Coming up in this Blog, I thought it's about time I've got this on the reviews. This is a Tiki Fire, Old J's Tiki Fire Spiced Rum. If you wanna know all about this and why I said it's about time I featured it, stay tuned.
Buy Tiki Fire Spiced Rum online
Right now, Tiki Fire, Old J's Tiki Fire Spiced Rum. Why have I said this is about time I've featured this? This, believe it or not, is my biggest volume of Spiced Rum that I use in my day-to-day business for Cocktail Masterclasses and things like that. This is what I start every, especially hen parties, but this is what I traditionally start off most of my Cocktail master classes off with. This is a 75.5% Spiced Rum. It's the stronger version of the Old J Spiced Rum. I've already featured Old J on here many months ago. It was my kinda story how Old J positioned themselves to kinda cash in on the Sailor Jerry boom, when Sailor Jerry committed commercial suicide back in 2009, Old J was that kind of lime and vanilla Spiced Rum that kinda quietly kept up for all the Sailor Jerry fans that were just crying out for the old recipe. Old J was that brand that tried to take on the mantle. This is their Tiki Fire. It's been out, where are we now, 2020? I think, give or take, it's been out about five years or so now. About four years definitely, I think, but probably five years. It's been around a long time.
Obviously more expensive, you'd be looking at about £36-38 a bottle. It's that same, similar sort of flavour profile going on there, that sort of lime and vanilla, but there's a few extra things that go on with this. When people actually smell this for the first time, this is why it's great for my Hen Parties, they actually think they're about to have an innocent shot of Toffee Vodka because it's those big toffee notes that sort of come through in this but on drinking, it's a very different kettle of fish. It's 75.5%, obviously you'll get a lot of Overproof Rums that are called 151 or anything like that, Bacardi 151 is a big famous one, Lemon Hart as well. At 75.5% is obviously that same, it's the UK version. We work in ABV, the Americans work in proof, so 151 proof is obviously 75.5% ABV.
Now, along with the original sort of Old J as well, we don't know too much about the providence of the base Rums. All's we know is they're Caribbean, but they are then shipped back over to the UK and they're flavoured and Spiced up so it's exactly that sort of thing. Plenty of lime and vanilla going on there. I think if I remember rightly, there's 11 different sort of spices that go in to make that. It's all about topping off for me, it's all about the shots and it's all about sort of topping off Tiki flavoured drinks. Certainly for me, I certainly wouldn't have this as a mixer like a Tiki Fire and Coke or anything like that. It's just the Shot. It's just to sort of start the master class off for me. A bit of fun, but obviously drink responsibly because it is pretty damn strong. And just the topping off those sort of Tiki Cocktails.
What does it Smell Like?
So, I've already alluded to it but what does it smell like? A big whiff on that, I just say, you would be forgiven if you were thinking you were just gonna have toffee vodka because all those sort of flavours and aromas come out of there. Just really kind of alludes to that. If you do smell it a bit longer though, you do get that kind of lime and a sour hint of vanilla but the spices in the background really come together, just give you that kind of toffee sort of aroma. And that's the cool thing with this, it's why I love it, it's why I use it so much. It's just got that really kind of fun playfulness about it and I really do love this. It certainly does the job for what I need it to do.
What does it taste like?
Well, it tastes like it puts a smile on your face. I'll be fair, I think this is actually a really incredible product because it is so strong and you get that kind of alcoholic burn bite that goes down, but it hasn't got that fake kind of alcohol taste to it. It doesn't taste like you're drinking meths or white spirit or anything like that. The flavour balance in this, and this has been around a long time and it's owned by LWC and they've got the money to put into this and kind of perfect the recipe. It doesn't leave you with a nasty after taste. It just leaves you with that kind of lovely sort of Spiced Rum, warm kind of fuzzy feeling inside.
And the other thing I'll say about it is well, it's not sickly sweet either. Because of the ABV, the sort of sugar levels are not gonna be up there like some of the sort of 35% Spiced Rums are gonna be, so it's not cloyingly sweet. The sweetness is kind of dialled back a little bit but on first taste, you do get that lime, you get that little hint of vanilla, the vanilla sort of comes through there. It's really, really lovely. And then the second wave, that's when the kind of alcoholic bite kinda hits you there and as that goes down, that is the sort of second tasting, sort of the finish, if you wanna call it finish, that alcohol sort of turns it into the toffee, the caramel, maybe bits of sort of nutmeg and clove. Now I don't know for sure, but I just love that as a kind of toffee, caramel finish.
It is absolutely superb and it is a big, big hit, not as you're drinking it, but certainly a few minutes later. I do often get a few people coming back and saying, "Can I have another shot of that? "That was absolutely, really lovely."
What could you mix it with…if you wanted to mix it?
I'll be honest, it just works with a lot of things. As I say, because of the expense of it, it's about £36-38 a bottle, for me, it's not a kind of mixing Rum. I don't buy it for a mixing Rum because for me, there's lot cheaper Rums that'll do the same job. However, it kind of would probably go a lot further, you're not gonna do a double shot, well, some of you will, I know some of you will, but you're not really gonna do double shot of that, a double with Coke, because it's just gonna be too overpowering. You're gonna want a lot more Coke to dial it down but a single shot with Coke is gonna work.
The standard mixers, Coke, is just gonna work very, very well. Your Ginger Beers are just gonna work very, very well. What else have i got here...? I've actually had it with Tropical Soda, just to kinda try. It's kinda that 1:4... 1:5... or even more, 1:6 ratio, but again, it just works. So I don't think there's actually any right or wrong of what you're gonna mix that with. It just works because of the sweetness, the lime, the vanilla, the sort of toffee. It just works with a whole heap of things but for me personally, it has one job, one sole job in my business, and that's the start round of shots that I kinda play out and that's what I use it for.
Summing Up
But, if you need a Spiced Rum or if you need an Overproof Rum to crown your Cocktails with, look no further than Old J because I do not think there is an Overproof Rum with the flavour profile and the fun aspects of that. Yes, my other go-to one would be Plantation O.F.T.D. Old Fashioned Traditional Dark, (or Oh F@ck That's delicious). But, again, that's going for more of the Rum base that all the Rum lovers want, this is going for the party crew. This is just brilliant. I love the product. Honestly, I really do think you'll love it. Just because it's strong, don't let that put you off, I really think you'll love it.