Cruzan Black Strap

Honestly, I've only had this in a Dark & Stormy. It smells amazing...to the point where some of my friends believe they should make a cologne out of it. Sheesh, it's hard to say that a black strap rum is smooth, but this one is. We tend to forget about the Cruzan brand, but it offers a solid collection of rums which are the "house" liquor in my home; meaning this is what I serve to guest. Of Cruzan brands, Cruzan Black Strap is unforgettable.

If you're looking to drink a Dark & Stormy and you're tired of hearing "Goslings, Goslings", pick up a bottle of Cruzan and enjoy some of those vanilla notes among the ginger beer. Or, even better, pick up a bottle of Kraken for a new kind of Dark & Stormy.

Has a bit of a bite. Not to $$. Brown sugar / molasses favors. Ok on the rocks but better with a mixer. Haven't yet tried it in a Tiki drink.

Tastes just like molasses. I don't often drink it straight, but if I'm making pineapple rum glaze for my island spiced chicken recipe, this is the best.

As a fan of Cruzan rums, I decided to give this a try. At first sniff, the aroma of Boston brown bread came to mind. It has a stronger molasses flavor than most other rums but I also noticed hints of anise and vanilla giving this a fairly complex flavor, but it has a bit of a burn. With that said, I like this rum for a change and enjoyed it most on the rocks during my intial four-step tasting. I plan to explore mixers with this too. At about $16 US for a liter in Ohio, I think it's a good buy if this style appeals. I can think of other more expensive dark rums that I don't like as much as this.

Go to Rum for Mai Tai at Roy's. Try at happy hour.

Very smoky, but lacks the sweetness that it desperately needs. Good with Coke.

I like Cruzan rums and Black Strap is a good choice in black rums. It has a strong molasses/brown sugar scent. Reasonably priced. For me it is my third choice in black rums, behind Captain Black and The Kracken. Use it as a mixer with Dr. Pepper instead of cola. It does foam a lot when mixed though. Nice to have around if you like blackstrap rum. Probably good in tropical mixers too. I will try that next.

Forget Dark & Stormy for a moment. You really must try a Corn 'n' Oil cocktail, which is pretty spectacular, and for that you need black strap rum. Molasses heaven.

Not really a fan of the Cruzan brand but was curious about the Black Strap Rum. Don't laugh but when I smelled the rum after opening it I was reminded of good pancake syrup. That was a promising sign. Tasting it was interesting. Hits the tongue rather hard but fades nicely with a lingering sweetness that reminded me of a good pancake syrup. Definitely a molasses flavor but not overpowering. I could see this being sipped straight but best used in a cola where the sweetness is accentuated. No objectionable aftertaste. But does leave some odd flavors on the tongue. Now I need to try it with some ginger beers for a Dark & Stormy. I tried it in Coke Zero and was not pleased with how it turned out. This might be good in various rum punches and mai tai's. I believe it would be best suited in baking.

UPDATE: I wrote my initial review/opinion almost 2 years ago. I recently picked up another bottle for a second chance and discovered improvements in this rum as opposed to the older version. I still have the older bottle for comparison and there is a distinct improvement in aroma, appearance and flavor. The aroma in the newer bottle is quite good and no longer reminds of me of pancake syrup. Swirling it around my snifter reveals excellent legs. It is the darkest rum I have sampled. A dark chocolate hue. The flavor reveals the distinctive blackstrap molasses flavor and has a nice finish. Maybe I had a bad batch bottle initially or perhaps they improved their formula. Either way it's worth a 3-point increase in my rating. Definitely a good mixer but also a nice after-dinner dessert sipper.

This stuff is cloyingly sweet. Reminded me of the maple syrup chug from Super Troopers. We bought this one night at a good price and could barely drink it. I saved the rum thinking it could be used down the road in a unique mixed drink in lieu of a syrup, but it overpowers everything I put it in.