Review: The Kraken Black Spiced Rum 70 Proof
The Kraken Black Spiced Rum 70 Proof is the follow-up to The Kraken Black Spiced Rum that was first released in 2009, and bottled at 94 Proof. The rum base is made with Caribbean rum distilled in Trinidad and Tobago at Trinidad Distillers LTD. This is the same distillery that produces the Angostura line of rums. The Kraken is named for the fictional sea beast pictured on the bottles label. A secret blend of spices are infused with the rum base before bottling at 70 proof. Read more 
Review: Koloa Kauai Spice Rum
Koloa Kauai Spice Rum was introduced in 2011. It is one of 6 rums currently crafted at the Koloa Rum Company on the Hawaiian Island of Kauai. The others include Dark, Gold, White, Coconut, and Kauai Coffee. Koloa Spice is made from tall cane sugar grown on the island. After fermenting with a proprietary yeast the rum is twice distilled using a 1210 gallon copper pot still with a copper column and condenser. Pure mountain rainwater from Mt. Wai Ale Ale that is slowly filtered through volcanic strata before reaching vast underground aquifers is blended with the rum. A special blend of spices is infused before bottling at 88 proof. Read more
Review: Bayou Silver Rum
Bayou Silver Rum was released in 2013. It is one of four rums crafted at the Louisiana Spirits Company in Lacassine Louisiana. The others include their Spiced, Satsuma, and Select Rums. Each is made from 100% Natural unrefined Louisiana cane sugar and molasses. After fermenting with a proprietary yeast the rum is distilled in a copper pot still. Triple filtered pure water is blended with the rum to reduce to 80 proof. Read more
Review: Below Deck Spiced Rum
Below Deck Spiced Rum is small batch crafted at Eastside Distilling in Portland Oregon. Initially only available in their tasting room, it was released April 2014. They have been making rum on Portland’s Distillery Row since 2008. Eastside Distilling also makes whiskey, bourbon, vodka, liqueurs, and 3 other rums. Below Deck Spiced Rum is twice distilled from black strap rum and then directly infused for 7-10 days with 13 different whole spices, including cinnamon, orange peel, clove, grains of paradise, fennel, and mace. After infusion, a small amount of treacle is added as a natural color enhancer. Each batch is hand numbered and consist or around 1000 bottles. Read more
Review: Jonahs Curse Black Spiced Rum
Jonahs Curse Black Spiced Rum is bottled by KD Distilling Co. of Louisville Kentucky, a division of Sazerac. The airborne whale and whalers ship on the bottles label leaves little doubt who Jonahs Curse was named for. Rum distilled in the Caribbean is used as a base and 12 traditional spices are blended with the rum. Some black rums including Captain Morgan Black Spiced, and Cruzan Black Strap are distilled with black strap rum. Others, including Jonahs Curse, and Kraken leave you guessing. It is bottled at the standard for black spiced rums, 94 proof. Kraken and Captain Morgan Black Spiced Rum weigh in at 94 and 94.6 proof. Read more
Review: Bacardi Raspberry Rum
Bacardi Raspberry Rum was just introduced along with their Grapefruit flavored rum. If you thought Bacardi already had a raspberry flavored rum, you are correct. They had two previous raspberry flavors, Bacardi Razz, and Bacardi Black Razz. These flavors along with their Big Apple, Grand Melon, Rock Coconut, Artic Grape, and Peach Red have all been dropped as Bacardi has reduced it’s flavored rum offerings from 17 to 10 flavors. In creating Bacardi Raspberry they start with molasses and a single strain of yeast, Le Levadura Bacardi. After fermenting for 30 hours in closed fermentation tanks the fermented molasses is split, with some column distilled and some beer distilled. Each is aged separately in charred American white oak barrels previously used to age bourbon. Once mature the rums are blended and filtered through a mix of charcoal made from tropical woods and coconut shells. Natural citrus raspberry flavors are infused before bottling at 70 proof. Read more
Review: Malahat Spiced Rum
Malahat Spiced Rum is one of four rums crafted at the Malahat Spirits company in San Diego California. Their other rums include an unflavored white rum, a black tea, and ginger flavored rum. The Malahat, a large five masted schooner from Vancouver British Columbia famous for rum running on the US Pacific coast during prohibition was the inspiration for the Malahat name. The distillery was built by three friends, Tom Bleakley, Ken Lee, and Tony Grillo, with a background in home brewing and home wine making. In crafting the rum, they first acquired every type of molasses they could find. Each was fermented with many different varieties of yeast. They then distilled each one. After months of making every conceivable combination of molasses and yeast they decided on a blend of two types of molasses and a specialty yeast. The rum base is small batch distilled in a 1000 liter two-column copper still. When crafting their spiced rum they selected every spice they thought might work before arriving at a blend of 11 all natural spices. These spices include hand split vanilla beans, cinnamon sticks, orange peel, and cloves. These 11 fruits and spices are infused with the rum post distillation, before bottling on site at 80 proof. Read more
Review: Bacardi Grapefruit Rum
Bacardi Grapefruit Rum was just released. It is one of 17 flavored rums they create with rum distilled in Puerto Rico. This is the industries second grapefruit flavored rum. Captain Morgan Grapefruit Rum was launched January 2015. Bacardi starts with molasses and a single strain of yeast, Le Levadura Bacardi. After fermenting for 30 hours in closed fermentation tanks the fermented molasses is split, with some column distilled, and some beer distilled. Each is aged separately in charred American white oak barrels previously used to age bourbon. Once mature the rums are blended and filtered though a mix of charcoal made from tropical woods, and coconut shells. Natural flavors are then infused before bottling in Jacksonville Florida at 70 proof. Read more
Review: Chairmans Reserve Spiced Rum
Chairmans Reserve Spiced Rum is crafted in St. Croix with molasses and pure naturally filtered water. The rum is double distilled in copper alembic pot stills and continuous stills. The rum from each distillation is aged separately in barrels previously used to age bourbon. The rum is then blended by their master distiller. Chairmans Reserve Spiced rum is infused with cinnamon, clove, nutmeg, vanilla, coconut, allspice, lemon, orange and Bois Bande, a bark renowned in the Caribbean as a potent aphrodisiac. Some of the spices, including the Bois Bande are steeped in the rum for up to a year, while the others are added during the blending process. Read more
Review: El Dorado Spiced Rum
El Dorado Spiced Rum is one of 16 rum varieties currently crafted by the Demerara Distillers in Guyana. In the 1640’s Dutch settlers introduced the cultivation of sugar cane to the country of Guyana, the only English speaking country in South America. In the 1650’s British planters introduced distilling and by the 1700’s there were over 300 independent estates producing their own rum. Today the Demerara Distillers operates the last remaining distillery in Guyana at Plantation Diamond on the east bank of the Demerara River. El Dorado Spiced Rum is made from cane sugar grown along the banks of the Demerara River. The cane is crushed to extract the juice. Molasses is produced by boiling the juice. A proprietary yeast is blended with the molasses and fermented for 26 hours. After distilling, the rum is aged in oak barrels. A blend of aged Demerara rums and natural spices including cinnamon, and vanilla, with hints of citrus are blended with the rum before bottling at 80 proof. Read more