***This is a sponsored post. I was provided a sample of Cruzan Aged Light Rum for the purpose of review. All opinions expressed are my own and no further compensation has been received. Now that we’ve got that out of the way…***

So this is the first of 2 new Cruzan rums that I was fortunate enough to review in conjunction with the Independence Sparkler recipe for 4th of July. Unlike a lot of the Cruzan rums we’ve featured here before, this isn’t a flavored rum, it’s an aged rum that’s been filtered to lighten the color a bit but it still retains the flavor of an aged rum.

If this sounds familiar, you may be thinking of my earlier review of Denizen, the Aged White Rum. Cruzan’s is a light rum but it does have a light amber tint that keeps it from being an actual white rum.

In a lot of ways, aged rum is aged rum–the differences between one brand and other are subtle. To this end I tried the Cruzan on it’s own and then refreshed my memory of the Denizen in comparison. Cruzan’s Aged Light Rum is very mellow with just a hint of some harsher edges. I prefer it to the brighter, sharper flavor of the Denizen.

Because of the warmer, rounder flavor, Cruzan Aged Light Rum works really well in simple preparations. A Light & Tonic with lime uses the rum instead of gin for a refreshing highball. Adding a bit of the Aged Light Rum to lime juice and lemon/line soda gives you a Cruzan Lemonade. And, of course, it works perfectly in a Mojito.

While it’s not a spirit I would sip straight, it’s definitely a great base spirit for cocktails and mixed drinks.