Cruzan's New 13 year old Rum Is a Bourbon Drinker's Dream

Cruzan Rum is dropping its oldest aged rum and its first Island Reserve expression, a 13 year old blend. It’s a proper stunner that will appeal to any bourbon drinker, especially when you factor in the retail price: $40. Working well neat or in a cocktail, it’s a limited release from this distillery on the Caribbean island of Saint Croix, and it packs layers of flavor into each pour.

We got an early taste of Island Reserve 13 year old—and each individual component—with Cruzan manager Cole McCreary, who assembled the blend. The aim, according to McCreary, is to express the rum in the best way possible, though the Kentucky native also noted that “creating something bourbon drinkers could sip on and enjoy” was part of the consideration.

How Cruzan Blended Island Reserve 13 year old

The final blend is composed of three bourbon barrel-aged components of different ages: a 13 year old (48%), 16 year old (22%), and 20 year old (30%). This ratio bested 17 other variations, where McCreary toyed with incorporating an 8 year into the blend. “Ultimately, this combination won,” he says.

Sipping each component, the 13 year old within the blend is cloyingly saccharine, especially on the nose and in the front of the palate. Typical tropical notes shine here, heavy honey, a little caramel, some banana, and cherry. It’s a sweet, straightforward, simple sip, vanishing off your palate as quickly as it arrives

Stepping up to the 16 year old component, the sweetness on the nose is replaced by heavy oak aromas, with more vanilla. On the palate, the sugars are less pronounced, too, but the complex body is a beautifully meandering journey that takes you to a new flavor each time you sip. While more tannic, it’s still a delight that Cruzan should consider releasing as a single-year vintage.

The 20 year old presents supremely oak forward, with heavy vanilla, and the hefty, oily liquid coats your mouth nicely and allows for a chew. It’s off profile for what Cruzan would release on its own, McCreary admits, but he included it in the final blend because the supremely long oaky finish provides a perfect ending.

What’s Cruzan Island Reserve 13 year old Taste Like?

In short, something you’d want to sip on the beach with a nice cigar in hand. The nose is buttery soft and super inviting, with notes of caramel, vanilla, banana, a little barrel char, and fresh and dried red fruits. The midweight liquid coats your palate well, with heavy vanilla, and a light hint of cherry starting in the back and moving forward. Complex and balanced, it’s got the right meld of sweetness from the 13 year old, with a little island funk from the 16 year, and an extensive fruity cola finish from the 20 year, along with the oak notes. And it punches above its 80-proof, so bourbonites will be pleased, whether you’re drinking it neat or on the rocks. Overall, it’s a delectable and fun pour that you’d find interesting each time you drink it.

Will There Be Future Cruzan Island Reserve Editions?

McCreary says there is something like this in the works. But because this is a relatively small, limited-edition offering—36,000 bottles will hit the U.S. only—the Cruzan team needs to make sure it’s well received before considering an encore. We doubt this 13 year old will have any issues hitting the bullseye.