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Canerock Spiced Rum
At this year’s Tales of the Cocktail, Canerock was prominently featured by Maison Ferrand at the “Meet the Distillers” event. There are not many spiced rum products on the market from Jamaica, and this one is a blend of rums produced at Clarendon and Long Pond distillers. The rums in this expression have been aged between five and ten years and blended with natural spices with no synthetic flavors. The rum is finished in Pedro Ximenez Sherry Casks and then bottled at 40% ABV.
Canerock Spiced Rum
Appearance
Walking the aisles of one of my local stores, this bottle practically pops off the shelf with its unique design. The 700 ml bottle has a wooden turtle in the center with embossed ripple effects and the words Canerock across the middle. The label covers the bottom and provides the basic details about the rum. The cork is secured with clear wrap and has the turtle logo imprinted on the top. The liquid is solid gold amber in the bottle and glass. Swirling the liquid creates a thick band that releases several waves of legs that, over time, steadily become slower and denser, eventually leaving a ring of beads in its wake.
Nose
The aroma of the rum begins with a strong, borderline overpowering, vanilla frosting note that lightens after the glass rests for a few minutes. Revisiting the glass after letting it settle for a few minutes, I detected notes of baking chocolate, coconut, dried orange peel, ginger, allspice, cloves, and a hint of nutmeg syrup.
Palate
The initial sip of the rum releases a rush of caramel-driven flavor balanced by the earthy nutmeg syrup notes that cover the palate. Additional sips reveal the spice flavors from the aroma are present, but the chocolate note is much sweeter than the aroma would lead one to believe. The flavor notes in the middle hit fast, a pop of ginger, a hint of toasted coconut, vanilla, and sweet raisins. Black pepper and oak tannins take over and transition into a sweet, spicy finish that is balanced by the light burn of the alcohol.
Review
For a spiced rum, there is a lot going on with the flavor profile, which made it interesting to evaluate. The sweetness at times can be a bit over the top, but eventually the other flavors do take over and tame it down. For those who are curious, there is no hint of Jamaican funk, but the oak tannin notes are more intense than most spiced rums, and you can definitely pick up on the influence of the sherry cask finish throughout the flavor profile. While I am sure this will be perfectly serviceable in any cocktail that calls for a spiced rum, I found myself wanting to make a spiced rum trifle dessert with it because of all the flavors imbedded in the liquid. Mixing it with Coca-Cola, I found the vanilla really dominated the flavor of the drink. My recommendation is that if you enjoy spiced rums, this one is worth giving a try and experimenting with. If you do not enjoy spiced rums, this is a hard pass, and you should seek your imbibing pleasures elsewhere.
