Other Words on the Label
94 proof
I’m always interested in trying spiced rum; okay, I’m interested in trying any spirit or mixer I haven’t before. I needed some dark rum for a recipe, and this bottle caught my eye. How could it not? The bottle is awesome! A fantastic, old-school kraken on the label? Two little loop handles at the top? Rock on, the Kraken Black Spiced Rum, rock on! Now that you know I’m won over by bottling (this was no secret), you’re ready for my thoughts on the spirit.
Its color is interesting, like a black licorice rope, but the reddish-brown color it is at the edge when you tear off a piece. It smells nice, mostly of caramel. It burns, of course, but otherwise, I quite like it. The spice is central---it’s all spice, all the time, with a dark, thin-bodied rum train to drive it down your throat. As I drink, the rum taste grows stronger than I made it out to be in those few short, sweet sentences. Its vanilla also rises up with time. Make no mistake, though, the spice is the star.
In my opinion, there’s too much alcohol bite for sipping, but it may make a great base for simple soda and rum combos or a floater for fruity drinks. For the record, the husband thinks it’s great for sipping and has been doing so for weeks now.
3 stars
Other Bloggers’ Thoughts
The Kraken---the rum, that is---cuts quite a profile in consumption, a truly monstrous hit of chocolate and molasses, cut with Christmas spices—cinnamon and allspice, cloves and maybe even some ginger. Vanilla is big on the finish. Overall the effect is quite impressive, and any spiced rum fan will get a big kick out of The Kraken.
Again, at 94 proof, it needs a bit of water if you're sipping it straight, and it works just fine with your standard mixers---though last night I was bemoaning the fact that no good recipes exist using spiced rum. The price is also right.
Spice-itude: Medium. Enough sweet & spiciness to enjoy sipping on its own, but it's got a nice burn that keeps it from going into candyland.
Coke Compatibility: Medium/High. Meshes almost too well. The overall flavors are extremely complementary, and if it were a lower proof, it would probably not punch through.
Flamboyant Badass Quotient: Medium/High. "Kraken Black Spiced Rum" sounds Flamboyantly Badass to be sure, and the fact that this stuff is nearly opaque gives it some intimidation factor.
When one opens it, the nose that is present is similarly intense, with hints of smoke, molasses, and even chocolate syrup. The spiced rum burns ever so well whenever we here at NeuFutur had the chance to sample The Kraken, regardless of whether we had it in a shot glass or took a slower approach on the rocks. Shots went down deceptively easy, likely due to the fact that there is a sludginess that moderates any burn that may normally be present in a rum. However, I found the best attraction for The Kraken to be a simple can of Coke or Pepsi, with a Mojito formulation with The Kraken to be a completely different beast from any other Mojito we’ve had in the past.
Reviewed 11.4.10
