This zero-proof rum from 270º Botanicals gave us strong notes of latex and pineapple, with subtler hints of bubblegum.

After a pretty poor experience with 270º Botanicals’ Dark offering, my expectations for the White Caribbean Blend were about as low as they could be. That being said, they were exceeded! A bit. On the nose, there are notes of latex and pineapple (this time we knew to dilute the spirit before trying it neat—and that definitely improved the experience) but there’s still something a bit off. On the palate, things are thin and watery. A mild bubble gum note seems to be all there is in terms of flavor which, truth be told, is a major improvement over its dark sibling. There’s no real finish to speak of; a couple of weeks ago I would’ve assumed this came with the territory of zero-proof, but now it’s hard not to critique when I know Strykk and ArKay can pack reasonable punches. In a daiquiri, it did fine (netting a mixer score of 5.5) at which point it’s pretty clear it’s being carried by fresh lime juice and simple syrup. If you try hard enough, you could almost imagine the off-notes are a zero-proof rendition of some Jamaican funk, but I would only recommend this if you’re dying to build out a zero-proof bar, and even then caution against putting too much in a single drink. As with the Dark Caribbean Blend, it’s worth noting that this Cane Beverage avoids a major problem plaguing other zero-proofs: a lack of concentration. Straight out of the bottle it measured 6.8ºBx, suggesting more than three times the dissolved solids of our lowest white. The fact that the bottle’s 700mL can be diluted to almost 3L of drink means you can really stretch it out if you’d like, unfortunately, you’re more likely to wish it was already gone.