June 30, 2010 (Day 151) — The Kraken Rum Review, featuring the Scurvy Dog
Booze is a great birthday present. Especially when it’s booze you can’t get your hands on nearby can actually get in town! Which is why when my brother-in-law returned from a sojurn to Kansas City, I was psyched to discover he brought with him three liquors I was eager to try.
One such liquor was The Kraken — Black Spiced Rum. I wasn’t sure how it would taste, because I hadn’t really even heard that much about it. However, I freaking loved the bottle. I’m a designers wet dream — put it in a cool bottle with a cool label and I’m hooked.
Luckily, it wasn’t just the bottle that was pleasing. The rum itself was quite pleasant.
Tasted neat, The Kraken is actually a pretty complex rum, which isn’t a bad thing in the least bit. The first whiff from taking a… well… whiff… is that of vanilla. It was akin to taking a deep breath of some vanilla extract, with some extra spices and whatnot hanging out on the end.
It tasted even better. The start of the liquor is incredibly smooth, with a biting aftertaste. Love it. My first thought was to pair this with ginger beer (I use Goyas), as that would be one hell of a kick in the teeth. Unfortunately, I didn’t have any on hand. So, I had another idea. I came up with…
The Scurvy Dog:
3 oz Kraken
1/2 lime squeezed
Ginger ale to top
Build your drink in a highball glass filled with ice. Stir once. Best enjoyed under the dark of night, all lamps snuffed, quiet as possible, lest the beast awaken from it’s slumber.
This is excellent. The sweet spiciness of the rum is a bit muted, while the lemon brings out the molasses taste of the rum. The ginger ale is a great mixer, working together with the other ingredients. It’s not an “in your face” kind of drink, but rather subdued. The vanilla taste is still there, with the spiciness hanging out for the afterparty. It could still use some tweaking, but it’s pretty dang good as it stands now.
And as for Kraken? Love it. I’ll just have to make it stretch since it’s not at my beck and call. If you have access to it, get it. It’s worth it.
Cheers!
— Mark
Cocktails, 365 
Hi Mark!
Glad you loved Kraken but we have to correct you on one point – you CAN get your hands on it nearby! Should you like to find more, Willie C’s Northside Liquor Store (208 W Frontview, Dodge City) now carries it.
Thanks for the great review!
– The Kraken Black Spiced Rum
The Kraken Black Spiced —
Thanks, guys! I’m psyched I can pick it up nearby (that place is literally one block away from my wife and I’s house).
I wandered upon this gem in a HyVee store just down the road from me in Papillion, NE. The bottle caused me to stop dead in my tracks and go I MUST HAVE THIS. Once I got it home i was shocked at the aroma and flavor of it. I’ve been experimenting with so many different uses for it and thus far, it has exceeded my expectations at every test. I love this rum!
I just got my first bottle of Kraken. Drinking a Kraken and lemonade right now and it’s great. Had my first Kraken drink on Siesta Key in Sarasota a couple months ago and it made an impression. Love the bottle, love the flavor.
Cheers!
Another great mix is The Pirate’s Margarita:
3 parts tequila
1 part Kraken
a splash of margarita mix.
The rum compliments the tequila’s taste really well, and it gives you a warm, crawling sensation as it goes down the hatch.
Just drink straight from the bottle as nature intended! found it online at http://www.drinksology.com/ for the best price on the net by far and arrived with in 24 hours!!! PUT A BEAST IN UR BELLY!!!
It’s a daily for me. One or two to settle down for the night. I also like the kraken and sprite with a lime.
I’m about to try the scurvy dog as I am out of coke.