Review: Blackheart Spiced Rum
Spiced rum continues to grow as a category as every distiller on earth realizes that Captain Morgan has been sucking down cash for years with no competition. This latest brand, Blackheart, comes from Heaven Hill, home of Evan Williams bourbon and Christian Brothers brandy. (Also, it is not to be confused with Black Heart Rum, which is a different product altogether from New Zealand.)
Blackheart is sweeter by far than most spiced rums I’ve tried, it’s almost saccharine. Actual spices are elusive — I thought it tasted more like coconut-flavored suntan lotion than anything else — with an apple-cinnamon finish.
It’s not my favorite spiced rum by a longshot, but those with a real sweet tooth may find it more palatable than I.
93 proof. Rum is sourced from the Virgin Islands.
C+ / $16 / blackheartrum.com
Blackheart Spiced Rum
$16
I wonder what the price point will be for this. Even though there is pinup on the bottle, this sounds like it would combine well with The Kraken to form a nice his/her rum and coke combo.
It should be around $15, and sport a $10 Mail In Rebate, much like the Evan Williams Honey did at it’s launch.
Just tried Blackheart……was okay, bit too much BLACK cherry for my own personal taste, tried it with Vanilla Coke Zero and I’m STILL tasting cherry. I am in L-O-V-E with The Kraken at the moment, going to be trying Kilo Kai based on the drinkhacker review.
BUT, I work in a wine & spirits department (in a college town, pop. 20,000) and I can tell you that the MASTERMIND behind the $10 mail-in-rebate will be pleased to know that every co-ed and frat-boy out there will be sucking this stuff up!! We sold 6+ cases of the Evan Williams Honey Reserve in ONE DAY!! With the warm weather coming up Blackheart should do VERY WELL indeed!
I bought a bottle for 12.49$ last week. This can’t be called rum. It’s box wine with fancy packaging. Really not worth the 3.50$ I spent after taxes… ohhh well. should clean out the disposal nicely.
Had high hopes for the elegant bottle – crash like the hindenberg. Perhapsyou yanks might find this adequate, yet any gentleman would never serve such swill to a guest. A better name might be Blackport window cleaner. Plenty good as a chaser for aussies.
Paid $13. I liked it. Wasn’t bad at all.
From all these terrible reviews, I was expecting this stuff to taste horrible. It wasn’t bad at all. Definately not Captain Morgan, but I’m not going to sit here and bitch about it like it’s the worst thing ever.
I am an expert when it comes to rum. I have traveled all over the Carribean and have tried every kind of rum I have found, then one day I bought a bottle of this Blackheart Rum and mixed it with diet coke and I was really surprised by the outstanding spice flavor. It is a sweeter rum than most and it depends on your preference, but I have become partial to the great taste of this rum and I highly recommend it.
Tried this last night. It has a really bad aftertaste (I think its black cherry or something similar). Anyway, I wont be buying this again. Only reason I tried it was cause the Captains was sold out….damn store!
After reading some decent reviews online I expected this to be at least as good as Admiral Nelson (which, less face it, is drinkable but quite mediocre). Blackheart tastes like cherry cough syrup. It has little rum flavor, is light on spices, and tastes better sipped than mixed with anything because it’s way way too sweet. Even after the massive rebate I still feel ripped off.
Just tryed it with eggnog and the spice was perfect!
I’m trying this rum for the first time this evening and I guess I was expecting something closer to Sailor Jerry’s… but it’s way more sweet than what I typically enjoy. I could see where it would fit into eggnog or in limited doses with coke.
However, Sailor Jerry’s is still my go to rum and with not much of a price difference I will probably skip Black Heart for more traditional and less sweet rums. That being said… give “The Kraken” rum a try, a decent change of pace rum.
Cheers!
I was very satisfied with this stuff. I’ve only tasted Capt. once so I can’t really compare it too much, but I found Blackheart to be pretty good. I mixed it with ginger ale first and then with coke. The ginger ale was ok, but mixing it with coke was awesome. I felt like the coke really brought out a vanilla flavor in the rum. Idk where everyone’s buying this stuff but I got mine for $13.99, while Capt. was $18.99. Capt. is only 70 proof and this stuff is 93 so I think I got my money’s worth. I will definitely be buying this again and would recommend it.
Tastes like bubblegum. Gross.
I thought it was very tasty. Loved the hint of cherry.
I’m on my third bottle and just love this stuff. Here in Illinois a 1 3/4 liter bottle is $17.99 and the flavor mixed with Diet Coke is superior. I don’t find it overly sweet like Captain Morgan and can drink several without tiring of the taste. Plus, the 93 proof really packs a punch.
It’s excellent for mixing. We’re using it for our hot-buttered rum this winter. I’ve also found it’s very nice on its own :). It is sweet, but rum is made by fermenting sugar cane so if you don’t like sweet… good luck with rum.
Went to a Pirate Bash this last weekend. Every one was to BYOB so there were several brands of rum on our table. My Blackheart was rated among the top three brands well liked. Huzzah!
Gave this a try….cheap price point…way more than i expected, this is good stuff!
I am normally a die hard captain fan, however as a change of pace I decided to pick up this bottle instead. First thing I noticed when opening the bottle was a rich note of cherry and vanilla wafting from the opening. Upon the pour I noticed that the color is just right not to dark, and not to light to, just the right shade to please everyone. Upon the pour it released even more spice notes, and a hint of caramel. Upon the taste I found this rum to be very smooth, and full of cherry and vanilla notes, sadly lacking was the woody undertone I so enjoy in more expensive spiced rums. This is not a sippers rum, however it does have it virtues, I imagine this would be one of the best mixing rums out there, in recipes calling for anything cherry, this would make a welcome addition to the alcohol content. That being said, I can see sipping this rum after an equally sweet desert, and would pair very well with a cup of RICH coffee.
It’s not as good as CM or SJ, but it’s not bad at all. I like it with OJ.
I have been enjoying this rum for a few months, I like it better than Sailor Jerry’s, the Kracken, Capt Morgans, Bacardi Oakheart, and Adm Nelson. It is sweeter and I like the vanilla taste.
Everyone keeps comparing this to other rums which is a mistake. It’s just different, which I think just gives you another choice in rums. I’ve always liked Sailor Jerry’s and Appleton Reserve but this is different. It’s not flavored like Cruzan (fill in the blank flavor) but it has a nice caramel note. Personally I like the taste, especially mixed with Coke Vanilla Zero or Dr. Pepper 10. Maybe the diet cuts down on the over-sweetness others are complaining about. Mixing with any cola is going to give it some sweetness so if that’s not your thing, drink it on the rocks. For 93 proof it’s fairly smooth going down. For me, $16 for a 750ml is normal, often times on sale for $14. Hard to beat at that price.
I have drank many a rum in my day, as i am partial to spiced rum in particular. I have to say that this is a delicious rum. It is a great price for a tasty rum.
It’s sweeter than other rums, but not artificially. For 93 proof, the bite and aftertaste is surprisingly mild — I can drink this straight easier than Capt. Morgan because Morgan’s alcohol taste lingers.
If sweeter rums turn you off, don’t even think about drinking this.
Wow. Rum snobbs are a tough crowd! I have traveled the world and tried many types of rum. So what can I say of Blackheart? First of all, if you’re comparing it to Captain Morgans, you’re not a rum afficianado. Throw yourself in the “poser” category. Forget your “Americanized” spiced rum expectations. Broaden your expectations. Spiced rum is all about your experience from the flavor. Seychellian Island rum is rare and beautiful. Blackheart is the closest to Seychellian rum I’ve had. It’s got beautiful hints of cherry and mixes well with coke. I give it a 5 out of 5 stars in the WORLD of rum. Step outside of your box America. This is RUM!
Blackheart and Kraken are my two favorite rums, with Sailor Jerry coming in third. I don’t know how it mixes with Coke because I only drink liquor straight. Blackheart tastes great straight. Yes, it’s sweet, but when you’re not dumping corn syrup sweetened soft drinks into it, that’s a good thing.
I actually prefer blackheart over The Captain, and Sugar Island, and kraken! But I have started blending Kraken and Blackheart and found a good 50/50 with Coke is my favorite go to.
Blackheart Rules. PERIOD. Cream soda. perfect.