Frequently asked questions about Kraken Spiced Black Trinidad Rum 40%
What does Kraken Spiced Black Trinidad Rum taste like?
Vanilla, caramel and molasses with cinnamon, clove and nutmeg on top. It is clearly sweet and thick in texture, with a dark roasted note of coffee and oak sitting under the spice. The finish is long and peppery.
Can you drink Kraken neat?
Yes, though it is sweeter than a classic dark rum, so most people find it works best over a couple of ice cubes. The ice opens up the sweetness and pushes the cinnamon and clove forward. If you want it completely neat, give it five minutes in the glass first.
What do you mix Kraken with?
Ginger beer and lime is the obvious one. That combination sits very close to a Dark 'n Stormy, where dark rum meets the bite of ginger. Cola works too, and the spice makes it surprisingly good in coffee drinks.
Which glass suits Kraken?
A tall glass with plenty of ice if you are mixing. For neat tasting, use a tulip-shaped glass that gathers the aromas — vanilla and cinnamon come through far more clearly than in a straight-sided tumbler.
Where does the rum in Kraken come from?
From Trinidad, where the base rum is distilled at Angostura Distillery from sugar cane molasses. It rests in cask for one to two years before the spices are blended in. Proximo Spirits handles the blending and bottling.
Why is Kraken almost black?
The colour comes from added caramel, not from long cask maturation. A rum aged one to two years is pale, so the darkness is a deliberate part of Kraken's identity — bottle, label and liquid are meant to line up visually.
How long does an opened bottle of Kraken keep?
A couple of years without trouble, as long as the cap seals properly and the bottle stands somewhere dark and cool. The spice and sugar make it more robust than many other spirits, but once you are down to the last quarter it slowly loses aroma.
Does Kraken make a good gift?
The bottle does a lot of the work — black glass, two loops at the neck and a sea monster on the label. It suits a wide range of people, since it can be drunk over ice or mixed into drinks, so you do not need to know the recipient's taste in detail. If you want to explore the category further, there is more in our range of Spiced Rum.
Test winner in M magazine:"Holy shit, this is so good, I want to take it home with me," exclaimed Sanne Mai, who could hardly be persuaded to pass the bottle on. "It looks like Jack Sparrow dropped his eyeliner in it, but it tastes really good," said Christoffer, nodding approvingly. "... and not at all like squid," added the intern as he emptied the glass and refilled it. "A new rum on the market, fun marketing and a spiced rum that is definitely one of the best in its class. But it's a bit pricey," said the expert.
The rest of the panel couldn't get enough, however, and the clear winner was tested more than once.The Kraken is a unique Caribbean dark spiced rum, blended with more than 11 secret spices that give the flavour exotic, spicy notes of ginger, cinnamon and clove. The bottle is a replica of a Victorian spirit bottle with two handles for easy transport and pouring. Although The Kraken , with its smooth, rounded flavor, lends itself to drinking neat, it works perfectly well as a key ingredient in a range of rum-based cocktails.
