This zero-proof rum from Lyre's gave us strong notes of pineapple and coconut, with subtler hints of butter, ginger, flowers, chile, citrus.

As we learned from their Dark Cane Spirit, Lyre’s can construct a stellar bouquet, and they don’t pull any punches with their White Cane Spirit.

On the nose you get pronounced notes of pineapple, coconut, and butter, which are all very pleasant. There’s a little orange, and some nondescript floral notes as well. If you dig deeper you might get a hint of toasted almond. It smells incredible—but does it smell like rum? Yes and no. It’s a little as if you asked a rum aficionado what they smelled in a high-ester unaged Jamaican and then created something with those notes without ever having smelled a high-ester unaged Jamaican.

On the palate things are a bit more muted. The coconut and butter are gone, and you’re mostly left with the pineapple. The finish comes quickly with a heat that is difficult to distinguish between ginger and chile (perhaps both). It’s not an overpowering finish, but a pleasant one; as the heat dissipates you’re left with ginger, pineapple, and some of the more nuanced notes from the nose—citrus, flower shop, and a vague nuttiness.

We can hem and haw about whether or not it was a convincing rum profile, but the sipping experience was solid—in our test, it received a 7.2 neat. In a daiquiri, it scored a little lower (a first in all of our zero-proof tests) at 6.7, largely because it didn’t seem to add too much to the drink. Its compelling nose may have been damped by the ice, and its subtle flavor profile was lost in the lime juice. In subsequent cocktails increasing the dose called for by ~50% seemed to help its pineapple-y goodness show up.

Lyre’s White Cane Spirit smells incredible, and is perfectly enjoyable on the palate, but I wish it was a bit more concentrated so it didn’t get washed out in cocktails.

Tags:  Standard Release | Zero Proof