Captain Morgan Black Label Rum

Captain Morgan Black Label is a mass-market Jamaican-sourced rum built for mixing, not contemplation. It sits at the everyday end of the spectrum, light-bodied and inexpensive, with reports that Long Pond distillate has featured in the blend, an interesting footnote for a bottle this familiar.

Distilled from molasses and bottled at 40%, it shows fruity, spicy and plum notes on the nose, then cherry, red fruit and a spicy edge on the palate, finishing diluted and alcoholic with chocolate and cherry. Listed as unsweetened and unspiced, it comes across drier and bolder than today's spiced versions, which some drinkers find genuinely more interesting. Still, the thin body and sharp edge make it a mixer first, happiest in a rum and cola where its fruity, woody character can lift a long drink rather than carry a neat pour on its own.