I want to start this review off with one question, how have I been living my life without this rum? Sailor Jerry spiced rum is the kick in the ass that every rum drinker needs to get out of the boring rum cycle that many of us have come to know. Sailor Jerry is here to make companies like Bacardi and Captain Morgan up their rum game. Who says change is a bad thing? This affordable, flavorful, 92-proof beauty of a rum shouldn’t be overlooked.
After five years of selling shirts, jackets, socks, and ash trays, the people of Sailor Jerry felt something was missing. That something was booze, so they decided to make their own. They knew the booze they made would have to be consistent with the bold spirit and high standards of the tattooist, Sailor Jerry. One of the few ways to see the world in the old days was being a sailor. The downside was it took a heck of a long time to get to see these places around the world. That meant lots of hours aboard a ship in the middle of the ocean with no women and no bars. But one thing they did have on board was rum…barrels of it. They also had loads of spices, dried fruits, and other items that the ships transported, so sailors got creative and came up with their own special recipes of spiced rum. After collecting old recipes and late nights of taste testing, the fine people of Sailor Jerry developed Sailor Jerry spiced rum, a 92-proof blend of Caribbean-style rum with vanilla, lime, and other spices.
Sailor Jerry’s has a a very unique taste. I’m happy to say it’s unlike any other rum I have ever tasted. There’s a light, almost non-existent taste when it first hits your tongue, but maybe a second later, there is a hard hit of spicy caramel rum flavor. And where most high-proof rums give you a high-proof burn, Sailor Jerry’s burn comes along with a boat load of flavor. I couldn’t decide if I was afraid or if I wanted it to last forever. Seeing how I drank the whole bottle…then another, I guess I didn’t want it to end. Don’t get me wrong, there is certainly a burn. When you drink something this strong you have to expect a burn. The difference is this burn is backed by flavor. And when poured over ice, that watered-down taste could cure the worst case of sea sickness. When we start talking about Sailor Jerry’s mixed, I think I need to be Poseidon before I even speak of such an act. To put it simply; I hope the people at Coke are paying the the guys at Sailor Jerry’s for making that stuff taste the way God himself intended. NOTHING should be this good, NOTHING! If you feel differently, you probably worship the devil(there, I said it). Mated with something as simple as Cola, Sailor Jerry will change your life. That 92-proof burn vanished; all you taste is delicious carbonated flavor. There really isn’t a fair way to describe it. All I can say is try it. It’s easy to make, and it is delicious.
Now at 92-proof, there is no question of whether or not it will get you drunk. But if you haven’t gotten your sea legs, I’ll go ahead and tell you yes, it will. If you can drink five shots of Sailor Jerry’s and still walk and talk at the same time, then you are a better man than I. I was gone. It surprised the hell out of me. There wasn’t a single notion that I was getting drunk, but all of the sudden, I realized I couldn’t feel my legs. That might be good on the high seas, but when you are walking through clubs and bars, things get difficult. Hell, I even wanted to go see the original Sailor Jerry in Hawaii and get a tattoo from him. You know you have to be a badass to get a delicious rum named after you.
The hangover was almost as I expected. There was a bit of headache, but I could still go to work and continue to do the stuff I hate. For a 92-proof ass-whooping, I have to say the hangover wasn’t too bad. When compared to the 151 hangovers where the act of crawling becomes a serious task, this one was nothing. There was cotton mouth and a headache, but I still had the ability to eat and keep everything down. For drinking a little more than a third of the bottle, that’s a good thing.
As for price, unless you can’t afford to buy happiness at $23 for a half gallon, then maybe this isn’t for you. But if you can forego buying pizza for a day, buy Sailor Jerry’s now. No really, buy it now! It’s really cheap and damn good. What could you be saving the 23 dollars for? College? Child support? Kid’s food? Abortions? Wait…no, save money for abortions, they make the world a better place. As for everything else, Sailor Jerry’s is more important. Your mom can get her chemo money by some other means. You need this. I need you to have this.
So honestly why are you still sitting here reading and not out buying Sailor Jerry’s rum? It’s the closest most of us will ever get to true happiness. If you aren’t afraid to get a little hair on your chest(this goes for you too, ladies), you need to get a bottle of this rum. There’s nothing else to say. Go buy some Sailor Jerry’s, and you can thank me later.
Sipability – 8.5
Mixability – 9.0
Drunkability – 9.0
Hangover-ability – 6.0
Bang for the Buck - 9.0
Overall - 8.5 
Comments
This rum changed my life. the hangover was a bit more severe than described but my god its a great rum…
Well It’s about time someone on the internet gave this rum the justice it so deserves. It’s been a while since I picked some up, think I’ll take your advice and grab some right now. One other thing; I’ve made a Sailor Jerry convert out of everyone I’ve recommended this to. Cheers, and keep up the good work.
Great comeback review, sir. Sailor Jerry’s is amazing.
Sailor Jerry is clearly the most fantastic rum ever created. Forget about Coke, mix it with Dr. Pepper for the greatest experience one could ever hope to have within a normal human lifetime.
Well I’m a pro drinker so I may judge hangovers differently.. And I will have to try it with Dr. Pepper..
It’s very good, but better than CMPS? Not sure about that. Matter of taste I guess, but PS is some good shit.
Private stock is good stuff. I got a half gallon of it here right now. The thing that hurts Private was the price..
I have to disagree with one aspect of this review: “…is the kick in the ass that every rum drinker needs to get out of the boring rum cycle that most of us have come to know.”
Honestly, any well-stocked liquor store will have such variety for a variety of prices that I find it amazing that anyone would run out of new and interesting rums to try, be it a nutty martinique like St. James or Clement, a weird dark rum like Cruzan Blackstrap (a rum with a blackness akin to the background of this website), or a fine aged variety like Angostura 1919. Spiced rum has its place for sure, but I find most of the enjoyment of the spirit to be in a quality aged variety. Sailor Jerry deserves its praise, but it is far from the best that the spirit has to offer.
I also think the 92 proof makes it more of a traditional navy rum (much like Pussers 92 proof) rather than a regular carribean style.
This stuff is really amazing. It has a deep, spicy flavor that is really different from Captain Morgan. The captain has a serious vanilla flavor, but Sailor Jerry has a more dirty, and exotic taste. I actually like it better than the captain. It certainly will put you on your ass too. It’s 92-proof is much better than the mere 70-proof of Captain Morgan. Long live Sailor Jerry!
Agreed
Very sipable despite it’s low price. It becomes a phantom when mixed. Very right, unparalleled flavor for price.
I usualy drink it straight, sometimes mixing 50/50 with ginger beer. (The spicier the soda, the more you can hide, just a splash of Goya ginger beer is all you need)
Also happy to see this rum get the recognition it deserves. I shyed away from it at first, thinking it cheap and unseemly, but when I finally gave in, I said goodbye to the Captain forever.
I was really wonderfully surprised by this rum!
I always drank (and loved) Captain Morgan’s but after reading this review I decided to go out and buy some for a taste test. It is as advertised and I’m not sure I’ll be going back to the Captain. Sailor Jerry’s is great mixed with Coke and even better with Dr. Pepper. You can’t beat the price either.
If God made anything better he kept it for himself.
I just had a glass of Sailor Jerry Spiced Rum & Coke. That 92 proof will really light you up. I rode a diesel boat (submarine) during “Nam”. Since my name is Jerry and an ex-submarine sailor, I really took to the Sailor Jerry brand. When I saw the Sailor Jerry Spiced Rum I had to buy some. I really like it a lot better than Captain’s. I’ll have to try it mixed with the “Dr.” or just on the rocks.
I live in the netherlands, unfortunately they dont sell Sailor J. over here. I go to London this week, maybe some english people here who know an liquor store that sell this stuff?
Sailor Jerry is WAY over rated. I have had some awesome rums and this is NO WHERE near as good as all you say. I think you people are easily influenced by marketing and band wagons. Try Flor de Cana, or Pyrat rums. Sailor Jerry is not worth all this praise. Take it from me, I drink like a mofo.
I was looking through the liquor section one day, hoping to find something different. As I often do, I planned to just go with whatever caught my eye. I ended up torn between Sailor Jerry and Captain Morgan Tattoo. In the end the little hula girl tag got the best of me and I went with Jerry. God am I glad I did. First off, the stuff just looks beautiful in the light. Second, as said in the article, there is a great burn to it, but it’s accompanied by wonderful flavor from caramel, cherry, and vanilla, plus some kind of peppery notes. Sailor Jerry has become my go-to, favorite liquor. I’m a big rum drinker and nothing else comes close.
Oh and btw, I’m a better man than you. I often start off party nights with 3 shots under 5 seconds and keep going on and off through the night. Plus the delicious Sailor and Cokes.
Im glad that you guys finally got around to testing out my all-time favorite alcohol. I was originally turned onto this drink by a Navy buddy of mine who was amused by my (then) love of Captain Morgan. Now the captain is no slouch, but the Sailor is the one that gets the work done. Man o Man this stuff is the best. For many people the natural taste may be a bit strong, but on the rocks that little bit of extra water helps to bring the flavors to the surface. You get flavors that were drowned out by the strength of it straight, flavors that will make this your drink of choice. Now Im not too sure about shots, since as I said ill just grab a glass and drink all night. I get it by the half gallon, and Its not uncommon for me to down 1/4 to 1/3 of it in a long night. As you said earlier, the hangover is not as bad as it could be, just make sure that you have some asprin and a cold water the next morning.. or drink less than I do.
I tried this stuff today and i would have probably never tried it if it wasent for this website. And i will tell you right now i paid 18 a 5th for 92 proof alcohol and this has to be one of the best i have ever had. It was between this and some bourbon for a few more dollars and same proof but i remember the good reviews and i took a shot but before i took the shot i was expecting this to be overrated but i will tell you now this shit is worth every penny and im not a rum drinker. its real smooth with a little burn once it hits the stomach area. amazing shit got me pretty gone right now .
Ok, Sailor Jerry’s is good, it’s just not as great as you’re making it out to be. Seriously, you’re ranking it as high as some of the single malts here and that’s stretching it just a bit too much.
It’s a great mixer that gets you drunk fast and it’s cheap.. It is NOT a quality sipping rum.
For Anyone wanting to make SJs’ a little smoother add it to any cherry flavored soft drink. I’ve tried several and the one I’ve found to be the smoothest,makes you more intelligent quicker(any alcholic beverage does that,doesn’t it?) Mix it with Diet Cherry Dr. Pepper. You’ll be a rocket surgeon in no time.
“Seriously, you’re ranking it as high as some of the single malts here and that’s stretching it just a bit too much.”
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You have to take into account the ratings system, as well as the fact that this site seems to be geared more towards the average drinker. One of their rating categories is mixability, something you’re not even going to think about with Scotch.
As it pertains to the target demographic of this site, I feel this is an accurate rating considering SJ likely holds far more appeal to them than a single malt.
this is good stuff. i paid $15 for the box set which came with a fifth and a 2 liter of Coke. BEWARE: IT WILL KICK YOUR ASS
it is so good i actually had the hulla girl tattooed on my forearm…..yes guys its that good
I’ll have to agree with HappyEndings; this is rated higher than Flor de Cana’s 18 and 7 years, and tied with the gold. That just doesn’t jive.
I felt compelled to add this. Last night I drank a bunch of this stuff and went completely insane, throwing things all over the place, having a great time, and even though I’m dehydrated right now from not drinking water like an idiot, I don’t have a hangover at all; it’s more of a reduced-intellectuality bonus-round. Hell yeah, Sailor Jerry is the stuff!
Matt wrote:
“you have to take into account the ratings system, as well as the fact that this site seems to be geared more towards the average drinker. One of their ratings is mixability…”
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You missed my point completely. Go back and read what I wrote. I said it was a great mixer. It’s not a quality sipper like it’s made out to be in this review (8.5). Decent, but not on the level of some single malts and other rums reviewed here which scored lower in ’sipability’. I do agree that SJ is great for what it’s intended for.
A bite is right; this liquor will bite your stomache open.. Highly acidic, overpowering caramel flavor. No other smells or flavors to talk about. I could have soaked a werthers original in bacardi and came up with something better than this. It is an excellent mixer to distract from the overpowering bite and lack of complexity in flavors. Perfect for the American market who is going to add it to an even more acidic product, Coca-Cola and wash it down with a ton of saturated fat to cut the acidity. I like to sip my rum, and although it looks nice in a glass by itself, my nose and pallette were not pleased. It will however “git ya drunk”. This stuff should be sold in tourist shops next to their ashtrays. Sailor Jerry would approve because I’m sure he was more worried about gettin’ drunk than tasting it.. Would go great with a hamburger or steak, would seriously irritate your stomache between meals and burn all the way down. Have a chaser ready, you will not like this staying on your pallette.
Mixed 1 part Jerry’s with 4 parts Powerade, they complemented each other perfectly. I used Fruit Punch powerade in particular and it totally cut out the burn of the rum while it retained some of the rum’s own fruit notes. The sugar from the powerade may seem a bad thing to some, but it’ll keep you well hydrated.
This is some delicious rum, I love this stuff!
i like the 101 proof by the handle
Sailor Jerry was really good when they used rum from St.Croix. Now it has nasty stuff from Trinidad and believe me you can taste the difference. Kilo Kai spiced rum is bar none the best in the class!!!!
Never a hang over, best when mixed with diet coke or coke zero, even diet pepsi….blows away Captain Morgan., Blows away Bacardi (any kind of bacardi) blows away all other rums (PERIOD).
Great !
Sailor Jerry was really good when they used rum from St.Croix. Now it has nasty stuff from Trinidad and believe me you can taste the difference. Kilo Kai spiced rum is bar none the best in the class!!!!
this is my new favorite rum, by far. captains tastes like pussy liquer and water now, cant even drink the stuff… unless i have to, im irish and well drink anything if its all we got. bad news is a brought a handle to new years, and on the way home a telephone pole jumped infront of me without looking both ways (this was in the morning i was sober). but anyways when the car was in the lot the bottle burst because of the tempt. goodnight sweet prince.
I live in the Central Europe and you, who live in the U.S. are lucky guys, because the price of the Sailor Jerry here is no less than 30 EUR ($45). In fact, sometimes it is more expensive than the Captain. As for the taste, it is really delicious.
Ed Hardy may have taken all of Sailor Jerry’s designs, but not his greatest achievement, his RUM!!
I love Sailor Jerry’s. So good.
I practically live off this stuff during the winter. The best way to drink it is kinda like a hot toddy – hot water, Sailor Jerry’s, lemon, honey. Warms you from the inside, like a glow. God, I love this stuff.
Hell yeah! This rum really is that good. I even keep the empty bottles to remind myself how much I actually drink, and how much of an alcoholic I am. As a former salior, I can say it is the finest rum I’ve ever had and I’ve been to a lot of places and drank lots of different rum. All hail.
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