Lyre's Dark Cane - Non-Alcoholic Spirit - Dark Rum Style | Gold Medal Winner | 700mL

I will preface this saying I have never been a drinker so my opinion may be worthless. I only recently learned of non-alcoholic spirits and wanted to try some as I've always thought a mixed drink with Coke would be really good. Started with the Lyre's American Malt and it was ok, but my wife hated it. Tried the Dark Cane Spirit and we absolutely loved the taste! 1.5 oz mixed w/4 oz. of Coke and it's just amazing! We like it well enough that we subscribed to get a bottle every month. Can't wait to also try the Spiced Cane Spirit. Libations!

Way off the mark for a NA rum. Has a sickly sweet grape and berry smell, none of the spicy vanilla complexity of actual rum. I bough this prepared for something rum-adjacent but this isn’t even in the ballpark. If I tried it in a blind taste test I wouldn’t know what it was trying to do. Big fan of zero proof liquors but can’t recommend this one. (Monday gin, though - that one is great!)

I am no longer able to drink alcohol, and I miss my rum and coke drink. With mocktail bars on the rise I thought I'd look into alcohol substitutes and after some research I found the Lyre's brand so I decided to give them a try. I ordered the Dark Cane Spirit. It arrived well packaged and protected in bubble wrap. The bottle is made of heavy duty glass with a beautiful label design and I couldn't wait to try it. On opening the bottle I got a whiff of strong vanilla as the predominant scent. I tasted a drop straight out of the bottle and my first impression was unremarkable. It tastes somewhat like a caramel/vanilla combination, very sweet. However, I bought it not to drink it straight but to make "rum and coke" so I poured about a shot full into my glass of coke on ice with some trepidation, and had my first sip. And... nothing... I poured another shot and still, not much change in taste. Finally I took the bottle and just poured and good amount into my coke without measuring. Now it made a difference. Yes, it sort of resembles the taste of rum and coke, sort of... but super sweet. Okay, so I can trick myself into feeling that I'm drinking rum and coke, but would I buy it again? Probably not. I will amuse myself making this concoction while it lasts, adding copious amounts of lemon to cut the sweetness, but I won't be heartbroken when I pour out the last drop. If you are having a party and there are former rum and coke drinkers who can no longer drink alcohol, it would be nice to have an alternative for them. Otherwise, for me, the overall experience is not worth the $39. Cheers!

Main thing to know is that this is not a real 1:1 replacement for rum in mixed drinks. It’s more like 1:5 replacement. You only need a little splash. I use it in my version of a Dark and Stormy: ginger ale with a splash of lime juice and a quick pour of Lyre’s. I try to keep a couple of bottles on hand because Amazon can’t keep it in stock.

I was very disappointed that this had no flavor at all. I tried it straight which was not palatable. Then I tried it in mixed drinks where no flavor at all could be detected, So, it was a waste of money. I really wanted to love this as I love rum punch and fancy drink like Mai tai.

I noticed that others had written about the bottle being damaged and not getting a refund, but thought I would try my luck anyway. When the package arrived, the inside of the box was a bit damp and upon inspection I could see that the lid had been dented, allowing some spillage. The seal was still in tact and not much had spilled out. Seems like they could make sure to package their product to avoid this, if it is happening so often.Aside from that annoyance with shipping damage, I didn't find the flavor to be very strong or much of a rum flavor. I added the recommended amount to a ginger ale, as recommended. I had to double the amount and just ended up with a slightly more brown sugar flavor. I think I could get the same effect by adding a teaspoon of brown sugar to a ginger ale. I'll stick with non-alcoholic beer as an alternative to alcohol as there are many options that actually taste like beer (Athletic, Brewdog, etc.). This non-alcoholic spirit just doesn't do as well at providing a non-alcoholic version of an actual spirit.

Tastes pretty good. Don't use too much. 1/3 oz is all you need for a 12oz rum and coke alternative.

Drink this with some sort of mixer and you'll be very happy. It's bold, vibrant, and very flavorful, much better than the light versions of non-alcoholic rums. Feel free to ignore those people who whine about what it tastes like straight - this tastes like rum when mixed in a drink which is the way most people consume it.