Unleash The Kraken!

  I am more of a beer guy than anything else, so it took me a little while to settle on what the first new drink I would try should be. After some soul searching and a little nudge from a co-worker I decided that I would start my journey with some rum.  I will be the first to admit that my experience in fine rum is a little less than than optimal. Up until this point I had only really ever drank Captain Morgan, Sailor Jerry, and my personal favorite underdog rum Blackheart. 

 The Kraken is a very rich and dark black rum. So I was not really sure what to expect from it. The packaging and artwork is hands down the best that I have seen on any of the rum's we carry in our store. So I have to give the marketing department credit. This one really does catch the eye.  

 However onward to the real question. Is it good? Prior to arriving home after an unusually busy and long day I stopped next door to pick up a can of Dr. Pepper, and a bottle of coke. Then it was on. I started out with just a small portion in a glass. The first thing I noticed was the extremely rich aroma and strong spice. Unlike Sailor Jerry, or Captain Morgan it's does not have a very strong caramel overtone which was very refreshing for a change. It was very easy to sip and in a lot of ways reminded me more of a very high quality whiskey than rum. 

 Moving on from straight, I decided to try it mixed with Dr. Pepper. While it was not bad I thought that the spice of the rum did not mesh well with Dr. Pepper. So from that perspective Blackheart or Sailor Jerry is still the go to rum for mixing with Dr. Pepper. What about Coke? 

 You simply cannot review any rum without putting it to trail in the classic R&C combination. I found that this combination was much better than the Dr. Pepper. It was much more unique than Captain Morgan, Sailor Jerry, or Blackheart. It seemed to have mixed seamlessly. The bitter spice went very well with the more crisp nature of coke. It became almost a root-beer-ish concoction.  Very smooth and creamy and perhaps the best rum and coke that I've ever had. 

 So while Blackheart takes the cake for the most affordable "decent" rum. The Kraken is closer to $15-$20  a fifth and its 94 proof it's definitely worth every penny.  I would highly reccomend this rum to anyone looking to try something different.