Review: Hard Truth Toasted Coconut Rum
Hard Truth Toasted Coconut Rum was released July 5 2019. It is one of eleven spirits currently crafted at the Hard Truth Distillery located on 325 wooded acres in Brown County Indiana. What started in 2015 as a small operation in the upper rooms of a pizza restaurant has grown to a 18,000 square foot state of the art distillery with Vendome Copper & Brass Works equipment. The success of Hard Truth Toasted Coconut Rum led to the release of Hard Truth Toasted Coconut Rum Cream in September 2020. Hard Truth Toasted Coconut starts with their white rum distilled from molasses and pure cane sugar as a base. They distill the rum at a low proof to maintain the rich deep notes of molasses. Hand toasted flaked coconut, cane sugar, and natural sea salt are blended before bottling at 42 proof. Read more 
Review: Blue Ox Coconut Rum
Blue Ox Coconut Rum is one of ten Blue Ox Spirits produced at Red Boot Distillery in Grimes Iowa. Red Boot Distillery is a private labeling and co-packing company owned by Stuart Oxer. Stuart also owns the Blue Ox Spirits brand and the Oxtails line of Canned Cocktails. Blue Ox Vodka has been the best selling Iowa made spirit in the state of Iowa for the last few years. Blue Ox is a value priced line of spirits currently available in 10 Midwestern states. Blue Ox Coconut Rum does not list its ingredients on the bottles label or company website but it weighs in at 42 proof and is sold in 1 liter bottles. Read more
Review: Captain Morgan Sliced Apple
Captain Morgan Sliced Apple was just released. It is one of 13 Captain Morgan varieties in the current Captain Morgan lineup. It should not be confused with Captain Morgan Apple Smash, their over sweet 60 proof flavored rum designed for shooting. Captain Morgan is one of several spirit brands owned by Diageo including Smirnoff, Crown Royal, Baileys Irish Cream, and Ketel One. If anyone knows how to extend a product line it’s Diageo. Three of those brands Smirnoff, Crown Royal, and Baileys Irish Cream already have an apple flavored version of their original. The Captain Morgan Spiced Rum base is made from sugarcane molasses. It is distilled in St. Croix in a continuous still and is aged for 1 year in oak barrels. A proprietary blend of Caribbean spice is added before bottling at 70 proof. Captain Morgan Slice apple is made with premium rum, natural apple flavor, spice and natural flavors. Read more
Review: Hue-Hue Coffee Rum
Hue-Hue Coffee Rum was released February 2018. It is pronounced Way-Way. The white rum base is made from molasses and is distilled in the Caribbean. It is shipped to Eastside Distilling in Portland Oregon. Cold brew free-trade , single origin Arabica coffee beans grown at Finca El Paternal Estate in HueHuetenango Guatemala are sourced and lightly roasted through Portland Roasting Company. The beans are slowly brewed in a stainless steel vat and stirred slowly with a paddle before steeping for 48 hours. The concentrated brew is then blended with the premium silver rum and demerara sugar. Only 4 grams of demerara sugar is used to produce a 750 ml bottle of Hue-Hue. Read more
Review: Miami Club Coconut Grove Rum
Miami Club Coconut Grove Rum is made from the original Miami Club rum base which is produced from sugar cane harvested from local fields. A 2/3 molasses and 1/3 sugar cane juice blend is fermented and double distilled using a family recipe dating back to 1911 in Puerto Rico. The spirit is slow aged in French limousine and American white oak barrels for 2 years while it is simultaneously infused with the music of Miami. Salsa, samba, and Caribbean rhythms are played 24/7 through vintage Bose 901 speakers to activate the barrels for a richer deeper flavor yield. A 7 step filtration process follows including among other things coconut shells and a secret oxygenation technique used to aerate the spirit. Real Miami grown coconut is infused with the rum before bottling at 60 proof. Read more
Review: Captain Morgan Orange Vanilla Twist
Captain Morgan Orange Vanilla Twist was just released. It is a Limited Edison Summer variety. As I watch the snow gently fall outside my window nearly one month before the start of spring, I only wish we were closer to summer. A quick glance of the Captain’s website shows this is one of 12 varieties of Captain Morgan. The rum base is made from a blend of rums distilled in St Croix from Caribbean sugar cane molasses in a continuous still. The rum is oak barrel aged for 1 year. Spice and other natural flavors are blended before bottling at 60 proof. Read more
Review: Railean Coconut Rum
Railean Coconut Rum is one of seven rums crafted at the Railean Distillery. They also produce 3 agave, 2 whiskey, and 1 vodka spirit. Railean Coconut starts with a rum base made from Grade A molasses and unsulfered sugar, grown and refined in Texas. It is distilled twice in a hybrid pot/column re-flux still with 7 metal bubble cap trays. Kelly and Matthew Railean founded the distillery in 2006, becoming the first legal rum distilled in Texas. 100% natural coconut extract and 100% natural cane syrup is blended with the rum base before bottling at 80 proof. Read more
Review: Bacardi Coquito
Bacardi Coquito was just released. It is a Coconut Cream Liqueur and a Limited Edition release. Coquito translates in English to Little Coconut. Coquito originated in Puerto Rico and it is a traditional Christmas drink often referred to as Puerto Rican eggnog. A traditional Coquito is made with white rum, evaporated milk, cream of coconut, cinnamon, condensed milk, vanilla, and coconut milk. Bacardi Coquito is made from a base of Bacardi Superior White rum. Toasted spices, coconut cream, vanilla, and cinnamon are blended with the rum before bottling at 30 proof. Bacardi is partnering with New York Bakery Brooklyn Cupcake in December to offer a Limited Edition Bacardi Coquito Cupcake. Read more
Review: Gaspars Coconut Rum
Gaspars Coconut Rum was released in 2018 along with Gaspars Spiced Rum. Both are made at Tampa Bay Rum Company located in the historic Ybor City district of Tampa. The rum is named for the infamous Spanish pirate Jose Gaspar. Each year Tampa celebrates Jose with the Gasparilla Pirate Festival. Since opening the distillery in 2018, they have added Gaspars Silver rum, Scurvy Lime Rum, and Gasparilla Spiced Rum. The distillery was founded by former chiropractor Samuel Meyers. The rums are made from the highest grade sugar cane molasses and fermented in one of four 1000 gallon fermenters. The spirit is distilled in a 1000 gallon steel and copper pot still with 24 plate vodka columns. Natural flavors are added before bottling at 80 proof. Gaspars is currently only available for sale at the distillery, in the Tampa area, or from b21.com who will ship Gaspars anywhere in Florida. Read more
Review: Cruzan Coconut Rum
We reviewed Cruzan Coconut Rum several years ago. At that time it was bottled at 55 proof. It is currently sold at 42 proof, so we thought this would be a good time to check out the lower octane Cruzan Coconut. Coconut is one of 16 flavored rums crafted in St. Croix with a rum base made from tropical rainwater and high quality molasses. The spirit is distilled in a 5 column still and aged in oak barrels. The rum is shipped at barrel proof to Florida where it is reduced to proof. Natural flavors are blended before bottling at 42 proof. Read more