Tastes

A very strong—almost excessive—cinnamon nose, with a hint of clove. Because the cinnamon aroma is so overpowering, the flavor is surprisingly different: more fruity than expected. Notes of orange peel and grapefruit come through, along with hints of nutmeg and clove. This is the perfect rum for someone who enjoys spiced rums but is looking for something more elevated than the “party” offerings from Bacardi or Captain Morgan.

You have to admire the beauty of this bottle. Even without the palm tree wrapping, it captures a bit of naval history—the very thing that got me into rum in the first place. On the nose, there are notes of caramel and citrus. It has a heavy mouthfeel and a pronounced alcohol burn (after all, it is 111 proof). I can’t say the burn softened much with subsequent sips, but as it became less surprising, the sweetness started to come forward more. The bourbon barrel aging is evident, lending a leathery, tobacco character with a bit of vanilla—distinctive, in a good way.

My first agricole. The initial nose is definitely sweet wheatgrass, but the longer I sit with it, the more I pick up something like barbecue sauce — less molasses and brown sugar, more vinegar tang. To my amazement, the first sip wasn’t bad. It was sweet, with a hint of golden apple. The sips that followed, however, burned more going down. The aftertaste is where the grassy, earthy character really shows up, with a touch of mint. Unable to finish a glass neat, I foolishly decided to mix it with cola. I shouldn’t have done that. It made the drink smell and taste like bug spray.

Aroma of cocoa powder and peanut butter brittle. The taste is extremely sweet—reminiscent of a caramel-vanilla banana milkshake.

Very sweet on the nose, with notes of toffee and crème brûlée. The taste is more interesting: butterscotch and crème brûlée up front, followed by an unexpectedly peppery finish. It’s not unpleasant—just surprising for such a sweet forward.

Vanilla and caramel on the nose, with a hint of clove. The palate is an even balance of caramel, clove, and oak-driven smokiness. A buttery mouthfeel coats the mouth, letting the smoke linger on the finish.

Maintains the same overly sweet scent as the original Captain Morgan Spiced. The flavor leans heavily toward artificial honey and toffee—to be clear, I’m not opposed to sweetness; it’s the artificial quality I dislike. The higher proof doesn’t really cut the sweetness of the original so much as it adds a harsher alcohol burn in the throat. If you’re planning to mix it, it’s acceptable with cola, though it then makes the drink overly sweet.

Complex. It has a butterscotch aroma that leads you to expect more sweetness than it actually delivers. To be clear, it is sweet—but nowhere near as sweet as a spiced rum. It has a thick mouthfeel. The flavor evolved as I drank it: the first sip had a bit of a tang that came across as a smoky pineapple, while subsequent sips leaned more heavily into the butterscotch notes from the aroma, without ever tasting artificial. This definitely among the best sipping rums for the price point.

A whiskey-and-licorice aroma suggests a harsher alcohol burn than what actually follows. In reality, it’s very smooth, with a balanced blend of sweetness and spice. The mouthfeel is pleasantly thick, lingering and coating the palate after each sip. I did not pick up on the cinnamon or caramel taste mentioned by others until mixing with cola, at which point it becomes very apparent.

Although this is supposedly a rebranded Bacardi, Oakheart, the two couldn’t feel more different—perhaps because my Oakheart sample came from an older, previously opened bottle, while the Spiced was from a new one. The aroma is reminiscent of red wine, with a brown sugar after-scent. It has a surprisingly thick mouthfeel for the price. Neat, it offers notes of honey and toasted marshmallow, though a slight burn remains. When mixed with cola, it tastes like a vanilla and honey-forward additive.