On Trinidad the cane grows right down to the shoreline, and the molasses from it ends up in tall column stills. What comes out is young and raw. Then the spices arrive. And then the bottle, with its two rope handles at the neck and a sea monster dragging a full-rigged ship into the dark.
Expert description
Kraken Spiced Black Trinidad Rum is a Spiced Rum from Trinidad, built on molasses rum aged for one to two years and bottled at 40%.
The base rum is distilled at Angostura Distillery in Trinidad, in column stills, from sugar cane molasses. After a couple of years in cask it is blended with a spice recipe Proximo Spirits keeps to itself. Cinnamon, ginger and clove are the only ones officially confirmed. Caramel supplies the final, almost pitch-black colour, which is also why it cannot claim natural colour.
Kraken landed in 2010 and quickly became the bottle people pointed at across the bar before they had ever tasted it. The name comes from the old Nordic legend of the sea monster, and the bottle shape copies Victorian rum vessels with two loops at the neck, so they could be lashed down on deck when the weather turned.
This is a rum built for mixing. The sweetness and the spice carry through ginger beer, cola and coffee without disappearing into them.
Tasting notes
Nose
Vanilla and caramel arrive first, heavy and sweet. Cinnamon follows, with a flash of lime and something closer to coffee grounds and liquorice.
Palate
Thick and syrupy. Molasses, brown sugar, clove and nutmeg, with a dark roasted note underneath like espresso and charred oak.
Finish
Long and peppery. The spice lingers while the sweetness slowly drops away.
Specifications
Name: Kraken Spiced Black Trinidad Rum 40%
Distillery: Angostura Distillery
Bottler: Proximo Spirits
Region/Country: Trinidad and Tobago
Type: Spiced Rum
Age: 1-2 years
ABV: 40%
Size: 70 CL
Natural colour: No
Distillation method: Column distilled
Serving suggestion: Tall glass packed with ice, ginger beer and a thick wedge of lime
Flavour profile
Spiced · Sweet · Vanilla · Dark · Cinnamon
Did you know?
Kraken is sold at 47% in the United States, while the European bottling sits at 40%. Same black bottle, same label — just a little sharper on the other side of the Atlantic.
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