't had the desire to check out everyone's commercial bumbos, but I'm sure there are some that are decent enough. The ones I have tried were not impressive, especially, CM.

Got a little ginger in ya?

Ginger slices in white rum. (or dark?) Several slices. Who cares what brand! Shake it once in a while. Taste it straight in three days time. Not spicey enough? Let it go longer.
Remember!! You only want to think it is spicey. Not know it spicey right off the rim.

"Hmm....that is kinda spicey!?" Or..."Is that some sort of "spice" I taset?" Or.... "WHOOOAAAA, That is freakin spySAYYY"

With the release, and shameless promotion at the Mai Kai, of Seven Tiki Rum, I thought it is time to re-visit this thread.

People are now ordering Seven Tiki Barrels.

I didn't care for it.

Your thoughts?

The Seven Tiki version of the Mai Kai Barrel O'Rum has a distinct vanilla flavor to it. While it's not the same cocktail due to the infused flavors, it is tasty in its own right. I ended up buying a bottle of Seven Tiki while in Florida because I enjoyed it so much at the Mai Kai.

While there is an understandable bias in some realms toward spiced rum (especially bad spiced rum), occasionally somebody makes a good use out of it.

Personally, the biggest knock on spiced rum for me is that I'd rather mix the flavors (whatever they may be) myself into my cocktail. And if I'm just going to drink rum neat, there are better options than a spiced rum; like a rum that tastes like rum (perhaps Appleton Estate Extra).

So it's not so much giving spiced rum a bad rap as it is that it just sits unused in my bar. If one enjoys it, they should drink it! And to the previous poster that mentioned the bottle design of Voodoo, yeah it does look nifty on the shelf. :)

kevin

I am in somewhat of agreement with Suffering Bastard of Stumptown, although not only do I like the Voo Doo bottle, I also enjoy the taste in certain mixes. Voo Doo would be my spiced rum of choice.

Sailor Jerry, is nothing special flavor wise, although 92 proof doesn't hurt (or does it?).

Other than those two, your bar really doesn't need any other spiced rum, but the experiment continues.

On 2009-08-26 00:57, conchchowder wrote:
With the release, and shameless promotion at the Mai Kai, of Seven Tiki Rum, I thought it is time to re-visit this thread.

People are now ordering Seven Tiki Barrels.

I didn't care for it.

Your thoughts?

I haven't tried Seven Tiki spiced rum as I generally avoid spiced rum unless it is homemade. However, I thought their artwork better than expected.
Artwork here: http://www.tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?topic=34259&forum=1&0

I came upon this article (old thread!) when looking for other opinions about spiced rum brands out there. I just blind tasted 22 different ones to see which I liked best (without being influenced by the bottles). It turns out Chairman's reserve Spiced from St. Lucia was my favorite, but there were a few others that were pretty darn good as well, including Brinley Gold from St. Kitts, and Koloa Kauai Spiced from (duh) Kauai! If you're inclined to read about such things, the article is here: http://inuakena.com/spirit-reviews/spiced-rum-challenge/

Cheers!

I have beef with spiced rum!

Having tried several different brands (Lambs, Sailor Jerry, Kracken), I haven't found any that shines as an ingredient. They all have a little too much vanilla & not enough kick when compared to a basic mixing plain white mixing rum. Neat or over ice they fair a little better IMO but they aren't something I have returned to so cant have been that great.

The spiced rum I have is what I offer when a non rum drinker asks for a 'rum n coke'.

Credit to tofukulele for his endeavours, Im glad to see all I have tried falling outside his top 10. I have no doubt that good spiced rum exists & (because Im a sucker for trying new things) I will investigate the higher rated rums when I see them!

I've never been a big fan of spiced rums. However, every time I receive a bottle (usually from well-meaning friends), I'll sometimes throw it into a cocktail along with another rum just for the hell of it. Sometimes good/sometimes not.
I did however, just purchase my first bottle of Kracken but only because it offered $1 off per gallon of gas.

After reading this thread and tofukulele's post, it really hit me that I sorta shun the spiced rum as well. Maybe its more the stereotypical Captain Morgan stuff, because I do mix with Seven Tiki occasionally and I even have a bottle of Kraken in my bar, but its my "every day" type of rum. As mentioned above, its really the only rum I use to mix for a rum and coke.

So for me, I say get a bottle or two (I also like Sailor Jerry's) for a simple rum and coke mixing, but for cocktails I can't think of too many that require or rely heavily on it. There's so much good stuff out there to use instead!

Not a huge fan of spiced rum either and usually do not keep any on hand. The exception to the rule so far has been Old New Orleans Cajun Spice rum which I thought was fabulous and would love to acquire another bottle. It has more of a cinnamon and apple spice profile to it and not just the over the top vanilla of most spiced rums.

I have a couple spiced rums in my bar, and there are times where I question their presence. But having said that, I can share the following personal observations:

• I find that Kraken must be mixed. So far I have not enjoyed it straight or on the rocks. Surprisingly good in coke, though, and that's why I have it. Friends who want rum & coke really like it, and it's a quick-hit combo at any party I'm invited to.

• Seven Tiki is surprisingly smooth and tasty considering it is a Bacardi product. Good for them for stepping up their product offering! I live 20 minutes from their plant and have met several of their employees, and they always tell me the company puts quite a bit of time and money into R&D.

• Sailor Jerry is one spiced rum that I have not had much success with. I have only had one single bottle of it and it's all gone now. I'm not feeling moved to buy another bottle at the moment.

My challenge with spiced rums is that I'm kind of in a rut where I use syrups and other things for flavoring instead of the spiced rums for flavoring. This does not make the spiced rums bad in and of themselves, except for the fact that some spiced rums are low-end with cheap or artificial flavorings. They seem as if they are sold purely to cash in on the spiced rum craze. Quality spiced rums are harder to find and, as other taste testers have said here in this thread, are probably lightyears better than the old Capt. Morgan low-end stuff.

I'm sure that spiced rums are a worthwhile study, and I'm going back to re-read tofukulele's blog article http://inuakena.com/spirit-reviews/spiced-rum-challenge/. Without more research, I won't be able to get myself inspired enough to invest the money and the time when there are so many other cocktail options open to me for experimenting behind the bar. Nevertheless, if someone here raves about a particular rum, I just may run out and get a bottle. TC guides a surprising number of my liquor purchase decisions and tofukulele's blog may cause that to happen.

Jeff Berry once said at a Hukilau seminar that, at a rum industry event, someone asked him how rums could be taken more seriously in the world of distilled spirits. His reply was to tell them to stop selling crappy flavored versions of their products. I often wonder if the same is true for spiced rums -- stop making so many crappy spiced rums and educate consumers about bitters, syrups, and other flavorings which pair well with various rums. In other words, return to the roots of what people did in "the old days" when they made the cocktails which many of us on TC have rediscovered today. Now there is some solid and actionable advice for rum cocktail drinkers!

spiced rum sucks, so No, it doesnt get an unfair shake.

with one exception- makes a great eggnog, better than any whiskey/dark rum/ brandy combo for the nog.

But you wouldn't be opposed to just using a good base rum and then adding appropriate spices to make a kick-ass eggnog? :)

At some point in the past I liked Kraken. Recently I made a Cuba Libre with it, and suddenly it tasted horrible to me, with a very chemical aftertaste. Did they change their recipe, or is it simply that my tastes have changed? Either way, it seems that most of the spiced rums I have tasted have been pretty digesting. I think the problem is that I've only tasted the lower end products, which likely use bargain-basement rum and a chemistry set for spices. It's probably not something I'd likely spend good money on, since I don't really have a need for it. Let's face it, the only reason most people buy Kraken is because A) It's cheap, and B) It's got nice branding.

Kraken, to me, has a very strong flavor profile. While good with cola, I do not enjoy it neat, and at this time, cannot really see it subbed in a classic cocktail. (I haven't looked into it, so these are superficial off-the-cuff newbie-to-Kraken comments.) So the Kraken formula may be the same, and your taste may have stayed the same. Kraken is just very dark and bold, and that's not necessarily saying it is "good" or "bad." It's just different. I think you're right, based on what some others have posted, that higher-end spiced rums may yield a better impression. And I do have an unopened bottle of Kraken waiting for me to mess around with it just because it is so unique and strong and I didn't care for it. But I don't think that the only reason most people buy Kraken is because it's cheap and has nice branding -- I did taste it with cola and was quite surprised how well it "cleaned up." I was surprised that such an unlikeable rum when neat (to me) was so different and much more positive when mixed with cola.

Oh, on the subject of "spiced rum love and hate" -- we can't let the Austrians and their inland Stroh spiced rum not be mentioned here. Stroh is oft-hated, but I had my first experiences with it this year when I started making the Frankie's Tiki Room recipes from their new book where this brand is prominently invoked. Stroh 80 was too strong to drink neat. But Stroh 60 was a shockingly pleasant surprise. It's not at all traditional, and it has an interesting spiced flavor character which I really enjoyed. I have seen many posts describing it as "the worst of all rums in the world," but I can tell you it was a pleasant and welcome addition to my bar.

I am seeing, as I try more and more new stuff, that each of our palates differ depending on many factors. Therefore I won't look down on you for liking spiced rum. I do plan on trying some of the higher-end recommendations from this thread in the future.

*On 2013-12-30 07:33, AceExplorer wrote:*His reply was to tell them to stop selling crappy flavored versions of their products.

You mean Pinnacle Vodka and their 31 flavors has missed the point? :wink:

If you can get your hands on The Lash spiced rum, it really is in a whole different level above every spice rum I've ever tried. The Siesta Key Spiced Rum from Sarasota is also getting some good press. I haven't had a chance to pick up a bottle and play with it yet.

On 2014-01-01 13:44, TikiHardBop wrote:
If you can get your hands on The Lash spiced rum, it really is in a whole different level above every spice rum I've ever tried. The Siesta Key Spiced Rum from Sarasota is also getting some good press. I haven't had a chance to pick up a bottle and play with it yet.

The Lash is definitely different than the typical spiced rum. It is bursting with real spice flavor, but for me it was a bit too much cinnamon (it was #14 on my list). I have not tried Siesta Key, but was contacted by the distiller after the article was published, and some is now on its way to me. I'm excited to try it, as I have heard good things! Cheers

On 2014-01-01 13:44, TikiHardBop wrote:
The Siesta Key Spiced Rum from Sarasota is also getting some good press.

Deservedly so! It's good.

The Kraken did actually change the recipe for the Australian market (you can blame me/us). We have a ridiculous law here where all rums must be aged for a minimum of two years to be called a rum. Otherwise it needs to be labeled as something else e.g. Sugar Cane Flavoured Spirit. As The Kraken didn't have any rums in it that were over two years old, and obviously being a new brand who wanted to get there product out into as many markets as possible, they tinkered with the formula adding an aged rum to qualify for the requirements the Australian Liquor Industry demands and they were so happy with what they came up with that they changed the recipe worldwide.

Swizzle, when they changed the recipe, do you also know if they changed the labeling on the bottle? I'm wondering how we would know if we have a bottle of the old stuff because that would invite one or more of us to make an old/new comparison.

On 2014-01-12 02:15, swizzle wrote:
We have a ridiculous law here where all rums must be aged for a minimum of two years to be called a rum.

That sounds like a great law. Finland is filled with "rums" that taste more like gasoline than sugarcane flavored spirit. We have good rums too, but of course those cost a fortune.

On 2014-01-12 05:58, AceExplorer wrote:

Swizzle, when they changed the recipe, do you also know if they changed the labeling on the bottle? I'm wondering how we would know if we have a bottle of the old stuff because that would invite one or more of us to make an old/new comparison.

I can't believe i can answer that with photographic evidence although i'm not sure if it will help answer your question.

A few years ago before The Kraken became available here in Aus. i was fortunate enough to have a co-worker bring me back a bottle from the U.S. which i still have. I also happen to have an Australian release bottle which i've modified to make into a lamp/light.

The bottle on the left in both pictures is the Australian one, U.S. on the right.

Front.

The only difference i can see is that the label on U.S. bottle is larger, (it is a 750ml bottle opposed the Australian 700ml) and the alcohol percentage/proof is on both sides of the U.S. bottle where as ours has the bottle volume also. As you can see the alcohol percentage/proof is also lower here. That is also because alcohol is heavily taxed here and it is worked out according to the alcohol percentage and the bottle size. So for example, a Kraken bottle(700ml) at 47% would cost more than a 700ml at 40%.

What percentage/proof is it over there now?

Back.

The only difference i can see here is the writing on the top has gone from three lines to two, all the other information you should be able to see for yourselves is to do with distribution and/or differences in our two countries and what needs to be on the labels according to our respective laws.

Hope that helps. I'm curious to hear back from anyone to see what, if any, differences there are.