Cruzan Single Barrel

Rich in body, smooth, and wonderful aroma. No need for mixers, on the rocks or straight, amazing taste.

Having grown up in the US Virgin Islands - where all types of rums are available and affordable - most Cruzan rum, especially Single Barrel - outshines all of the "famous" brands. Mt. Gay, Bacardi, Appleton, Pusser's don't hold a candle. Cruzan, made on St. Croix - still has the flavor of the rich molasses without tasting like bitter or simply distilled sugar. Bacardi rums - all of them - are especially bad. By the way, you should update your picture - they changed the bottle a few years ago.

Cruzan Single Barrel is one of my favorite rums. Very nice balance of molasses, oak and some other flavors as well. I feel the blend was a little better in the old schooner bottling, but still enjoy the current shorter bottle very much. Still a smidge harsh on the finish or I would give it a 10.

Having read some unfavourable reviews I was a little hesitant to buy this bottle, which retails for $40 (CAD) in my area. Those who prefer sweet rum probably won't appreciate this rum as much as I did. I found Cruzan Single Barrel to be well balanced and simply delicious.

UPDATE (2018-02-23): Have tried many different rums since I first purchased CSB, Recently opened another bottle as I hadn’t sampled this rum for over 6 months and as I said above, it is delicious. More an 8.5 rating than 8. Definitely will be keeping a supply of this rum on hand.
7
UPDATE (2018-06-28): I keep going back to this Rum and find it very dry but also simply delicious. In my opinion this rum is very undervalued and deserving of a 9 rating.

Wonderful sipper with an ideal price point to match! Easy rum to find and at $35 a bottle, this rum offers an opportunity for anyone to be introduced to a nice rum enjoyed neat or mixed. Smooth and flavorful... well done St. Croix and Cruzan distillery!

A gyönyörű külső ( díszdoboz + üveg ) végtelenül cool...pohárba töltés után betölti a szobát a virágos , gyümölcsös citrusos rum illat, fantasztikus éppúgy mint az íze, nemtúl édes ,gazdag, alkoholt alig érezni a szájban...sima, csak ajánlani tudom az ár/minőség szempontjából is ( én 22 euróért tudtam beszerezni még az öregebb hosszúnyakú flaskát ) Lecsengése picit rövidebb mint azt az ember elvárná ( ezért a mínusz egy pont ) de fincsi ;) egészségetekre !!

Got up on it's soap box and declared something was great.

I am an avid bourbon and rye drinker. I was recently on a cruise and decided to try one of their premium rums.
I happened on Cruzan and was surprised. It was sweeter then bourbon for sure, it was not subtle in many flavor areas. The nose was confusing, just so much going on, but the caramel, cherry, vanilla and molasses were evident.
The taste followed the nose and I enjoyed the punch of the caramel, almost tasted like an old fashioned.
The finish was sweet, almost like Dr. Pepper.

Maybe a tad overpriced, but a fantastic sipping rum.

Has some sweet, some smoke and lots of oak in there, so a lot more complexity than most aged rums, making it a great sipper. Would merit 8.5 on taste alone, but I like the new bottle, which is not pictured here. Finally, reasonably cheap if bought in the US where the molasses subsidies help it out.

This is a great golden rum. Very smooth for 80 proof.

Very smooth. Great sipping Rum. Top Shelf. Would definitely buy this Rum again.

Straight out of the bottle and into the glass I'd say it's a 7/10. You give it around 45mins-1hour and you have something beautiful here.

Great rum, think it should rate higher than a 7. Reasonable price too.

With a deep golden hue the nose accumulates tastes of leather , oak, molasses and just a hint of fruit. There’s little alcohol burn as the smooth liquid flows across your tongue. This is a fine example of the traditional Virgin Islands Caribbean rum. Steeped in history; touched with the golden sun.

Great rich sweet smell, good flavours. Great straight or mixed

Very good for the price, nice vanilla, molasses, and oak flavors. Smokey spicy sweet in all the right ways I really like this. Update: I just tried this again and I'm very impressed. I had it side by side with MGXO and I like it just as much if not more, it's noticeably sweeter and has more spice/funky like flavors than the former. For the cost of just $26.00 US it's exceptional, and really hard to beat for a "no sugar added" rum. I can't recommend it enough.Update 2: its sweeter and fruitier than any Bajan rum I've had lately, it gives that dry unsugared taste that I like but still satisfies the sweet craving that a rum like Doorly's sometimes can't. While I co tinue sipping it I realize it has all the delicious flavors of DonQ Anejo but in a way that is 3X as bold. The smoke, the fruit, the caramel, and the vanilla are all there. Delicious.
Update 3 10/2019- it's either not as good as it used to be or I cant enjoy anything not made by Foursquare now. Better straight than on the rocks. Feels kinda young and slightly bitter.

My review is for the old schooner style labeled bottle. I have not sampled recent bottles. This was a gift when it was rather new to the market several years back. The rum was very light, had a bit of wood in the finish and it's palate was toffee and caramel. The nose had a bit of alcohol on it but more vanilla and caramel. Just a bit of burn on the finish but nothing rough. Reminds me of Diplomatico Reserva, with just a bit more bite. Was one of my first sipping rums and it was a good one. Disappeared for some time in my area and has recently shown up again.

A nice oaky flavor that works well for sipping. One of my top three so far.

An honest brand, which I like very much. I usually prefer the heaviness of a pot-still rum, but a light column-still rum like this can be quite enjoyable.
Light, as I had mentioned. Nice smooth vanilla accents, quite mild and pleasant. Nothing dramatic or showy, just very well balanced and delicate. I'd have it neat.

Cruzan and RL Seale (Foursquare) have always been my favorite brands due to taste, consistency and price. Cruzan Single barrel hits the mark with its deep flavor (although not “anejo” or scotch like). Nice and smooth on-the-rocks. Not a daily go-to but not a save for a special occasion, Will always have a bottle in my arsenal.

Wonderful with a cube or two. Complex flavours that get better as the cubes melt.

I like this. It has rich body and natural sweetness. coverd by buttery flavor.
Very close to Barbados rums.

I honestly had low expectations when I purchased this rum. I love using cruzan light in cocktails as I believe it stands up extremely well in mojitos and the like...but given the low price point I figured the best that cruzan had to offer at $35 a bottle would be just OK. Nope, totally wrong. I'm new to the rum game but can appreciate the goods when I run across them. This is a very balanced rum with enough complexity to keep you interested. It drinks like a bourbon without that whiskey kick. Very smooth and silky in almost every way, I'm astonished that it only costs $35. It is tremendous on it's own and would do well in any rum-forward cocktails. Very happy with this expression! Great job Cruzan!