Bare Zero Proof Rum Blanco

This non-alcoholic rum from Bare Zero brings an interesting funkiness to the NA light rum format, but is more successful as a mixer than a spirit to sip neat.

In general, light non-alcoholic rum seems to be a bit of a tougher nut to crack than dark rum. In part this may be because being clear limits your potential flavoring ingredients in a way that being vaguely dark caramel color doesn’t. It’s perhaps unsurprising then, that every single white rum we sampled was from a lineup that also included a dark rum. Where Bare Zero Proof Rum Blanco touts “mango, pineapple, fresh grass & sugar cane sweetness” it’s Caribbean Gold Spiced Rum sibling opts for “warm baking spice, brightened caramel, and vanilla”.

On the nose it lives up to most of its claims; first you pick out the banana, tending towards peel, a definite bit of sweetness, some pineapple, and then something grassy. On the palate there’s more banana, as well as some melon and mango. A moderate burn picks up, and carries you through to a pretty light finish, indexing mostly on ginger.

In our blind taste test it scored okay as a neat sipper (6.8/10) but great mixed into a daiquiri (8.1/10). Overall Rum Blanco brings an interesting fruity-funkiness that is more likely to read as “rum” in a cocktail than any other light rum we’ve tested to date.

The Superficial: Similar to Bare Zero Caribbean Gold Spiced Rum; the wooden stopper top is swapped for a clear plastic that matches the contents, but bottle construction feels very quality. The design and labelling looks nice and tight, if a bit sterile. The label itself has some nice texture.