Cruzan Blackstrap

Cruzan Blackstrap is a dark molasses rum from the Cruzan distillery in the US Virgin Islands, made on a column still and coloured and flavoured by rich blackstrap molasses. Bottled at 40%, it belongs to the heavy, dark rum tradition used to add body and depth to cocktails rather than to sip neat, and its appeal lies in concentrated molasses character rather than refinement.

The rum is thick and almost syrupy, very dark in the glass, with a nose of heavy molasses, licorice and mocha. The palate is all molasses, brown sugar and burnt sugar, while the finish turns burnt and roasted with a touch of bitterness. It is gentle in strength but intense and unmistakably molasses driven, the kind of bold ingredient that shines when dialled into a drink. It is a natural fit for a Corn n Oil, a Dark and Stormy or any cocktail that wants a deep, treacly backbone, more a flavour tool than a contemplative pour.