Stroh 40 - I drank it so you don't have to

Stroh is an Austrian spiced rum and is as redolent of the Caribbean as you'd expect a drink from there to be.
To the facts:

• 40% ABV - but 60% and 80% versions are available, if you're mental
• Unaged spiced rum
• £21 a bottle
• Been around since the 1850's, there is some controversy about what this is made from, some sources say sugar beets, some say a little bit of real rum and then grain neutral spirit, others say sugar cane.
• The Stroh website describes the aroma as unmistakable, well that's for sure, no other rum gives off the scent of burnt rubber and play-doh with a hint of ginger that this does.
• Flavour wise it's a very aggressive alcohol burn, giving away the lack of ageing and the source of the alcohol.
• Weird plastic, synthetic flavour with very slight hints of ginger and cinnamon
• Diluting with coke brings out the ginger so it tastes somewhat like a not very good ginger beer



Don't, just don't

This really is pretty awful stuff, I'm by no means a fan of the massive vanilla hit of a Sailor Jerry but at least it's not this, Stroh's sole purpose is to serve as a baseline for what bad rum tastes like.