Angel's Share Title
Kraken Black Roast Coffee Rum
I was shopping the aisles of one of my local stores and came across this bottle of Kraken Black Roast Coffee Rum. The rum for this product is sourced from the Angostura distillery in Trinidad and Tobago, and I have been told that it is aged between one and two years in used American white oak bourbon barrels. After aging, it is shipped to the United States, where it is blended with an infusion of coffee bean essence and other natural flavors before being blended to 66.6% alcohol by volume (ABV). During this process, the signature Kraken black coloring is added, giving the coffee rum its inky color.
Kraken Black Roast Coffee Rum
Appearance
The rum comes in the custom Kraken bottle design with the double finger holes, screw on metal cap and embossed bottle. The front label of the rum provides a little bit of information, but the artwork of a Kraken wrecking a ship full of coffee is perfectly appropriate considering the nature of the product. The back label provides a little more information about the rum, along with the normal legal requirements.The liquid is a dense black color, both in the bottle and the glass. Swirling it creates a medium-sized band that thickens and drops fast moving brown legs down the side of the glass. Normally, the bands evaporate and pebble up after a few minutes, but in this case, they remain fixed in place for over ten minutes before eventually breaking down.
Nose
The aroma has a strong roasted coffee component, along with a sweet vanilla note, subtle spices, and a bit of ethanol at the end.
Palate
With the first sip of the rum I discovered the expected coffee flavors, but also notes of sweet caramelized vanilla, cinnamon, and nutmeg. After the spice notes passed, the coffee notes come back strong, creating a sweet mocha finish that lingered on the palate for quite some time.
Review
Kraken Black Roast Coffee Rum lived up to the billing and delivered exactly what I expected with the coffee notes, but I was pleased to find the added dynamic of the spice and sweet vanilla notes in the flavor profile. This set it apart from the other coffee rums I’ve tried, as this one has a coffee with cream profile rather than a strong black coffee rum flavor. A rum with this high a proof usually produces a strong up front punch, but in this case, partially due to the sweetness of the liquid, it is a little subtler, and due to this, a little care should be taken when making a cocktail with it, or this Kraken product may just sneak up on you. However, if you are looking for something to make a winter cocktail with that has an added twist, this coffee rum is up to the task and may just surprise you.
