The Scarlet Ibis Trinidad Rum
The Scarlet Ibis Trinidad Rum is a 49% ABV (98 proof), 750mL blend of three-to-five-year-old Trinidad rums aged in American white oak ex-bourbon barrels. The blend was commissioned and selected by the legendary New York bar Death & Co and is imported by Haus Alpenz — built from high-character Trinidad Distillers Ltd. (Angostura) distillates the distillery normally reserves as aromatic top-note components for its own blends. It is bottled with no added sugar and no chill filtration: bone dry, full strength, and uncompromising. Order online from Del Mesa Liquor, San Diego, CA.
- ABV: 49% (98 proof)
- Size: 750mL
- Age: Blend of 3-to-5-year-old Trinidad rums
- Aging: American white oak ex-bourbon barrels
- Origin: Trinidad Distillers Ltd. (Angostura), Trinidad
- Additives: None — no added sugar, no chill filtration
- Blender: Blend selected by Death & Co, New York
A Bartender's Rum, Chosen by Bartenders
Scarlet Ibis began as a Death & Co house project — the bar team tasting through Trinidad Distillers' stocks to build the ideal mixing rum, then releasing it to the world. Named for one of Trinidad and Tobago's two national birds, it is the rare 98-proof rum built for cocktails rather than bravado: high-character distillate, ex-bourbon polish, and zero sweetness to hide behind. Shop more rum and the Scarlet Ibis range.
Tasting Notes
Straw-gold. The official profile promises classic toffee, tobacco, and dark honey on a firm, dry backbone; tasters find butterscotch, orange and lemon peel, faint maraschino cherry, and vanilla on the nose, moving to savory tobacco leaf, clove, pineapple, and spiced apple — finishing bone dry with an oily, faintly petrol edge reminiscent of the great closed distilleries.
How to Enjoy
Built for the classics: a Corn 'n' Oil, a Palmetto (the rum Manhattan), a Mai Tai, or a rum sour. At 98 proof it also stands up neat for experienced rum drinkers who like their pours dry.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Scarlet Ibis rum sweetened?
No. It is bottled with no added sugar and no chill filtration — a genuinely dry rum. "Dry" here means no sweetness on the palate, just distillate character and oak.
What is Trinidad Distillers Ltd. rum known for?
TDL (the Angostura distillery, Trinidad's only remaining distillery since Caroni closed in 2002) is known for refined, aromatic column-still rums — elegant and complex rather than heavy and funky like Jamaican pot-still styles.
What is the best cocktail for Scarlet Ibis rum?
The Palmetto — essentially a rum Manhattan — was made for rums like this: dry, high-proof, and full of character. A Corn 'n' Oil is the classic Trinidadian serve.
Dry, strong, and bartender-approved — order The Scarlet Ibis Trinidad Rum online from Del Mesa Liquor, San Diego, CA.