Cruzan Aged Dark Rum Review

This week we’re taking a look at Cruzan Aged Dark Rum, a rum that retails for roughly USD $12 in a 750ml redesigned bottle (40% ABV). We’re bringing in some molasses based rum with cost consciousness in mind. Don’t expect the huge complexities you would see in a Blue Cane Rhum like Depaz but you’re also saving yourself roughly $38 dollars by choosing this alternative.

Cruzan, pronounced “Cru-Shun,” is known in the industry as one of the de-facto standard rum selections and offers many great flavored rums for a reasonable price. This $12 Dark Rum has a dark gold “worn penny” coloring and presents itself well in the fairly new bottle design. So, considering it looks like a dark rum should we should move on to the next phase… the scent.

Never underestimate an alcohol, always smell it to gather all the essences and efforts put forth by the brand. Utilize your sense of smell and gather in the slightly spicy notes of Cruzan Aged Rum ending with hints of caramel candy. The smell is light on the nose, requiring you to really dig deep and put your nose in the glass to gather all its notes.

Sipping the liquid extends the scents to the next level, by adding a bit of vanilla, cracked white pepper spice with a slightly sour mid-palate transition which fades quickly into a warm vanilla and nutty licorice finish. Cruzan impresses with its low levels of sweetness and mild levels of alcohol bite considering the price point. Most lower cost alcohols tend to be harshly overbearing in the alcohol department or utilize thick sweetness or over-oaked flavors to burn off the alcohol attack; Cruzan does none of these things and remains clean throughout the experience.

Cruzan‘s Aged Dark Rum has a great thick viscosity which compliments the slight sweet vanilla flavors. It would be difficult to detect the true viscosity if the alcohol taste were beating down the palate with their pikes. While Cruzan Aged Dark Rum is a fine sipping rum it does lack some of the complexities found in more expensive alternatives. It becomes a one-trick-pony when searching for new flavors but that’s not where Cruzan Dark Rum would play best.

Cocktails.

Cruzan would find a warm home in the contents of a great cocktail. Smoothing out the Zombie cocktail and other Polynesian drinks in short time will raise the eyebrows of the consumer. The flavor profile of this rum will reflect its quality upon any drink it mingles with, leaving your guests impressed by your cocktail making prowess. If you’re looking for a Cruzan for sipping, you’ll want to look more towards their Single Barrel alternative and keep Cruzan Aged Dark Rum for drinks that call for a darker rum that plays with fruits and juices.

You’ll want to keep a bottle of Cruzan Aged Rum handy for when your cocktails call for “Dark” rum. This bottle is a cost effective way to make sure your cocktails stay top-tier.

[Learn more about Cruzan at MixDrinkipedia]