Choosing between two dark rums can be surprisingly tricky, especially when you’re comparing brands from completely different rum-making traditions. If you’re wondering about normandy’s black salute rum vs Bacardi Black rum, the two may look similar on the shelf, but they have distinct origins, production styles, and flavor profiles.
Black Salute comes from Normandy Distilleries in India, while Bacardí Black is a well-known Puerto Rican dark rum. So, which one is the better choice for sipping, mixing cocktails, or pairing with your favorite drinks? Let’s compare the two and see how they stack up.
READ ALSO: Is Bacardi Gold Dark Rum?/Is Gold Rum the Same as Dark Rum? & More
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READ ALSO: Bacardi Black vs Gold vs Superior: A Summary & More
Normandy’s Black Salute Rum or Bacardi Black Rum: Normandy’s Black Salute Rum
Normandy Breweries and Distilleries produces Black Salute in Kerala.
The company describes Black Salute as a rum developed in-house using premium European resins and matured malt spirit, and calls it one of its flagship products. It was developed as part of the company’s push into the premium rum segment.
One interesting point is that Black Salute is sometimes confusingly listed alongside brandy products from the same producer.
Kerala’s official beverage pricing records list Normandy’s Black Salute Rum separately from Normandy’s Black Salute Indian Brandy, so they are definitely different products.
The rum is available in several bottle sizes, including 180 ml, 375 ml, 500 ml, 750 ml and 1 litre in the Kerala beverage listings.
Bacardí Black Rum
Bacardí Black is a much more internationally established product. It is produced in Puerto Rico and is 40% ABV.
Bacardí describes it as a medium-bodied black rum with tropical-fruit and molasses characteristics and a smoky finish.
Its dark character comes from rum developed in heavily charred oak barrels. Bacardí’s current product information describes flavors including tropical fruit, caramel, vanilla, molasses and smoke.
Bacardí Black is also known as Bacardí Carta Negra in some markets.
Normandy’s Black Salute Rum vs Bacardi Black Rum Side-by-side
| Normandy’s Black Salute | Bacardí Black | |
|---|---|---|
| Country | India | Puerto Rico |
| Producer | Normandy Distilleries | Bacardí |
| Type | Black/dark rum | Black/dark rum |
| Alcohol | Check the bottle label for the market-specific strength | 40% ABV |
| Character | Malt-influenced, richer Indian-style profile | Tropical fruit, molasses, caramel, vanilla and smoke |
| Barrel information | Not clearly disclosed by the producer | Heavily charred oak |
| Main market | India, particularly Kerala | International |
| Best suited to | Drinking/mixing depending on your preference | Dark rum cocktails, rum and cola, punches and mixed drinks |
Normandy’s Black Salute Rum vs Bacardi Black Rum: Which One Tastes Better?
If you’re looking for a smooth, familiar dark rum for mixing, I’d lean toward Bacardí Black. It has a fairly predictable profile and is specifically positioned as a medium-bodied dark rum for cocktails. Bacardí recommends it for drinks such as rum punch, Hurricane, Jungle Bird and Zombie.
Black Salute is more intriguing if you want something different. Its use of matured malt spirit gives it a different identity from the typical Caribbean-style black rum. However, there is considerably less publicly available tasting information about Black Salute, so I wouldn’t pretend that it has the same well-documented flavor profile as Bacardí Black.
If you’re choosing between Black Salute or Bacardi Black Rum for drinking neat
I’d be inclined to try Black Salute first if you’re curious about the rum itself. Bacardí Black is primarily a mixing-friendly dark rum, and independent tasting reviews have found it somewhat harsh or bitter when drunk neat, while finding it more acceptable over ice or in cocktails.
Whats the Difference Between Bacardi White and Gold?/Diffetence Between Bacardi Silver and Bacardi Gold
Spelled out succinctly, here are some similarities and differences between Bacardi Gold and Bacardi Superior that go beyond their very obvious difference in color:
- Bacardi Gold and Bacardi Superior start off as the same blend of light spirits.
- Both these rums then undergo filtering and ageing.
- Bacardi Superior undergoes ageing for only one year while Bacardi Gold does so for twice that amount of time: up to 2 years.
- After aging, Bacardi Superior undergoes filtering again while Bacardi Gold does not.
Image Credits: FoodBev Media, FredPix, iRubén, Paste, Bacardi on LinkedIn, Dale Moore; Drinks Zone Kenya, Charanjit Chana, Fine Spirits, Sajayan Yaan
Thanks, I work in a liquor store in New Zealand and when I googled for info on the different Bacardi’s, your article came up and was easy to understand and entertainingly written, I’m sharing it with all my colleagues :-), again thanks for taking the time to write it!
Hi John,
Welcome to ChickAboutTown! I am glad you enjoyed the article. Thanks for the compliments. 🙂
Biche
Have you tried Bacardi 8 Year Old?
I hadn’t even heard of it until recently preferring the common white Bacardi Superior with my Coca-Cola.
I was in a hotel bar in Poland and they didn’t have any normal Bacardi but I spotted this other bottle with Bacardi emblazoned across the label.
Now I’m hooked!
Try it and see what you think?
-=Glyn=-
Hi Glyn,
Welcome to ChickAboutTown. I have seen Bacardi 8 Year Old before but I have never tried it. Thanks for the tip: I’ll try it at the next opportunity. Can you try and describe how it differs from Bacardi Superior?
Biche
FIRST TIME I PURCHASED BACARDI WHITE RUM. IT HAS A VERY FINE TASTE AND I ENJOYED THE DRINK. EARLIER I USED TO TAKE OLD MONK RUM AND CELEBRATION DARK RUM.
Hi Pankaj,
Welcome to ChickAboutTown! Thanks for sharing. I’ve never had either Old Monk or Celebration. I’ll be sure to watch out for those!
Biche
The barcardi white does not taste the same it is now horrible , it smells all wrong and tastes dry , have they changed it ?
Hi Sharon,
Welcome to ChickAboutTown! I’ve not noticed anything different with Bacardi white. What country did you drink it in?
Biche
I had same problem, then caught staff swapping the Bacardi for Dry Cane, pouring it into a Bacardi bottle, I threatened to report them, they stopped, but for how long I don’t know….check it out by watching closely
Terry
Hi Terry,
Welcome to ChickAboutTown!
Wow, I would hate to be drinking Dry Cane instead of Bacardi White. It’s such a shame that people do that!
Biche
We live in Australia and have also noticed the difference between the old superior and the relabelled carat blanca.
Hi Tricia,
Welcome to ChickAboutTown!
So maybe there really is something that’s changed beyond the label. Thanks for sharing.
Biche
Hi! I am in Caribbean, Trinidad to be specific and reading this article. I had to comment cause I’m sipping on Barcadi Coconut…. Its a white rum like the classic Barcadi yet its taste is sweeter and very smooth going down!
Hi Sheldon,
Welcome to ChickAboutTown, and thanks for your comment. Bacardi Coconut sounds nice! I’ll have to find out if that’s sold in Tanzania. Tell me, do you usually drink it neat? Or do you mix it with something?
I’d like to know for when I try it!
B.
Hi biche, nice article, we used to do big events here in dubai and small house party, mojito and cuba libre are most likely favorite and sometimes you can not avoid chatting with customer and asking what is the difference? And me uhm.? Blank and speechless.. thanks for the good info.. no1
Hi No1,
Welcome to Chick About Town, and thank you for your comment!
I am so glad I could help you find out what the difference between these rums are. I am a big fan of the cocktails you mention. Do you make your Mojito with white rum and your Cuba Libre with dark rum?
Biche
Found this blog during a random search for Bacardi gold vs black. I value the time you took to research and categorize all three individually, never knew that bit about darker=stronger hangovers. Cheers from NY!
Hi Matt,
Welcome to Chick About Town (and sorry about how long it has taken me to respond to your comment)!
I am glad you enjoyed this post.
Keep enjoying that Bacardi!
Biche (in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania)