Mamajuana is a Dominican blend of rum, wine, herbs, honey, and other fun stuff. It’s sort of a ready to drink cocktail. While not really a rum, it was in the rum section of the liquor store when I was in Little Dominican Republic, so I figured it was worth a try. Also, Kalembú calls itself a “rum with natural flavors”, and Hispaniola calls itself a “specialty rum”, so to be fair, if it calls itself a rum, I will review it like a rum.

Note: Yes, one of the additives is “breast extract”. That’s exactly what it says on the website. More like mommy-juana, am I right?

Review

Smell

It actually smells like a urinal cake, but, like, in a good way, you know? Like the janitor just popped a fresh one in and you’re the first to pee on it. Notes of lavendar, perfume, and laundry detergent.

Taste

Very sweet as well, but much more floral. A bit of lavendar, a bit of licorice/anise, maybe a bit of rose water. It burns less than Kalembú, but it still burns a lot more than I’d expect from something that’s only 30%.

And, of course, what spiced rum/spirit drink tasting is complete without a rum and cola? I did 1:1 for the mamajuanas and 2:1 for kraken to compensate for the higher ABV. On its own, it was a vibe. I liked it about equal, maybe slightly less than Kalembú. But in a cola, it just doesn’t work. And kraken just tastes like… kraken. Even when all 3 were watered down to around 15% ABV with cola, kraken still has the most noticable burn of alcohol, and there’s nothing to the flavor other than vanilla and a hint of spices. It’s not nearly as complex and interesting as the two mamajuanas.

Verdict 5/10

When it comes to spiced rum, these are not half bad. Of course, I took a quick swig of Foursquare spiced rum, and it was a significant step up from these, and I go back to them, and the rum burns more, and they’re veeery sweet. But then I try it against Kraken, and now Kraken is the one that’s disappointing. Harsh, bitter, and the predominant flavor is vanilla extract. Overall, as far as spiced rums go, I like them. 5/10.