“Not your dad’s spiced rum.” The Lash is a West Indies rum aged four years in oak bourbon barrels, it has the rich dark amber brown color like that of a boiling caramel. The rum itself does look sexy in the glass so the next phase of our test will be to nose this little oak-barrel West Indies rum and see if the marketing material matches the actual product.
Prior to my first sniff, I dripped some spring water in the glass to break up the aroma hidden inside the alcohol, the liquid immediately came to life. The nose is highly dominated with almonds and cinnamon, my initial impression brought Amaretto to mind because of the dark sweetness. A second wave of flavors arrive quickly including a buttery oak which may be the vanilla combined with the nutty cinnamon reminded me of a holiday spirit, perhaps something to sip neat around the house during the holiday season.
The flavor profile matches the nose fairly well but brought a few other neat palate pleasing flavors including nutmeg, caramel and vanilla all in a medium bodied warmth of rum. There is a little bit of “warmth” in the taste, not a burn exactly, but a mouth-warming feeling. The thickness was pretty intense considering this is a spiced rum with a sweeter rum attack, a cinnamon almond mid-palate and a creamy buttered cinnamon finish that brings along some mild oak profile.
A spiced rum like this would definitely pair well with the sweetness of Coca Cola or used in a spiced rum recipe in which the cinnamon will work well (probably a cocktail without cinnamon schnapps.) The Lash Spiced Rum is 35% ABV and the spices in the bottle take a front seat with the rum being in the back seat for this ride. As a rum goes, drinking this straight is fun for me (especially as a holiday spirit) but I think it will really make an impact in a cocktail with its pronounced flavor profiles. The Lash defines the word “spice” in spiced rum.
A definite must try for the suggested retail price of USD $29.99 for those looking to experience all the brands and flavors of a spiced rum.
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