Review: Cruzan Coconut Rum
Coconut continues to be a vital flavoring agent in all manner of spirits (we’ve got coconut vodka coming later in the week for you), and our friends at St. Croix’s Cruzan sent us their rendition of the classic coconut rum. They even put their money where their mouths are: Sending a mini of Bacardi Rock Coconut for comparative purposes.
Results? For starters, Cruzan Coconut is only 42 proof, so I watered the 70-proof Bacardi down appropriately. If you’re looking for (natural) coconut flavor, Cruzan categorically has it. It’s overloaded with the stuff, and it’s also packed with sugar. It’s not the lack of tropical flavor that undoes this spirit, it’s all that sugar: Imbued with the stuff to the point of being cloying. You can almost taste a chalky texture in the body — whether that’s from coconut or sugar, I don’t know, but the effect is daunting. In comparison to the Bacardi though, I still preferred the Cruzan: Its flavor is simply bigger and more authentic.
I also tried Cruzan Coconut against, of course, the gold standard of coconut rums, Malibu. Also 42 proof, Malibu is, clearly the superior spirit, balanced in coconut and sweetness, not cloying, and actually well enough made that it can be consumed solo — unlike almost every other flavored spirit known to man. Sad to say it, but you don’t seem to need native coconuts nor sugarcane to get the job done — that’s right, best coconut rum going today is made in Canada.
42 proof.
B+ / $13 / cruzanrum.com [BUY IT NOW FROM DRIZLY]
Cruzan Coconut Rum
$13
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I disagree. Try Brinley Gold Coconut Rum from St. Kitt’s. It’s 72 proof and far better than Cruzan, Malibu or Bacardi’s coconut offerings.
http://www.brinleygoldrum.com/flavors/brinley-gold-coconut-rum.html
I agree that Brinley is very good (http://www.drinkhacker.com/2009/08/02/review-brinley-gold-flavored-rums/) but it is not nearly as widely available.
Have you ever tried CocoMania CocoNut Rum from Wray & Nephew in Jamaica. It’s unlike any Coconut Rum I’ve tasted before. You simply have to try it for yourself & do a Review.
I prefer Cruzan Coconut Rum to Malibu or Bacardi. Haven’t tried the other rums mentioned above. Been drinking Cruzan for years.