I’ll be honest, I’ve never heard of this brand until I saw it on a shelf and took a sample with me. Google was equally ineffective, doesn’t look like the rum is in production anymore although it’s still available. Looks and it’s marketed like your usual supermarket rum with words like “smooth”, “mellow”, “superior” and of course “dark”.
It was made by Malt House Vintners Ltd. from Wellingborough, UK. The label states it’s Caribbean distilled and bottled in the EU. The company itself looks like it’s “dormant”, and while I am not an expert, I’d say they aren’t making any “superior” rum anymore. The Cane Trader range includes a white and a spiced rum.
Molasses based, most likely a blend of pot and column distillates, although it wouldn’t surprise me if it was column only. It looks aged, but it also most likely has caramel colouring added so I’ll take it with a pinch of salt. Bottled at 37.5% ABV (sigh…) with little to no additives added according to thefatrumpirate’s hydrometer reading.
On the nose if it were to guess I’d say it contains light rums from Jamaica and Trinidad. Ripe pears, melon, vanilla and a hint of dusty cardboard. The low ABV makes it hard to distinguish flavours, but it still has plenty of ethanol coming out. Yellow apples, caramel and some bubblegum. Intermittent notes of oak makes me think it is actually aged.
On the palate it is “mellow” indeed. Ethanol and a shadow of Jamaican/Barbadian rum notes. Very little character to it, I’ve had aged vodkas that with more flavour. Apples and walnuts with a touch of pineapple juice. Vanilla and parsley. The finish is short with ethanol and an off-putting bitterness.
Feels like rum flavoured water, the ABV doesn’t do it any justice and it has as much body as I had when I was a teen – barely any. The price-point of this is around £15, but I’d rather have Cockspur Original which at the same ABV it actually has more complexity.
Edit: Wes, from thefatrumpirate, believes it’s a Trinidadian rum less than 1 year old.
Cane Trader Dark Rum score:
Flavour/taste: 28/70
Value for money: 12/15
Transparency/purity: 7/15
Overall: 47/100
Cheers!