Kraken Rum

[PatMan33]

I saw some posts saying they had trouble finding Kraken.

At least in the States, against all odds and asinine liquor control board mandates, Pennsylvania state stores all seem to carry Kraken in large quantity. Not sure how that happened!

[Will Howard]

I have a good friend who will be returning to Pennsylvania when he gets his discharge from the Air Force next month.  He loves Kraken rum (proud to say I introduced him to it) & will be happy to know that he can get it at home.  Thank you for the information.

[Dave Leppo]

The Beast is ON SALE in my local PA liquor store this month (better hurry).  It's a tad on the sweet side for my taste, however.  I think I prefer Black Seal.

[Techavon]

I actually just obtained a bottle of this stuff yesterday. I have to say, it's definitely one of the better rums I've tasted. Rather dark, though, if that's not your thing.

[Xenos]

I just had my first taste of the beast...

I would like to say some words about it:

FLIPPITY JUMBO SPLETCH, BOINGO BOINGO WHOOPSIE KNICKERS that sh*te is AMAZING!

It's like silk going down, and then it KICKS you in the teeth-but the flavour is so very, VERY smooth...  It's even smoother than Private Stock, and that IS saying something.

Then again, this is coming from someone who takes his brandy on the rocks...

[Will Howard]

I would like to say some words about it:

FLIPPITY JUMBO SPLETCH, BOINGO BOINGO WHOOPSIE KNICKERS that sh*te is AMAZING!

Couldn't have said it better myself, Xenos!

[Xenos]

I would like to say some words about it:

FLIPPITY JUMBO SPLETCH, BOINGO BOINGO WHOOPSIE KNICKERS that sh*te is AMAZING!

Couldn't have said it better myself, Xenos!

Sometimes the gift of gab overtakes me, and I just spew forth a fount of wonderus phrases and sayings.

The rest of the time, it looks like that up there! 

[Will Howard]

You wax quite eloquent, Xenos!

[Cpt Wallace]

I thought I'd let you fellows know that it is on sale in Sainsbury's in the UK at around £22 a bottle

[Evelyn Adler]

I thought I'd let you fellows know that it is on sale in Sainsbury's in the UK at around £22 a bottle

Aaaaand.. that's one christmas present sorted, thank you very much! 

[DrArclight]

Picked up a bottle of Kraken a couple of weeks ago and had my first Kraken & Coke over the weekend.  I must say I was impressed.

The first Rum & Coke I ever had was an Old Monk and Coke at a hotel bar in Hyderabad on a business trip.  Since that time I've pretty much compared everything back to that Old Monk.  (I guess you really do always remember your first.    )  So far, the only rum I've found that I like better is Kraken.  It's so smooth.  I actually liked it better than coke doused with pure Mexican Vanilla extract.

[Mr Addams]

As the creator of this thread, I am ashamed to say that it has taken me all this time to obtain a bottle of the dark elixier.
What can I say?
To Quote Xenos, "FLIPPITY JUMBO SPLETCH, BOINGO BOINGO WHOOPSIE KNICKERS"

That Is a very nice drink.

Is there any truth to the Rumour that Kraken rum will be offering some form of marketing drive at next years Asylum?

[Xenos]

As the creator of this thread, I am ashamed to say that it has taken me all this time to obtain a bottle of the dark elixier.
What can I say?
To Quote Xenos, "FLIPPITY JUMBO SPLETCH, BOINGO BOINGO WHOOPSIE KNICKERS"

That Is a very nice drink.

Is there any truth to the Rumour that Kraken rum will be offering some form of marketing drive at next years Asylum?

My way with words seems quite popular! 

I'm actually drinking the Beast as I type this-goes quite...  weird with Tuna n' Noodle salad.

[Lachlan_MacAuslander]

I need to pick up another bottle soon - they've made the larger version available in our area. Of course, this means I'll have to polish off the jug of Sailor Jerry's that I picked up to tide me over... First World problems, indeed.

[Vagabond GentleMan]

I'm a rum drinker.

Kraken is my Wednesday Rum.
For now.
 

Truth be told, my new favorite rum is Haitian Teargas All Sorts KillDevil.

That is, you take the last shwill from the bottom of all the mostly-empty rum bottles you have around, pour them all into a BIG empty bottle with 21 chili peppers, and let them stew for a couple days.  Then before you drink it, you pour some gunpowder in there.

Has to be something like 57.8% alcohol to actually light the gunpowder on fire such that you can light it up and drink it flaming, and that doesn't happen too often unless yer drinking some gut-rot-potent stuff, and I don't tend to, so I reckon aside from the nutritional value of sulphur and charcoal, it's more for 'effect'.

[Polaris]

I'm a rum drinker.

Kraken is my Wednesday Rum.
For now.
 

Truth be told, my new favorite rum is Haitian Teargas All Sorts KillDevil.

That is, you take the last shwill from the bottom of all the mostly-empty rum bottles you have around, pour them all into a BIG empty bottle with 21 chili peppers, and let them stew for a couple days.  Then before you drink it, you pour some gunpowder in there.

Has to be something like 57.8% alcohol to actually light the gunpowder on fire such that you can light it up and drink it flaming, and that doesn't happen too often unless yer drinking some gut-rot-potent stuff, and I don't tend to, so I reckon aside from the nutritional value of sulphur and charcoal, it's more for 'effect'.

Gunpowder and fire? O___O  Wow..... I was sure I'd be willing to try just about any alcoholic drink at least once, but I don't think I have the balls for that one....

[Prof Ainsworth Halfmain]

What kind of gunpowder ... blackpowder or smokeless gunpowder that is nitroglycerine/nitrocellulose based?
One just burns really fast if not confined.
The other has a tendency to explode, although not very likely if wetted with a water/alcohol mix. Plus, who really wants all that saltpeter and chilipepper? Seems sort of self defeating, in a not so good way!

[Vagabond GentleMan]

What kind of gunpowder ... blackpowder or smokeless gunpowder that is nitroglycerine/nitrocellulose based?
One just burns really fast if not confined.
The other has a tendency to explode, although not very likely if wetted with a water/alcohol mix. Plus, who really wants all that saltpeter and chilipepper? Seems sort of self defeating, in a not so good way!

I make my own gunpowder, actually...just charcoal, sulphur, and saltpeter.
The chilipeppers actually add a surprisingly good flavor...all of the pigeons who've had the guts to sample it have been pleasantly surprised at how tasty it is, though it doesn't SOUND very good, does it?

And yeah, the gunpowder I mix up for Killdevil I keep low on the saltpeter content...for the above-implied reasons.

Disclaimer:  I don't imagine many will experiment with this nonsense I do, but if so, do your research, k?  The Smokeless Powder mentioned above is NOT edible.  DON'T eat it.  Know who and how yer folks are making their gunpowder if you're gwan ingest it.

And unless my physics are off (and they often are) I don't reckon blackpowder would explode lest it was contained...in open air, it just 'flares up'.  So, DON'T put blackpowder in a bottle and then light it...pour some in a glass, THEN light it, so the combustion has a direction to be released.

[D.Oakes]

The last time I heard about something involving rum and 21 peppers....it was in New Orleans.  Are we trying to summon the dead?   

[Prof Ainsworth Halfmain]

Actually it is blackpowder that is an explosive (well, if it is made correctly AND to proper proportions). Ignite a pile of blackpowder and it goes off all at once. However, if confined the force of the explosion appears greater because of and as a function of it's containment relative to gas volume.
  
Smokeless powder is progressive burning, i.e. it's rate of reaction is proportional to pressure so only if confined it "explodes". In open air it just burns fast but not nearly so fast as black. I had to explain this to a chemist colleague once when he was trying to develop a method to standardize the ignitability of solids using a known reference material ...after he all but blew up a lab safety hood with 100 grams of blackpowder. Classic black face around the white goggles outline and Lab Assistant Beaker blown back hair though!! I'm laughing even now thinking about that image!!
It did work with smokeless though although the method was never standardized.

Yes, eating nitroglycerine based smokeless powder could screw up your heart rate (think nitroglycerine pills for those with angina), plus it will give you one serious nitro headache!

Sounds like an interesting drink for certain. I think I'll just stick to layering Kraken, Goldschlager (pieces of gold for the doubloons), then 151 proof rum, and lighting up the 151 before downing it. I call it the Buccaneer Broadside. However .... your idea of a pinch of black added to that mix does sound sort of intriguing in a poetic sense!

[Vagabond GentleMan]

Bangup!  Thanks for breaking down the chemistry for me, that was rather enlightening...reckon it's from your SASS experience or something similar?  I saw you posting over there on that thread...

Yes, legendarily Ol Eddy Teach did that gunpowder-rum trick on the regular...
There's a whole Wikkipedia thing about it here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gunpowder_Rum

Oakes:  Manman Brigitte apparently digs the 21 chilis rum, and if chilipepper rum is used to summon the dead in New Orleans Voodoo it's something I'm unfamiliar with, so DO enlighten me if the spirit moves you, although as Brigitte is Ghede Family, it wouldn't surprise me...the term 'Haitian Teargas' is often applied to chillipepper rum as it is sometimes used in Haitian Vodou (probably still used in New Orleans Voodoo as well in some circles...actually, probably used in any number of the synchretized-African/Catholic New World religions) to determine whether a practitioner is verily being Lwa-ridden or whether they're 'faking it'.

I don't practice Voodoo, but I have an affinity for it.  >shrugs<

[Prof Ainsworth Halfmain]

Outstanding link, Vagabond Gentleman! I did not know that history, it shall prove quite useful. As it turns out, old Blackbeard was captured not far from where I visit the coast frequently, very active in the Carolinas you know. This adds great credibility to the Buccaneer Broadside.

As it turns out, the information comes from a combination of that hobby as well as being a chemist and physicist by education. The lessons of such experimentation were well learnt empirically. I should tell the tale of how I blew up my oven a few decades ago when experimenting with reactions involving nitrosylsulfuricacid ... but another day perhaps...  

[Mr Addams]

I too have read the Wikipedia article listed above. It does not bear close examination, which is probably why it has bean listed for deletion.
I would recommend clicking the  "Discussion" tab at he top of the page.
In reality, adding gunpowder to rum was never widely practiced. Blackbeard is said to have added powder to his rum, but if you study Edward Teach, you will realise that he often did things that would be considered dangerous or reckless, in order to build his reputation.

[Prof Ainsworth Halfmain]

I did notice that, Mr. Addams. It is a somewhat poetic notion, whether of historical value or not. The test given as a method for determining proof was somewhat specious at best.

However, there is some evidence of black gunpowder being put to strange uses. I attended a lecture on colonial make up processes in Colonial Williamsburg this fall where the presenters indicated that through research of extant period documents in their archives, small amounts of blackpowder was employed in a number of compounding uses in that endeavour, including addition of small quantities to strong drink as a facial and otherwise topical elixir and in hair dyes.  My ladyfriends took particular note of that. Of course, gunpowder would have been the least of their contemporary worries considering the use of litharge (lead oxide) for face and peruke whitening and mercuric oxide for concoctions to rosy the cheeks and especially the lips. Indeed, we live in better times in many regards!

[Edmund Charles Rutherford]

If you are looking for Kraken rum in South Texas (particularly in the San Antonio area) try Twin Liquors.  I found it a little over a mile from my home in the store on S. New Braunfels Ave., next door to the Police Substation.  Incidentally, the clerk pronounced it "Crack-en"- I thought it was pronounced with a long A sound...  Which one of us is wrong?

I remember when you bought that bottle...and I vaguely remember us drinking it.  If memory serves correctly, it was a 1.75 liter bottle, and we drank...far more than we should have...  It was great stuff though, and I was happily surprised when I found the local liquor superstore here actually sells the stuff.  I usually go for the much cheaper Capt. Morgan, but I may have to pick up a bottle of the Kraken just for old times sake!   (and Will, that's pronounced say-k not sa-kay)