Black Magic Spiced Rum Review

Black Magic Spiced Rum comes with a fascinating backstory about an ancient sorceress that lived on a utopic island off the African coast. Calamity struck and the island sank, but not before the sorceress distilled the “essence and spirit” of its dwellers into the native drink, which since turned up in many parts of the world right before the rise of many great civilizations.

One bottle was discovered by a Sea Czar, and stolen by his ship’s steward who fled to the Caribbean and began selling spiced Caribbean Rum, to which he added drops of the magical liquid. The implication is that any rum marked with the sorceress’s sign (such as this one) contains a tiny bit of the awesome drink she once created. It serves to deflect attention from the fact that the makers are not providing much information on the spirit.

In the Bottle: 8/10

The bottle is stubby enough to be hard to knock over, with a medium long neck that eases pouring. The label carries plenty of imagery with waves, snails, sea serpents, a floating bottle, and a sea captain, all likely tied into the backstory. The “sorceress’s sign” has to be the puzzlingly worded crest at the back.

In the Glass: 8/10

On pouring, the spirit shows as coppery brown, and tilting and twirling causes lazily moving, medium-sized droplets. The pleasant aroma is openly sweet, hinting of molasses candies and caramel, and vanilla and treacle. The overall effect is appealing, if also somewhat medicinal.

In the Mouth: 8/10

The first sip gives a mellow feel, and with ice, delivers a wonderful experience. You get hints of caramel, molasses, licorice, and cinnamon, underlined by vanilla. A sophisticated cocktail does not seem to be an option with this rum, but mixing with Cola works fine.

In the Throat: 8/10

One sign that not a lot of aged rum has gone into this spirit, is the noticeably short finish. The medicinal quality mounts once more, having lain dormant for the sip but undeniable during the swallow. We found adding ice makes the end flavors more pleasant.

The Afterburn: 8/10

This drink leaves a pleasant burn at the end, and is satisfying as rums go. This worked best with Cola, but maybe we were not inventive enough with the cocktailing. Black Magic Spiced Rum serves well as a deck drink, wonderfully sating when you sip it over ice.