Coruba Dark

Tiki tiki tiki.
Goslings is pretty good.
Blackwell is nice.
Merchants Reserve 100 proof Dark is the o my competition for this one though, when it comes to mixing up a nice planters punch or other tiki standby. Just a shame it’s so rarely stocked around my neck of the woods.
Get some!

The perfect amount of flavor: it can always punch through in tiki drinks that call for "dark Jamaican rum," yet it never overpowers. It has a really interesting flavor: there is both that banana funk, and also a little bit of that smokiness that reminds me of a Demerara rum

Dark with added color (supposedly), some funk, oakiness is ok. Have yet to try it in a traditional Trader Vic Mai Tai. Might be a very different dark floater. Hmmm.

It's a base mixer. Not much going on. Overused in my opinion. It's a dark colored rum. Blackwell is my tiki replacement for this.

I love this rum. I'm predisposed to liking dark rums. I'm sure you can find a better rum, but you will be pressed for a better value.

The start of this rum is fine, particularly in a cocktail like Queen's Park Swizzle or with some ginger ale. But then all I get is a burnt taste. This just isn't the rum for me, but maybe others might like it.

I like it! Yes, you know it is Jamaican, but not overly funky. Nice notes of pineapple and baking spice on the nose and palate. Sweet but not overdone. Some alcohol heat and pepperiness, but reasonably smooth. Sipper? Only you can decide, but I've had worse! For sure a great mixer. Works nicely in the Jungle Bird, with some solid molasses notes.

Good for what it is. Did a blind side-by-side vs. a similar competitor that's been a staple on my shelf and they're neck and neck. Not quite a sipper but functions very well as a mixer in a category any serious tiki drink fan will be sure to need.

Coruba is a but hard to find retail (around here) but is a staple behind the bar at tiki and tropical haunts across the US. I finally snagged a bottle for my own bar by chance. On it’s own, Coruba is surprisingly sipable - though not a smooth a more premium rums of course - tasting of rich molasses, hint of dried fruits, and a respectable punch of that characteristic ripe banana “funk” that comes from Jamaican rum It’s fairly inexpensive, but has a depth that is atypical for other rums in the price point - when used in tiki and tropical cocktails, I find it lends an agreeable character and body, conceivably taking the place of two rums in a mix, and lending an interesting “mouthfeel”, which I understand can be attributed to added glycerin. Very pleased that I was able to snag a bottle and will avail to make this one a workhorse of my home bar 🍹

I had low expectations of the ol’ Coruba. I remember West Indian cricketers advertising it in the early 80s but had no other references. Having put it side by side with a Goslings, I find it subtler and more complex. Beneath the brown sugar and treacliness, there’s a dry cocoa, a little earthiness and some oak is apparent. As a cheap rum ($48 AUD) this is going to be my go-to for colour, depth, or a float in a Mai tai or a navy grog.