Tag: Puerto Rico

Bacardi Gold is the very definition of lightly aged.  At between one and two years in oak barrels, Bacardi Gold is on the low end of age.  The product is run through charcoal filtration and claims a remarkably smooth character.  At only $10, this is either an incredible value, or a “you get what you pay for situation”.   We had a pretty good idea this wouldn’t be an amazing value, and we probably would have never bought this bottle (or any of the other bottom shelf Bacardis) if not for a funny little coincidence that happened about a year back.

In Cleveland, the Cleveland Cavaliers revamped the Quicken Loans Arena a couple years back.  The resulting stadium (renamed the Quicken Loans Arena) contained new premium seating options, including the Bacardi Ocho Lounge.  About two years ago, we received an email from a Cavs rep who sent us premium seats.  In a bit of a misguided and hopeful moment, we thought perhaps this had to do with this blog.  While we had a great time, it had nothing to do with our cocktail prowess, and we now have these three rums we hoped to impress the Cavs with a few years back.

Bacardi Gold

Sight:  A yellow gold hue.

Smell:  Traditional caramel and brown sugar notes lead things off with a hint of banana.  Vanilla notes come through with a light touch of oak and rum funk.  There’s a slight amount of alcohol.

Sip:  The body is light, and leads off with notes of caramel, demerara sugar, and molassess.  Hints of spice and oak come into the picture. There’s a subtle fruitiness and a light rum funk.  There’s a whisp of alcohol.

Savor:  The finish is more of the same with a washed out caramel and oak nature that lingers with a slight bent toward the wood.

Bacardi Gold is uncomplicated, uninteresting, and inoffensive.  The rum itself tastes like a low expectation, lightly aged rum.   While it doesn’t burn or have a heavy bitterness, it doesn’t drive any sort of interest.  These characteristics don’t prognosticate a great outcome in cocktail testing either.

In Cocktails

Unsurprisingly, Bacardi Gold hides quite well in a Daiquiri.  The lime and rum counterpoint effectively to each other, but the result is a slightly caramelly drink with a touch of tropical fruit and a good amount of brightness.  The sweet resulting drink is nice, but boring.  In a Grog the result is even more underwhelming.  The lack of acid fails to wake up the minimal rum notes, and the result is a drink that doesn’t invite you back.

Bacardi Gold – Overall

Bacardi Gold is about $10, and for $10 it doesn’t make any fatal errors.  It performs well enough as a rum, but doesn’t add any flavor.  The problem is that for about $10 more, the quality of the bottle you can purchase is more than twice as great.  For those reasons, we can’t recommend Bacardi Gold for anything other than late night volume production.

Bacardi always seemed like a step up in college.  Compared to the questionably named brands hiding out on the bottom shelf, it had an air of quality to it.  The more experience I had with rum, the more I learned that there were really two kinds of rum that Bacardi was invested in making.  On one hand, they offered good quality, reasonably aged rums at (usually) reasonable prices for mixing with a couple of truly high end offerings mixed in.  On the other hand, they offer mass marketed, entry level rums that are usually uninspired, and occasionally questionable in taste without a healthy dose of strongly flavored mixers to cover.  At $8, Bacardi Superior fits squarely in the second category.

Bacardi Superior

Bacardi Superior is lightly aged in oak (no age statement), and filtered for color.

Sight:  Clear.

Smell:  There are notes of ethanol, rum ester, vanilla, and tropical fruits that lead off.  Then the nose kind of stops evolving.  What you smell on the first pass is pretty much where it stays.

Sip:  The palate is thin and light, neither dry nor sweet.   The note of ester and banana peel starts, with hints of alcohol and touches of vanilla extract and powdered sugar.

Savor:  The ending is short, alcohol forward, and slightly dry.  It lingers briefly, with just a touch of tropical fruit.

Bacardi Superior is presumably superior to something, but it’s not a first choice rum for us.  As the price point implies, there should be low expectations going in, and from that standpoint, it delivers.  It’s not offensive or aggressive, but it’s also not interesting.  Rather, it does a lightly aged style of rum decently in a way you won’t overtly notice in Rum and Coke or similar mixed drink.

In Cocktails

The main problem with Bacardi Superior is that doesn’t add anything.  In a Daiquiri you get plenty of lime and sweetness, but the rum is more an alcohol weight and slightly tropical flavor twist.  Where it does best is hiding in something, like a Rum and Coke or spiking a punch.  Again, the key here is not to expect much, and there’s not a lot to be disappointed in.

In Review – Bacardi Superior

If you had to buy a rum, and none of recommended rums are available, then Bacardi Superior isn’t the end of the world.  From a flavor standpoint, it’s fine.  From a price standpoint it’s good.  It’s just not recommendable or memorable.  Besides, Bacardi makes better things – like their Bacardi 8 – and used to make better lightly aged rums (like Bacardi Mastro de Ron).