Bacardi Gold is the very definition of lightly aged. At between one and two years in oak barrels, Bacardi Gold is on the low end of age. The product is run through charcoal filtration and claims a remarkably smooth character. At only $10, this is either an incredible value, or a “you get what you pay for situation”. We had a pretty good idea this wouldn’t be an amazing value, and we probably would have never bought this bottle (or any of the other bottom shelf Bacardis) if not for a funny little coincidence that happened about a year back.
In Cleveland, the Cleveland Cavaliers revamped the Quicken Loans Arena a couple years back. The resulting stadium (renamed the Quicken Loans Arena) contained new premium seating options, including the Bacardi Ocho Lounge. About two years ago, we received an email from a Cavs rep who sent us premium seats. In a bit of a misguided and hopeful moment, we thought perhaps this had to do with this blog. While we had a great time, it had nothing to do with our cocktail prowess, and we now have these three rums we hoped to impress the Cavs with a few years back.
Bacardi Gold
Sight: A yellow gold hue.
Smell: Traditional caramel and brown sugar notes lead things off with a hint of banana. Vanilla notes come through with a light touch of oak and rum funk. There’s a slight amount of alcohol.
Sip: The body is light, and leads off with notes of caramel, demerara sugar, and molassess. Hints of spice and oak come into the picture. There’s a subtle fruitiness and a light rum funk. There’s a whisp of alcohol.
Savor: The finish is more of the same with a washed out caramel and oak nature that lingers with a slight bent toward the wood.
Bacardi Gold is uncomplicated, uninteresting, and inoffensive. The rum itself tastes like a low expectation, lightly aged rum. While it doesn’t burn or have a heavy bitterness, it doesn’t drive any sort of interest. These characteristics don’t prognosticate a great outcome in cocktail testing either.
In Cocktails
Unsurprisingly, Bacardi Gold hides quite well in a Daiquiri. The lime and rum counterpoint effectively to each other, but the result is a slightly caramelly drink with a touch of tropical fruit and a good amount of brightness. The sweet resulting drink is nice, but boring. In a Grog the result is even more underwhelming. The lack of acid fails to wake up the minimal rum notes, and the result is a drink that doesn’t invite you back.
Bacardi Gold – Overall
Bacardi Gold is about $10, and for $10 it doesn’t make any fatal errors. It performs well enough as a rum, but doesn’t add any flavor. The problem is that for about $10 more, the quality of the bottle you can purchase is more than twice as great. For those reasons, we can’t recommend Bacardi Gold for anything other than late night volume production.