Angel's Share Intro and Credit
In 2024, the rum world witnessed the release of the first incarnation of the Crossfire Hurricane rum to the market as part of the Rolling Stones’ Hackney Diamonds tour. The rum disappeared from the shelves quickly, and they were rumbling that it was being reimagined from a multi-island blend into something new. Earlier this year, the announcements went out that the newest incarnation had arrived. The Rolling Stones partnered with Ian Burrel and created two expressions for the Crossfire Hurricane brand, the Gold and the Reserve Batch 0001. During the collaboration process of creating this new rum, they decided to use 100% Jamaican with rums sourced from Clarendon, Hampden, Long Pond, and Worth Park Estate distilleries. This tied directly with the band’s history on the island where they lived and created music, most notably the 1973 album “Goat Heads Soup.”
The Gold expression uses unaged pot still rum, and a blend of pot and column still rums that have been aged in used bourbon barrels for up to five years. The components are blended into the final product at 40% ABV. No additives are used during the production of this rum.
Appearance
The 700 ml gold-capped bottle is an interesting design that is easy to spot on the shelf. The front of the bottle has the minimum amount of information one is used to viewing on a label. It is all about the name, the lips logo with the sound waves, and letting light cut through the amber liquid, drawing attention to the bottle on the shelf. The back of the bottle is loaded with information, along with the legal requirements and tiny autographs from Mick Jagger and Keith Richards.
The metal cap has the Rolling Stones logo on top and holds a synthetic cork. The short neck of the bottle makes it difficult to do a controlled pour due to the heftiness of the glass bottle. The neck label notes that the rum is from batch 0001.
The liquid, as mentioned, is a solid light amber, and swirling the liquid creates thin bands that thicken and quickly release several waves of fast-moving legs. The bands thicken and evaporate, leaving a significant bit of residue around the glass.
Aroma
The aroma of the rum hits with a strong banana note; light mineral and vegetal notes and acidic pineapple and citrus notes together create a light funkiness to the product. Herbaceous vanilla, toasted coconut, caramel, and light oak notes round the experience out.
Palate
The first sip delivers a sweet swirl of fruit flavors and vanilla, followed by caramel and toasted coconut from the aroma. Additional sips reveal more of the funky flavors built into the liquid, with cooked bananas, dried tobacco, acidic pineapple, and baking chocolate, rounded out by a sturdy mango note and smoky pepperiness that keeps the wood tannins in check. All of this culminates in a light fruit laden finish that lingers on the tongue and slowly fades in a pleasantly dry finish.
Review
When a brand states that a rum in their portfolio is branded “gold,” I tend to think of minimally aged cocktail ingredient products, and most of the time that is exactly what is engineered. This time the blenders have delivered something that is an enjoyable entry-level introduction to Jamaican rums. The funkiness that makes this genre of rum so unique is present, but at 80 proof, it is not overly pronounced and never dominates the profile. I enjoyed sipping the rum and would have no problem sharing it with a neat pour. However, I tested it in a few cocktails and learned that the flavor profile melds well in citrus forward drinks.
It is interesting to see a rum brand be reformulated and recreated so quickly, but from presentation to final sip, Crossfire Hurricane is a good expression to add to your rum repertoire.
