Rum Review: 10 Cane Rum

10 Cane
Trinidadian Rum
Final Grade: C-
Price: $25 (750ml)

According to their website, 10 Cane rum is made from first press Trinidadian sugar cane juice. Technically this would make it a "rhum agricole," since it's distilled from the cane juice instead of the more common molasses. It's called "10 Cane" because it supposedly takes ten sugar cane stalks to make one bottle of the rum. They've branded it as "THE WORLD’S BEST RUM." It is not.

Right out of the bottle, 10 Cane had no aroma I could detect, other than a whiff of alcohol. After it had opened up for a few minutes, I could start to smell the sugar cane. It has a sweet, brown sugar aroma; subtle, but pleasant.

Drinking it neat -- again, right out of the bottle -- the rum didn't do anything for me. It had a strong alcohol bite, and that's it. No real flavors that I could discern, other than a generic taste of rum.

Trying it again after a few minutes it was definitely smoother, but I still didn't find much going on. A little sweetness, a little heat, but not much else. There is none of the typical rhum agricole flavor that one finds with such brands as Clément or Neisson.

The producers recommend mixing 10 Cane in a Cuba Libre, Mojito or Daiquiri, so I whipped up a Daiquiri. My standard recipe is 2 oz rum, 1/2 oz lime and 3/4 oz simple syrup. It tasted fine; reasonably pleasant, but nothing special. Again, the flavor of the rum just seemed to get lost. This could actually be an advantage to a lot of drinkers, but I prefer my rum to taste like, well, rum.

10 Cane is certainly not a bad product, but I think there are many better options at its price point. For $25 a bottle, I expect more than just okay. And this doesn't deliver it.

Report Card

Quality Grade: C
Value Grade: D+
Final Grade: C-

Comments

[Capn JImbo's Rum Project]

Couldn't agree more. This rum came out positioned against premium unflavored vodka, which is another tasteless, marketing driven product. I mean really, who really needs an "...it's kinda like vodka, but it's rum" mixer. Not me. Not you. Not anyone. It's like chasing the Treasure of the Sierra Madre...

[sam]

Lulz, I'm trying to figure out how on Earth the whiff of alcohol over powered the fragrance of this rum. Lastly, how do you explain that it was smoother on the second sip.

[Vance]

Well, I absolutely disagree with your assessment of this particular rum. It happens to be my favorite... well, the second, not third iteration of it at least. Originally, this was not ever a sipping rum but with the latest version it is becoming one... that being said it is nudging away from the best mixing rum on the market. Too bad they just didn't make a darker aged version for that. Neat, it reminds me of a dry whiskey with the nuanced flavor of raw sugar cane, but mixed in a Daiquiri it sings. It has a subtle taste that I have never found in any other rum on the market — and I love it! I can't give it justice with a description but it is truly one-of-a-kind. Try it again and let that hidden flavor emerge and work its magic.

[Capn Jimbos Rum Project]

Although I'm sure there are many drinkers who prefer "subtle" - think vodka subtle - the history of rum is anything but. Perhaps the two most famous mixologists of the world of rum are Donn the Beachcomber and Vic Bergeron (Trader Vic). These two gentlemen were really the fathers of rum mixology.

Both were in total agreement that the best mixers were the best sipping rums, and used rather expensive, top shelf rums. They greatly favored Jamaican based rums - full, hearty and aromatic - and overproofs like Wray & Nephews of Lemonhart.

You can be sure they wouldn't use a watery, "subtle" vodka substitute.

[Tomthompson]

After pouring the Brugal Anejo musty rum down the drain, I wanted a light rum without the alcoholic bite of Bacardi or the stronger molasses flavor common to light rum. This rum hit the spot I was looking for. Mixed with Coca Cola over ice, it was a nice evening diversion while watching Hawaii Five-O. I think it'll work nicely in a Mojito or a Daiquiri, but is not flavorful enough for a Mai Tai.