Review: Captain Morgan Original Spiced Rum
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Over the years we’ve reviewed a whopping 12 varieties of Captain Morgan rum — but never the original spiced variety. That finally changes today as part of our quest to fill in any holes in our database.
Captain Morgan Original plays its cards close to the vest. Described as a “secret blend of Caribbean rums,” it’s not clear where the good Cap’n is made, or much about what’s in it.
The nose is immediately familiar, a somewhat sharp showcase of vanilla and cinnamon, with a touch of citrus in the mix. While the nose is on the heady side, the palate couldn’t be softer, a gentle kiss of a rum that layers in a kiss of spice alongside ample vanilla. Frankly, I’ve had unflavored rums that have a heavier spice kick to them than Captain Morgan Original, though that also works to its favor since Cappy is intended almost exclusively as a mixer. Want to add a splash of vanilla and just a little punch to that glass of Coke? Captain Morgan makes for a fine addition, provided you aren’t looking for any more complexity than that red plastic Solo cup deserves.
70 proof.
B+ / $15 / captainmorgan.com
Similar Posts:
- Review: Captain Morgan White Rum
- Review: Captain Morgan Sherry Oak Finish Spiced Rum
- Review: Captain Morgan Grapefruit, Pineapple, and Coconut Rum
- Review: Captain Morgan Black Spiced Rum
Captain Morgan Original Spiced Rum
$15
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Overall, the focus is on the interplay between Garryana oak and Pedro Xinemez sherry casks:
Westland’s Native Oak Series continues its exploration of a completely new variety of oak for the whiskey industry – the very rare Quercus garryana. With the September release of Garryana Edition 4|1, Westland again reveals more about how this unique Pacific Northwest oak contributes to the flavor profile of single malt whiskey.
While this year’s release of Garryana includes some casks traditionally used in whiskey-making, such as first-fill ex-rye and bourbon casks, the spotlight is squarely on the marriage of Garry oak and Pedro Ximenez Sherry casks. For the fourth installment of Garryana, Master Distiller Matt Hofmann and Blender Shane Armstrong wanted to explore whether these two rich and assertive flavors could live together in a single whiskey. “This year’s release continues our inquiry and plants yet another marker in unchartered [sic] territory that still seems to have no horizon,” says Hofmann. “We sought to find out what happens when two of the deepest wells of flavor combine in one bottle.” Do two great tastes go great together? Follow the link in our profile to find out! 🥃](http://scontent-ort2-2.cdninstagram.com/vp/5566051bbb1c4afec2818d163ab9a718/5E621EC2/t51.2885-15/e35/c53.0.350.350a/s320x320/70911385_968277930171857_7300952336732926577_n.jpg?_nc_ht=scontent-ort2-2.cdninstagram.com&_nc_cat=105 "Garryana #4 from Seattle’s Westland is here, marking the fourth year this unusual single malt, aged partly in Garryana oak barrels that are sourced from the Pacific Northwest, has been produced. For 2019, Westland has released more than twice as many bottles while dropping the abv, and the total amount of production information is a bit on the limited side. As usual, there’s no age information on the label.
Overall, the focus is on the interplay between Garryana oak and Pedro Xinemez sherry casks:
Westland’s Native Oak Series continues its exploration of a completely new variety of oak for the whiskey industry – the very rare Quercus garryana. With the September release of Garryana Edition 4|1, Westland again reveals more about how this unique Pacific Northwest oak contributes to the flavor profile of single malt whiskey.
While this year’s release of Garryana includes some casks traditionally used in whiskey-making, such as first-fill ex-rye and bourbon casks, the spotlight is squarely on the marriage of Garry oak and Pedro Ximenez Sherry casks. For the fourth installment of Garryana, Master Distiller Matt Hofmann and Blender Shane Armstrong wanted to explore whether these two rich and assertive flavors could live together in a single whiskey. “This year’s release continues our inquiry and plants yet another marker in unchartered [sic] territory that still seems to have no horizon,” says Hofmann. “We sought to find out what happens when two of the deepest wells of flavor combine in one bottle.” Do two great tastes go great together? Follow the link in our profile to find out! 🥃")
This is your base spiced rum mixer deliberately intended to be utterly inoffensive to everyone which leaves it with nothing other than alcohol content to recommend it to anyone. The marketing team is pretty entertaining though. You can get better mixer spiced rums at roughly 2/3rds the price by shopping the captain’s less marketed competition..