Bumbu Original

The owner of my local liquor store ( also a rum drinker ) showed me this rum. He had a open bottle for tasting because that is where this rum is special.
Again just as the plantation pineapple this is a fruity rum. The rum itself is a pretty smooth sipper not to sweet, but then you get hit with a sweet wave of bananna. Cool experience and a definate contender for summertime cocktails!

Tons of added sugar (sticky lips), added banana extract and vanilla extract, an ugly, childish bottle that screams 'themepark giftshop': this is a joke. Those 'professional' reviewers on spirits/lifestyle-websites that say this is good rum have either been bribed by Bumbu or have no idea what rum really tastes like. This is not rum, this is a banana licqueur It is so sweet, I was sick after half a glass. Only if your diet consist of liters of sugary energy drinks - and your ability to discern anything but sweetness has long since died - could you appreciate this rum. It's a disgrace.

I really liked this rum, except the added banana flavor. Might have been an '8' rating had they not added all that banana.

Smells and tastes of banana, vanilla, sweet caramel, spice, nuts, and cinnamon. Not bad, except the banana flavor. :-p If you like natural banana in your rum, then you might like this a lot more than I did.

This crap is overpriced and overloaded with an unnatural sweetness. There is strong smell of alcohol, vanilla extract, and banana laffy taffy as you lift your glass to take a sip. The body is weak and sugary with a finish that is chemical tasting sprinkled with peppered bananas. This stuff is only good for maybe making mixed party drinks. I can definitely see a bad hangover from over indulging in this one due to the high sugar content. Traditional rum drinkers this is a pass. There are A TON of better rums out there for $30+ that I paid for this one like appletons 12 year rare blend.

Quite tasty, but overwhelmingly banana flavors hit you. If this was marketed as a dessert rum, or a banana liquor, it would be a different story. But it's a rum, and an eye-catching one at that.
I think this would mix very nicely into a rum punch, but I've only ever had it neat. And, as the picture will show, I've had a few glasses. Maybe one day I'll mix it up...

Being a bit new to the rum world and after trying the mainstream brands , I want to try something different . What drew me to this was the bottle . Reminds me of pirates ( and I love anything pirate) . I like the color almost whiskey like , the nose gave me hints of vanilla and bananas foster. The taste was about the same with a hint of caramel , I don't think you can add enough O's in the word smooooooth . If you can find this rum I highly recommend it

More of a sweet liquer than a rum. Too much banana, toi sweet and not enough depth or complexicity.

Got this rum as a Christmas present from my kids, acting on a recommendation from our local liquor store - evidently they can't keep up with the demand!
Very attractive presentation with pirate-like "X marks the spot" bottle design and a big cork stopper.
The taste was notable, BIG banana flavour, will plenty of vanilla and caramel in the background, quite a sweetness to it, and very minimal finish with little after-burn. Very smooth, and the first glass was gone before I even realized it.
I do agree with some of the "not like a true rum" reviews others have posted, but taken for what this is, which is more of a dessert drink or almost a liquor, this is a very nice addition to the bar, to be enjoyed straight up on a cold day.

First of all anything under 80 proof should not even qualify as rum. Then to replace the missing alcohol with sugar water and banana flavouring makes it a liqueur at best. Yes, they also have an XO version at 40% but it is still way too sweet. This is really just a marketing afterthought because they buy it from a completely different distillery and just slap their name on it. I cannot believe some of the high ratings as no serious appreciator of rum would ever consider this stuff good. As a side story I recently witnessed a top-knot in a suit order this in a bar with a full coke mix. I see dialysis in his future.

I tried this once. It's watery and sweet. The fact it's bottled at 35% to save on taxes yet costs as much as a premium blend is not forgivable. Stay away.