Tasting spiced rum there are certain things I look for. First, the base rum should be good. Flavored crappy rum is still crappy rum. Second, the flavors should taste natural. I don’t want the rum to taste like the producer added some bottled extracts and called it good. Third, and finally, the spice flavors should be distinct and not muddled. It’s easy to add a bunch of flavors and end up with a muddled mess. It’s considerably more difficult to combine distinct flavors while keeping them distinct yet harmonious.
BlackBeard Spiced Rum passes my rigorous testing protocol and comes out the other side with me smiling. The bottle notes the key spices are vanilla, cinnamon and nutmeg. And, while the nutmeg and cinnamon play side roles, the vanilla is definitely the star. The vanilla flavor is smooth and fresh with no chemical notes. Just what I like.
This rum plays extremely well with Coke. Though, I do have a recommendation. Add less Coke than you normally would, I’d keep it about 3:1 Coke to rum, tops. That keeps the rum flavor from being over diluted. A twist of lime is good if you’d like to change things up. Good stuff. BlackBeard would also make for an interesting twist on the Mojito.
Overall, it’s a great spiced rum. Less complex than others, but that’s not really a bad thing. The spices it does include it does very well.
†The product reviewed here was provided to me as a free sample. If you’re wondering what that means check out my sample policy.