When I say the words “Captain Morgan” I would be willing to bet that nearly anyone would know what I’m talking about. It’s ubiquitous and duly so. Captain Morgan Spiced Rum is an approachable rum for nearly anyone, mixes well with Coke and has a solid vanilla flavor that works well in that application. No surprise that, when Captain Morgan Black Spiced Rum came through the door, I was intrigued.
Dark rums, by default, tend to have a stronger molasses flavor and thus a steeper learning curve, for lack of a better analogy. Black didn’t follow suit as I had expected. It has a strong vanilla aroma with some other hints of spice coming through, but only barely. The flavor is sweeter than I had expected with the vanilla again being the star. There are tones of brown sugar and molasses but gentler than other dark rums I’ve had. The other spice notes are there, but not strong.
Captain Morgan Black is aged in double charred barrels which, I can imagine, is where the strong tones of vanilla come from. But this aging brings with it other tones that are more familiar to aged whiskies like caramel and butterscotch. The thing I find most intriguing is that the sweetness of the rum totally masks the fact that it’s bottled at 47.3% ABV.  While the flavor is gentle it’s a bit like getting hit with a pillow full of bricks. Gentle on the outside, but still capable of knocking you down.
While I certainly can’t recommend that you mix this rum in a Dark and Stormy, given that that name is a copyright of the Gosling’s brand, I could recommend something similar. Perhaps a Dim and Thundery. I’m sure you can work out the details.
†The product reviewed here was provided to me as a free sample. If you’re wondering what that means check out my sample policy.