Not really much to it. I had Bacardi Superior, a little shot of Bacardi Gold was only $1.50, and I decided to see if it’s different in any way.

Review

Smell

Pretty much exactly the same as Superior. Vanilla, coconut, “default rum” smell. It smells young and very alcohol-forward.

Taste

There’s a slight tang to it compared to Superior. Superior is just a bit smoother, while Gold has a slight zip, slight orange peel note to it.

Both are still quite rough and unpleasant to drink neat, and the aging really doesn’t come through in either, which have likely been aged the same amount (1-2 years).

Verdict 4.5/10

(Edited from 5/10 on 1/4/26)

Maybe I like Bacardi Gold slightly better than Superior, just because it has the tiniest bit more character, but if I wasn’t literally trying them side by side, if you poured Gold in my drink and told me it’s Superior, I wouldn’t have any reason to doubt you. As such, I am not even going to give it an extra half point, and instead rate it the same as Superior: 5/10. As always, I think that Bacardi gets a lot of undeserved hate. It’s not vile, it’s not undrinkable, it’s just okay. But, if you thought that Gold was an upgrade because it’s browner therefore it’s more aged and smoother… it’s basically the same rum, but Superior was filtered completely to remove the color, while Gold was only filtered a little.

If you’re considering buying Bacardi because it’s cheap, literally for $20 you could instead buy Havana Club 3, Planteray 3 stars, or Diplomatico Planas, and it’s a world of difference.

January 4, 2026 Update:

Not much more to add, it’s a solid, middle-of-the-road rum. It sets the standard for a “meh” gold rum, and I basically judge every other gold rum against it. It defines the 4.5/10 rating.