Rum Review: Cruzan "9" Spiced Rum

Are these real rums? Is a chocolate flavored Bistec de Palomilla a steak? Maybe. Some are of lower proof. Some use real flavoring. And as for some, may we never drink worse than this!
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How do you rate Cruzan "9" Spiced Rum (five is best)?

5
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3
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1
100%
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Total votes: 1

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Capn Jimbo
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Rum Review: Cruzan "9" Spiced Rum

Post by Capn Jimbo »

Cruzan "9" Spiced Rum: "A Mutant Mutinous Melange"

This "review" will be mercifully brief, as was the rum. Most of you are well aware of my disdain for rogue rums' descent into the prevailing use of artificial additives and adulterants to "tweak" what most think are real and pure rums, but sadly, also to more openly flavor those rums they choose to actually label as "flavored" or spiced. The latest trend is to allegedly "premium" spiced rum (with the "premium" referring to the quality of marketing).

Such is Cruzan "9" Spiced Rum.

Cruzan is a power to reckon with in the battle for shelf space. Although for years they produced their fine Single Barrel and Estate Diamond - two beautifully aged pure rums - the industry focus on ever more sales and profits have led Cruzan to promote cheaper and younger bulk rums in the flavored/spiced categories. Please know that bulk rums are relatively tasteless and edgy but very, very inexpensive to produce in massive quantities. They are made palatable by the addition of potent but artificial flavorings, blenders and other additives.

Now as the elusive Artic Wolf would say, it matters not what's in it, as long as it tastes good. Experienced rum tasters would disagree. There is such a thing as general taste profile for pure rums which is clearly distinct from bulk rums containing phony smelling and tasting artificial and chemical additives. Which raises an important point...

How do we - and other experienced tasters - really know the difference?

The answer: we don't! But after years of tasting, and having come to know the real profiles, artificiality tends to jump out of the glass and smack you in the fact, er face. Sue Sea is a skilled cook who loves, knows and uses fine and real spices. And certain faux flavorings - like artificial vanilla flavoring - are pretty obvious.

Still we can be fooled, so what to do?

If a rum is so skillfully altered that we can't tell, we simply accept that, and that particular product gets reviewed as though it were pure. On the other hand if a rum tastes altered we report that as well. But I digress.

Cruzan "9" Spiced Rum was purchased for one reason only. It was being dumped, despite the usual Cruzan prime shelf space. I'd seen "9" for some months, but it didn't seem to be selling, and was being discounted to $12. Recently I found the entire selection of "9" now sporting bottle hangers that shouted out "Mutiny - save $9 on this spiced rum!". Or something like that. With the discounted price of $12, the $9 rebate made the effective price just $3.

And well worth it, lol! The reviews:

Sue Sea:
I really don't know what Jim was thinking when he brought home the Cruzan "9" Spiced Rum, but this soon became clear. He'd gotten it for $3 he said, and wanted to use it for comparison to The Lash - a rum made with real four year old aged rum, and with real spices and genuine vanilla. So we poured two side-by-side drams each, and made the comparison.

The Cruzan "9" comes in a rather nice tall and classic but faux bottle. Truly classic bottles don't have molded in dates and names, nor do they use "see through" clear plastic labels that pretend to be aged paper. Nor do they feature an ostentatious white "9!" in a modern sans serif font on the label and neck wrap. These are so bold that they could serve well as player identification numbers on football helmets and jerseys.

As per the label, the "9" apparently comes from "nine heirloom spices" and "natural flavorings" blended with their claimed premium rum. These are cited as "vanilla, nutmeg, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, mace, allspice, pepper and juniper berry". Are these real spices as grown by nature? With nine of them it's really impossible to tell for sure.

Reviewing the Cruzan "9" Spiced Rum was easy. In addition to Jim's "artificial vanilla, banana, mixed spices and sour leather" I found a bit of caramel. There was a deep alcohol prickle that was bothersome, and an almost candylike impression.

Tastewise, the early palate was a honey sweet vanilla, followed by clove ginger and cinnamon leading to a warm clovey finish. The aftertaste was a somewhat conflicting dried apricot over prune and raisin. It was notably dry.

Oddly enough, at a point I began to find Cruzan "9" Spiced Rum actually pleasant, but that came to an quick end when we moved to The Lash. After reacquainting myself with The Lash's authentic spices and aged rums, the return to the "9" was shocking. In comparison we found "9" overdone, with a syrupy entry but oddly dry finish, and very heavy on the taste of artificial vanilla. So much so that a cleansing water was mandatory.

In sum I found this rum overdone, artificial, edgy and inconsistent. For as much as I liked Cruzan's old Estate Diamond, I really haven't much use for this spiced "9" product, I'm very sorry to say.
Me:

The first time we cracked the bottle of Cruzan "9" Spiced Rum and poured a dram our initial reaction was to quit after nosing and the first sip or two. Sue Sea said "I've had enough", and my dram was poured down the kitchen sink.

But this really wasn't fair as all products need a complete and fair tasting and review.

Our receipt of The Lash provided a perfect opportunity as we strongly believe in side-by-side comparisons of at least two rums - the newer one being reviewed and a reference standard. In this case both rums were new to us, so in effect we had a smackdown.

Cruzan "9" Spiced Rum presents as a clear light gold with relatively quick legs. It opened with a strong artificial vanilla aroma over a lighter mixed spice background, a bit of banana, and an odd sour leather. I found a deep, strong alcohol prickle that bordered on unpleasant (typical of young bulk rums). The palate opened light, smooth and sweet over this same mix of spices and then with a growing heat leading to a black pepper finish. Cruzan "9" Spiced Rum's aftertaste was lightly spicy. Although Sue Sea is much better than I at pulling out individual spice tones, the use of nine "heirloom spices" makes this difficult - one is left with a spicy sensation (perhaps the objective) rather than specific spice notes.

This may be brilliant. Or a great way to hide individual spice tones.

Some comments are in order. What I find particularly noteworthy were our changing impressions. An initial very negative cold impression, followed by an impression of artificiality, then modest pleasantness, and then returning to overdone and surreptiously syrupy should tell you something about the sorry state of rum.

There is so much "tweaking" of cheaper rum, so much use of cheaper artificial additives that the drinking public has long lost sight of what real and pure rums tasted like. If they ever knew in the first place. If all you ever knew about rum was Cruzan "9" Spiced Rum, you might actually begin to prefer its altered profile. The preponderance of alteration - labeled or not - is cheapening the whole of spirit rum, and is pushing the ever fewer fine rums to the side.

Finally, it demonstrates the effectiveness of comparison to truly authentic rums (whether pure or spiced). For those who still prefer the artificial to the real after that, I can only say may Neptune have mercy on your souls.

Rating (ten is best): Sue Sea - 5, Me - 4.
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