Review: The Rolling Stones' New Crossfire Hurricane Rum Offers Cocktail Satisfaction

"Please allow me to introduce myself; I'm a rum of wealth and taste." Okay, maybe those aren't the exact lyrics, but they're quite fitting for the Rolling Stones' newest endeavor. The well-known rock band put their mark on the music industry 60 years ago and they're doing it again, only this time in the spirit industry. After years of enjoying many a cocktail, Mick Jagger and Keith Richards decided to use their talents to create something new and exciting. No, I'm not talking about their newest album, "Hackney Diamonds," I'm talking about their new Crossfire Hurricane rum.

Celebrity spirits are nothing new. A-list actors and popular chefs have been putting their money behind all types of liquor for years. But plenty of musicians have as well and now the Rolling Stones have joined the ranks with other rockers like Sammy Hagar and Adam Levine. With the beloved tiki trend and rum bars having a modern-day renaissance, it makes perfect sense that the infamous 60's rock band would want to add their rum to the numerous choices available. Since I love the band and I'll never say no to a great Caribbean rum, I was thrilled to get a taste. But will Crossfire be as big a hit as the band itself? Read on to find out if this rum "Start(s) Me Up" or leaves me "Shattered."

Recommendations are based on firsthand impressions of promotional materials and products provided by the manufacturer.

Named after a lyric from the band's 1968 hit song, "Jumpin' Jack Flash," Crossfire Hurricane is a golden Caribbean rum that the band created because of its strong adoration for the spirit. The band's long history with rum dates all the way back to the early 70s when they were on location in Kingston, Jamaica, recording their 11th studio album, Goat's Head Soup. As Jagger stated in a Forbes interview, the band chose to craft "a complex yet smooth spirit that captures the essence of laid-back Caribbean nights spent with mates, music, and mischief."

Like it says on the label, "smooth spirit" is a blend of three different rums from Jamaica, Barbados, and the Dominican Republic, with each locale bringing a little something different to the table. Both the distilleries in Barbados and Jamaica have been producing rum for over a century using traditional pot stills. While the Dominican Republic distillery, the youngest of the bunch, uses state-of-the-art column stills to produce its rum. The rums are then blended together in charred oak barrels and aged for five years, creating a finished rum that's a rich amber color and has a complexity making it the perfect choice for any cocktail.

There are so many Caribbean rums on the market today, it can be hard to distinguish one from the other. While most well-known brands come from one specific location, each is made from either sugar cane or molasses. Molasses tends to create a darker, richer rum, while rums that use pressed sugar cane tend to be more vegetal. Then depending on whether it's distilled using a pot or column, it will also influence the flavor of the final product. 

Even though flavor is an important factor in choosing your favorite spirit, price also plays into the final decision, and that's where Crossfire might have a hard time. Even though this spirit is available at most liquor stores and online, similar rums — Caribbean, molasses-based, and aged for four to five years — can be purchased for anywhere between $20 and $25. Meanwhile, Crossfire can be anywhere between $35 and $40. That's almost a $20 difference. We figure the reason for the upsell is simply because unlike other rums out there, this rum comes from one of the biggest English bands around. 

If you're a serious rum collector and a true diehard Rolling Stones fan, the band has released a special, remastered version of their rum, if you will. Coming in a beautiful black box emblazoned with the graphics from the band's current Hackney Diamond world tour is not one, but two bottles of their Crossfire Hurricane rum. On the left is the classic bottle that's been on shelves since November. But on the right is a stunning ebony bottle with the same golden graphics as the box and a shiny gold cap housing the band's signature rum. It's a statement bottle that, like the band, deserves to be on display.

You better hurry if you want to get your hands on this set. Just released this past spring, the bottle was meant to create even more excitement surrounding the Stones' world tour. And like the tour, once it's gone, you won't have another chance at it. That's not the only similarity between this limited-edition set and the band's tour: both are expensive endeavors. This limited-edition set may not be the most expensive spirit in the world, and it's definitely not as much as a pair of front-row tickets, but at $125, it's no bottom-shelf rum either. While this set is a definite showstopper, I'd only suggest plunking down the cash if you're a serious Stones groupie.

As I mentioned earlier, I've enjoyed my fair share of rum. I've tasted Jamaican rum, Haitian rum, and even Cuban rum. But I've never tasted a rum whose blend is from three different countries. Needless to say, I couldn't wait to taste this Caribbean blend. 

On the nose there's the strong scent of roasted bananas and caramel with a hint of nutmeg. Then upon the first sip I got a distinct tropicality thanks to the notes of pineapple and vanilla. Those sweeter flavors delighted me but were tempered by a funky spice on the finish. A spice that most likely comes from the pot still and oak barrels used to distill and age the spirit. A spice that honestly left me a little cold. 

Since I know that ice or a few drops of water tend to change a spirit for the better, I decided to try it over ice. That was a mistake. Where ice will cause a bourbon or whiskey's flavors to really blossom and create a completely different drinking experience, adding ice to Crossfire just diluted it. All of those tropical flavors that I enjoyed with the first few sips just disappeared and left me with a glass of watered-down rum. 

Since the Crossfire Hurricane site recommends a few cocktails, and I'm never one to turn down a rum drink, I thought maybe I'd have better luck using it in a cocktail. I was right. This rum was absolutely meant for cocktails. Those tropical notes meld wonderfully with the mint and lime of a refreshing mojito, while the spice that I found off-putting on its own mingles perfectly with the ginger beer of Crossfire's Gold and Stormy. (It can't be called a Dark and Stormy because Goslings has that moniker trademarked.) It even added an interesting and unexpected depth to an espresso martini. Turns out the funky spice mellows out the bitterness from the espresso, creating a strong drink that's the perfect end to any meal. 

The one thing these three drinks have in common is that they all use just one spirit for their base. But since the rum worked so well in these tipples, I'm sure it would be an amazing addition to several tiki drinks where two or three rums are combined with a variety of juices and spices. Those drinks will highlight the tropical flavors of the rum while allowing its funky spice to add a complexity not often found in drinks such as these. 

When it comes to rum, there are many factors to consider: age, location, flavor, and price. I own several different types of rum; some are for sipping, and some are strictly for mixing. If your bar is stocked with a variety of Caribbean rums, Crossfire Hurricane should absolutely be among them. The bottle not only has a nice shape, both the Rolling Stones' logo and Mick Jagger and Keith Richards' signatures adorn each bottle, making it a rum that definitely deserves to be on display. Sure, it might be on the pricier side, and it may not be the smoothest rum on the market today, but it adds some wonderful funky flavor to several classic rum cocktails. 

So, if you prefer to drink your rum neat or on the rocks, this is not the rum for you. But if your idea of a perfect summer day is sipping on a rum-based Jet Pilot or Nui Nui while listening to the Rolling Stones sing their greatest hits, then run to your nearest liquor store, grab a bottle, and get some serious "satisfaction."