Cruzan is arguably the sweet spot when it comes to reviews on our humble site. It’s something we know isn’t the highest of tiers, but by being such a budget product it begs the question of whether the cost savings there make it worth your money and more or if it’s simply another scrap on the heap of shitty spirits.
In this aged rum, the answer overall is kinda. The problem here is the actual dollar value – by virtue of being so damn cheap, it’s hard to say that the faults mean you shouldn’t buy it. Are there better options – surely, but parting with 20 dollars for a handle isn’t enough to send Consumer Reports into a tizzy.
What they Say: “ In 1760, a sugar mill began crushing cane at the current site of the Cruzan Rum distillery on the island of St. Croix. Since the early 1800s, the Nelthropp family has lived on and been an integral part of this legendary island’s rich history. Drawing on this heritage, the Nelthropps use only natural ingredients, then carefully distill and age Cruzan Aged Rum. The result is one of the world’s best tasting rums.”
Taste: 5.0 – There’s a nice lighter sort of caramel deal going on here with some molasses for flavor. It, however, changes from a gentle tap to…
Aftertaste: 3.5 – This is going to sound odd, but the aftertaste is almost more like a rum cake or a molasses cookie if it punched you in the face. It’s not subtle of wholly enjoyable, but clearly, something is going on there.
Burn/Smooth: 3.5 – As we’ve already said ‘punch in the face’ smoothness is not going to do well predictably, This does make you wince, and it’s not an easy sipper.
Aroma: 6.5 – It’s lighter, not too sugary, and there’s no whiff of cheapness. It’s not a bold or complex flavor, but it’s pleasant and that’s well enough for a gold rum.
Honesty: 5.0 – One of the world’s best tasting rums? Piss off. That line alone sinks this in terms of honesty. Oh sure talk about how you got here, the heritage and process – but you throw that at us when what you have is barely manageable and guess what – you lose points – critically any that you gained.
Mixability: 4.5
W/ Rocks: 3.5 – No. That does not radically change the situation. Oh, it might hit just 80%, but it’s still a clean clock to the face.
Rum and Coke: 5.5 – You get a bit of the rum’s more molasses bit here in the coke, but the end result is serviceable, and not wildly enjoyable. With Pepsi or sugary cola it’d be even worse.
Value: 6.0 – No way to escape it, that’s dirt cheap – and by consequence, if you compare it to Don Q. (Okay not the gold bad example, the silver instead) It isn’t the king of value, but it does well enough.
Google Shop Average: $12
Website: https://www.cruzanrum.com/
Reviewer Scores:
BuffaloJern: 5.0
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Metric Score: 34/70 |+| Metric Average: 4.86 |+| Reviewer Average: 5.0
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Final Thoughts: There isn’t a universe where we don’t buy Don Q Silver over this, but it is a gold rum, and given how spotty those can be we can’t deny that by being $12 this is a contender for one of the better ones. However, we’ve always maligned gold rums, at least silver has more uses, and if not spiced – why gold? All being said Cruzan here ticks enough of the boxes to be serviceable.
