We have a confession to make. It’s that despite running for near on 6+ years – we are reviewing this – in 2019. It’s sad, it’s profane, and a bit weird. However, despite mentioning it, despite reviewing multiple versions of the rum (even a special pumpkin version) – we haven’t actually reviewed the original – the basic Captain Morgan.
That ends today. It is – okay. Not really sure what we or you expected. Yes, the base Captain Morgan isn’t awful, and it’s not as good as Private Stock, but sure? Overall the benefit here is that you can make a halfway decent mixer, it’ll be cheap, and you can get it anywhere.
What they Say: “Finished and bottled in the United States”
Taste: 4.0 – Starts off a bit sweet, and that caramel almost feels like it’s got some sort of nut alongside it.
Aftertaste: 3.5 – You get a blackened sugary like aftertaste, but it’s not exactly enjoyable.
Burn/Smooth: 3.5 – Yeah. Oh. That burns like the rum you’d expect to find on a pirate vessel.
Aroma: 2.5 – One of the best aspects of a spiced rum is more often the smell. Which is what makes this whiff of caramel and nothing so disappointing.
Honesty: 6.5 – A bit odd to say that you were finished there considering the Caribbean heritage, but meh. Overall though the bottle is a bit cheap feeling, that’s moot. Captain Morgan has so much presence and branding that it’s hard to fight here, especially when they don’t splooge all over the literature.
Mixability: 5.0
W/ Rocks: 4.0 – That takes away some of the awfulness. However, it is still not an easy sipper.
Rum and Coke: 6.0 – Credit where it’s due that is a very serviceable R&C. Likely what you’ll get at a bar as well. It’s not great, but then that’s not the end of the world
Value: 6.0 – It’s a bit cheaper than some others for a decent rum and coke, and for that we commend it. Even if we do recommend the 100 proof (which we also have to review – shit)
Google Shop Average: $14
Website: https://www.captainmorgan.com/
Reviewer Scores:
BuffaloJern: 4.0
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Metric Score: 31/70 |+| Metric Average: 4.43 |+| Reviewer Average: 4.0
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Final Thoughts: You can consider this a check on the box of things that should have been checked like 5 years ago. If you need a basic tier rum, you won’t be ruined by choosing the Captain. However with things like Old Monk for taste, or Gosling’s 151 for coke mixing and getting drunk – it’s not the best option.