This week we’re back to regular reviews – though I do fondly miss scotch. What to do we have this week though? Well it appears Bacardi has a new rum, and it’s spiced this time. Reviewers will remember our last time a Bacardi graced our doors – which came with fire in it’s hands. This time however it appears to come with enough sugar to fill a galleon.
Now we have a general policy on regular proof spiced rums. Namely you enjoy the smell, you kill the burn with some coke and you move on. Things like the Kraken, and Private Stock though have shattered said policy. Good rum like good scotch is meant to be sipped over ice. Now Bacardi Oakheart here really is similar in vein to private stock. It’s smoother and sweeter than most spiced rums, and that is part of it’s downfall.
It’s really just too sweet to enjoy, it’s like a syrup even when on ice, and that’s a problem. A few of these and you’re like to vomit much the same as if you were drinking Sambuca and Buttershots. This thing really needed more power, and less sweetener. Even their words seem sweet.
What they say: “Bacardi Oakheart is a tribute to the legendary and modern day adventurer. It honors their core essence, a fierce loyalty, stout heart, and unwavering resolve. These timeless qualities backed by over a century of Bacardi tradition are reflected in the robust taste of Oakheart, a smooth spiced rum with a hint of smokiness that stands up to any challenge.”
It talks of loyalty and adventuring, but those kinds of rum command much stronger rum than this. The rum truly is smooth with a hint of smokiness, but standing up to any challenge? I don’t think so, as proof we put it to our challenge.
Taste: 7.5 – Tastes nice going down, initial taste is very good.
Aftertaste: 4 – Syrupy kind of feel, and a taste that isn’t as great as the initial, this really is where Oakheart falls on it’s face.
Burn/Smooth: 6.7 – It goes down very smooth, so it’s not really a burn but it goes down too syrupy so it’s not “smooth” like a fine scotch or Private Stock merely there’s very little burn.
Aroma: 6 – Weak kind of spiced rum smell, smells overly sweet.
Honesty: 6.3 – It’s syrup-ness and the fact that it’s a weak 35% really detract from the overall prescense. The bottle and literature are very nice, however some things deduct points from it. Things like being made by Bacardi. Some might point out 151 also being from Bacardi – however if you recall 151 that can kill you so not the same thing. That’s not to say that Bacardi isn’t the goto choice for light/flavored rums; however their foray into spiced rum while good is too sweet.
Mixability: 5.96
Rum and Coke: 6.125 – Not bad, but it kind of disappears.
w/ Rocks: 5.8 – Aftertaste still kinda kicks in with weird stickyness. Doesn’t compare to Morgan’s Private Stock.
Value: 6.8 – Same price as Sailor Jerry’s, and much cheaper than Private stock and most spiced rums; however at that price it is a deal for a sipping spiced rum.
Google Shop Average: $13
Website: http://www.bacardi.com/
Reviewer Scores:
William Henri Neve the IV: 6.5
Justice: 6.5
BuffaloJern: 6.5
DJ_Lvl: 6.5
The Bear: 6.5
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Metric Score: 43.26/70 |+| Metric Average: 6.18 |+| Reviewer Average: 6.5
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Final Thoughts:
It is above average, but it’s still a Bacardi rum marketed towards an audience who doesn’t want a nice kick or a smooth elegance in the rum, but is fine for settling for something cheap, sweet, and tastes slightly better than normal rum. They’ve clearly hit a few of the right buttons on their spiced-rum-o-matic but not all of them. Really it’s what you’re looking for, cheap, weak, and sip-able? Then Oakheart is fine for you, if you want some power, or a smoother taste, or less syrup than it appears you need to look elsewhere.
