Rum is about an American a beverage as you can get.
Rum has been around since the founding of this country and, in part, was probably indirectly responsible for its founding. There is little doubt that while the Declaration of Independence was being written, the rum flowed freely, and according to historians, very freely. That fact alone could probably account for John Hancock’s rather large signature on that momentous document.
A good definition for rum can be found in Wikipedia: “Rum is a distilled alcoholic beverage made from sugarcane byproducts, such as molasses, or directly from sugarcane juice, by a process of fermentation and distillation.” The operative word here is sugar or, actually, molasses. The flavor and aroma of burnt sugar permeates all rum products and is probably one of the reasons for its immense popularity.
There can be little doubt Captain Morgan rums are among the most popular in this country. It is not just advertising that made it popular, it is the rum itself. If Captain Morgan rums were just mediocre, all of the advertising would amount to nothing.
Let’s clear one thing up: the Captain Morgan on the label was not a pirate, so the beverage was not named after a bad guy. Captain Henry Morgan (1635-1688) was a privateer famed for his achievements in the Caribbean as the English fought the Spanish throughout the mid-1600s. He also became the governor of Jamaica, so he was actually a good guy, no matter what the movie “The Black Swan” intimates.
Captain Morgan Original Spiced Rum ($16)The Captain Morgan Original Spiced Rum is an affordable quality rum that can add dignity to any mixed drink or work as well straight.
This rum is a blend of Caribbean rums that have been aged in charred wooden barrels, allowing them to soften and develop the flavors and aromas that have made rum famous. Dried apricots, orange peel, vanilla, brown sugar, tropical spices and toast are easily discernible in the aroma. The taste is a well-balanced mixture of chestnuts, pecans, bananas, butterscotch and brown sugar. The time spent in the barrel resulted in a smooth and mellow beverage. How you enjoy it is strictly up to you, but enjoy it you will.
Captain Morgan White Rum ($16) The Captain Morgan White Rum is an au naturel form of the beverage made without any oak aging. The oak is responsible for the familiar tawny color associated with darker rums. It also is the oak aging that softens the beverage and removes any harsh edges it may have.
The Captain Morgan White Rum, however, goes through five distillations, thereby assuring a totally pure product. It's this purity that gives this rum its very obvious mellowness. This is the perfect rum to use as a mixer so all of the flavors used to make the drink are not overpowered.
Captain Morgan Black Spiced Rum ($22)We are ardent fans of dark rum, and this one is at the very top of our list. Captain Morgan Black Spiced Rum is a blend of the rums from several Caribbean Islands, one of which is Barbados, long famed for its dark, super flavorful rums.
The aroma is rich and heavy with butterscotch, vanilla, oak and burnt sugar. Its flavor is a complex blend of orange peel, clove and spice riding on an impressive base of vanilla and caramel.
There is little to compare with this rum except those expensive brandies sold in crystal decanters. In a word, it is stupendous and worth every penny of its price. There is, however, just one caveat. We do not recommend this rum for use in mixed drinks; it’s just too good to be diluted with other flavors.
Nixa resident Bennet Bodenstein is a wine columnist and manages ArticlesOnWine.com. He can be reached at frojhe1@att.net.
