Big Black Dick Rum Review : Once You Go Black…

One of the biggest advantages of traveling is being able to eat and drink some unique products found only in foreign lands. A few months back I was lucky enough to take a trip to the Caribbean and like any alcoholic I found myself searching for some good rums to take back with me. As my wife and I walked past the many local shops, each with very “aggressive” tactics to get us to come in, we were caught a bit off guard when one yelled “You have to try some Big Black Dick”… What? “Come Try some Big Black Dick, as many samples as you want”… After we got over the initial shock we realized she was talking about a rum, popular in Grand Cayman yet relatively unknown in the states. Much like many other popular rums, this too comes with an interesting back-story that inspires it’s creation. According to their label:

“It is believed that Big Black Dick was born of ‘Royal’ African parentage before being kidnapped by French slavers who gave him the name of “Richard Le Noir”. Unable to subdue his efforts to regain his freedom, his French captors, tossed Richard overboard near a Caribbean island, which may have been Grand Cayman Island. Miraculously reaching land, he served for several years labouring in a sugar cae field where he learned the secrets of how to turn the sugar cane into the Caribbean’s finest rum. His kindly Caymanian master recognizing his hard work and hoensty awarded him his freedom in the early 1700’s.A free man and a skilled seaman, Dick tossed away his French name and became known as Big Black Dick. He soon earned the rank of captain of a three-masted-square rigger named “Caymanus”. She was a ship carrying 20 cannons with a crew of near 200 men that were known as the best in the Caribbean. History tells us that “Big Black Dick” was a dashing and handsome figure of a man, wearing a bright purple velvet coat and four pistols in his red silk sash. Those who knew him most immediately, know how much of a man he, indeed, was… possessing certain physical attributes unequaled by most ‘all’ other men of his gender.After a successful career, Big Black Dick retired to a more peaceful venture of making the best original pirate rum in the Caribbean.”

Cool story right? Captain Morgan and Sailor Jerry who? Whether or not a lick of it is true is not the point, but listening to that history would be enough to arouse my curiousity. The double entendre possibilities alone when whipping Big Black Dick out at parties would be worth $31.99 price tag. See what I mean? And so after sampling several of the varieties they offer (Light, Dark, Coconut, Vanilla), as well as downing a few complimentary rum cakes made with Dick, we decided to go with the Dark rum.

Presentation: Kudos to the marketing team for this one. From the overly darkened glass bottle to the exaggerated “length” of the bottle neck, this one plays well to it’s name. Though the cartoon like labeling screams of cheap, I think with this particular rum it works well for the gimmick.

Taste: The labels claim of “Stiff yet Tasty” didn’t exactly live up to my expectations. I’ve always lived by the rule to never buy a bottle based off a name/bottle design but this one I thought would be different. Coming from an area known for great rums, and having such a bold gimmick, I was looking for an equally bold flavor that could live up to the hype. Instead Big Black Dick started strong with a huge load of rich caramel/chocolate flavor that eventually died down and and left a funny taste in my mouth. All in all I definitely wouldn’t call this a bad rum, it just wouldn’t be my first choice to pour into a glass w/ ice and sip on. What I WOULD highly recommend is using this one as a mixer or float for some amazing tropical and Tiki drinks (Try some of Beach Bum’s recipes).

Grade: C+ (The conversations that the gimmick will provide make it worth the purchase so don’t be to scared by the C+ grading, it’s still a step above Bacardi)

So next time your out combing the beaches and visiting the Caribbean make sure to stop in the Grand Cayman and try some Big Black Dick. I promise, that’s my last innuendo. For more information on Big Black Dick Rum or any of their other products visit their parent website at www.BlackBeards.KY .As always don’t forget to Like us on Facebook. Until next time, class dismissed.