This non-alcoholic rum from Bare Zero has a banana-forward profile that plays great in cockatils.

Bare Zero Proof Caribbean Gold Spiced Rum is (as the name suggests) a zero proof spiced rum alternative. While in rum nerd circles “spiced” is a bit of a bad word, indicating added flavors and adulteration, in the world of zero proof spirits, well, everything except the water is adulteration. Furthermore zero proof rums that don’t claim to be imitating spiced rum will often lean into spice notes like cinnamon and vanilla to convey “rum-ness”, so we’re essentially viewing this as a dark zero proof rum.

On the nose this categorization seems correct, as there’s a distinct note I associate with high ester Jamaican rum rather than spiced rum: overripe banana. The banana is joined by some stewed apple, butterscotch, and something a little waxy. On the palate there’s a kick of acidity, and a gentle but present burn at the back of the mouth. Flavor-wise there’s some stewed fruit that veers into a coppery direction, some vanilla, and a touch of bubblegum. The finish is moderate, with a bit of the burn carrying a ginger impression.

In our blind taste test it scored decently as a neat sipper (6.9/10), though I disagreed quite a bit with my co-reviewer (I gave it a 7.8/10 neat). However it was great mixed into a daiquiri (8.0/10). In general I like what Bare Zero is doing with Caribbean Gold. They avoid the pitfalls of leaning too hard into sourness or artificial alcohol burn, and manage an expression that is quite interesting, reasonably pleasant to sip neat, and doesn’t get lost in a cocktail.

The Superficial: The bottle construction and wooden-topped synthetic cork stopper both feel very quality. The design and labelling looks nice and tight, if a bit sterile. The label itself has some nice texture.

Tags:  Standard Release | Zero Proof