In this household, we stand for the flag, and we salute the captain! I tend to do multi-part reviews when there are multiples of basically the same rum of different ages, so I did Appleton Signature, 8, and 12 together in one review, and as soon as I take an international trip, I'll try to do a Havana Club 3, 7, and Añejo Reserva comparison. For this one, Captain Morgan original spiced and Captain Morgan 100 proof spiced are like siblings, and as for Sliced Apple— after tasting it and taking notes, I really didn't want to do a whole separate review, I wouldn't have reviewed it at all, but it made it into the photo, there's 3 Captain Morgans at the party, and 3 is just such a nice number! Review Smell It smells like gasoline and isopropyl alcohol. The alcohol smell is just intense and overwhelming. Taste If you told me that I was drinking straight Everclear, I would believe you. I don't even taste any spices, it just burns and numbs my palate. Even mixed with diet pepsi, the spices and flavor don't come through as strong as they do in the original. I know that higher ABV spiced rum can be done right— Kraken is the prime example. This one tastes a lot more neutral and a lot more "hot" than the original, though it does still have some of the same flavor. Verdict {rating}/10 (Edited from 5/10 on 12/14/25) It's not a great rum, but maybe my opinion of it is boosted by the Kirkland that I had 15 minutes ago. Either way, I give it a 5/10. Like Bacardi Superior, it's a whole lot of booze flavor and not a whole lot of rum flavor. The value proposition is a bit tough for me, because at $20, original is just scratching the start of actually decent cheap rums like Appleton, Angostura, W&N, etc. and it's not even the full 40%, whereas 100 proof, at $27, is now well in the range and even more expensive than some of these, so, I just don't get the desire to buy Captain Morgan other than pure brand recognition. If you are someone who buys Captain Morgan and are reading this review to get some ideas— what are you scared of!? I think that I'll bring a bottle of Appleton Signature to a room party and see what happens. Do you think that no one will drink it because they're unfamiliar with it, and reach for the Bacardi or Captain instead? December 14, 2025 Update: I don't know why I thought that Captain Morgan is better than bacardi when I was at this party. It's just not. I don't hate it, but literally, if I had to choose between captain morgan and bacardi, it's bacardi every time. Pushing both the original and 100 proof down to a 4/10 because they don't deserve to be above bacardi.

In this household, we stand for the flag, and we salute the captain! I tend to do multi-part reviews when there are multiples of basically the same rum of different ages, so I did Appleton Signature, 8, and 12 together in one review, and as soon as I take an international trip, I'll try to do a Havana Club 3, 7, and Añejo Reserva comparison. For this one, Captain Morgan original spiced and Captain Morgan 100 proof spiced are like siblings, and as for Sliced Apple— after tasting it and taking notes, I really didn't want to do a whole separate review, I wouldn't have reviewed it at all, but it made it into the photo, there's 3 Captain Morgans at the party, and 3 is just such a nice number! Review Smell There's a very strong smell of maple syrup. I sometimes bake, and so I have a bottle of maple syrup flavoring that I use sometimes, and the smell reminds me exactly of that substance. Taste Drinking it straight, it tastes like rum, but with extra rum. I recently reviewed Bacardi Superior and it's like rum if you cranked the rum flavor dial dial to a 2/10. This is like if you crank the rum flavor dial to 11/10, like they took rum and added rum cake flavor to it. It's also quite sweet. I do know that it's dosed to 20g/L, and I like a sweeter rum. With diet pepsi, it tastes like a nice rum and pepsi. The flavor comes through, and though it's a basic flavor, it's decent and not offputting. Verdict {rating}/10 (Edited from 6/10 on 12/14/25) I know it's fake, but it actually makes an ok rum and pepsi. It's actually the best liquor that I have tried at this party. I would maybe put it tied with Kraken, making them tied for my favorite spiced rums that I've tried so far. 6. December 14, 2025 Update: I don't know why I thought that Captain Morgan is better than bacardi when I was at this party. It's just not. I don't hate it, but literally, if I had to choose between captain morgan and bacardi, it's bacardi every time. Pushing both the original and 100 proof down to a 4/10 because they don't deserve to be above bacardi. Also Kraken is pretty awful. I'd rather drink Captain Morgan.

I was in Pittsburgh this past weekend, and it was such an insane party... not a night went by where I was sober. After leaving a friend's hotel room and heading to the elevator, I heard music thumping down the hallway. I went to check it out, and it was a complete mosh pit of a room with people dancing and drinking, and the tables were overflowing in bottles of liquor— none of which was good liquor, of course, but I saw a big ol bottle of Kirkland spiced rum on a table and thought that Kirkland couldn't steer me wrong. I associate that brand with surprisingly decent quality for the price. Also, apologies for the poor quality photos for these reviews. I took my Appleton and Angostura out for a beach photoshoot with my expensive camera and lens at the perfect time of day, meanwhile I took these photos with my smartphone at a dimly lit room party. Review Smell It smells very strongly of vanilla, followed by a rubbery smell, like the smell of a worn out rubber band. Taste Drinking it straight, it's very sweet, and I definitely sense vanilla, as well as cinnamon and maybe allspice? But it also has an off-putting aftertaste of old rubber band. It has a bitter, medicinal quality to it that I just do not like at all. With diet pepsi, it's still not great. All I ask from a cheap rum is to make a decent rum and coke, but the rubber bandy medicinal taste lingers even when mixed. After a few sips, I'm not even going to finish it because there's other liquors here to try. Verdict {rating}/10 (Edited from 6/10 on 12/14/25) This might be the worst rum I've had so far. Yes, even worse than Bumbu. And to top it off, unsurprisingly, it's not rum, but "rum with natural flavors & caramel color". My opinion of the Kirkland brand has been shattered. My disappointment is immeasurable and my day is ruined. It's a 3. December 14, 2025 Update: Not much more to add, I am just amending the score down to a 2 to reflect my new scoring system.

I was in Pittsburgh this past weekend, and it was such an insane party... not a night went by where I was sober. After leaving a friend's hotel room and heading to the elevator, I heard music thumping down the hallway. I went to check it out, and it was a complete mosh pit of a room with people dancing and drinking, and the tables were overflowing in bottles of liquor— none of which was good liquor, of course, but the kind of liquor that I grew up with. I think that Bacardí Superior is the second most consumed rum over the course of my life, after Kraken. Review Smell The smell of Bacardí Superior is unmistakable— mostly a punch in the nose of isopropyl alcohol, with a hint of what I can only describe as "rum". Taste Drinking it straight, it's the same experience of it being quite hard to sip as the alcohol comes in hot, but besides the overall neutral taste of alcohol, there is an aftertaste of the pleasant rummy flavor. Doesn't really have any particular fruity notes, it's just "rum". With diet pepsi... it's a classic rum and pepsi. I remember an old ad campaign that goes like "Bacardi and Cola: They get the job done." That's about all I have to say as well. Verdict {rating}/10 (Edited from 5/10 on 12/14/25) A few times, I've been asked why I even review these clearly inferior rums. And the answer is always— because I drink them; because everyone drinks them. And, I've mentioned before that my family doesn't really drink rum, but they buy these fancy expensive bourbons and cognacs and tequilas, and I just never liked them. Even the most basic rum is, for whatever reason, preferable for me. That being said, this is the most 5/10 that a rum can be. It sets the standard for being... standard. It's got one note, but that one note is not bad. I prefer it to almost any "flavored" rum (or maybe it should be "rum" in quotes). December 14, 2025 Update: Not much more to add, I am just amending the score down to a 4.5 to reflect my new scoring system. Bacardi Superior is basically like the litmus test, where anything worse than it is a 4/10 (sub-par) at best, and anything better is a 5/10 (good) at worst.

It can sometimes be hard to pick a rum, because there's just so many options, and there's not too many that are widely loved, quite cheap, and available in most liquor stores. I guess Appleton Estate Signature was one, because I was able to walk around my neighborhood liquor stores and find someone selling it. Angostura is another one. I mostly knew them for their bitters, but I was surprised to also find their rum, and not only was it fairly inexpensive, but also had pretty positive comments online. Review Smell I feel like a broken record saying "oak", but that's pretty much all I sense from these very aged rums. Same thing with the Appleton 12. It just smells like bourbon. Taste It basically tastes like it smells. Oaky, with notes of vanilla, and a mild bitterness to it, like a burnt caramel. In a daiquiri, I was expecting to have a similar experience to Appleton 12, where the oaky flavor overpowered the fruity lime, but that was not the case. It was actually pretty neutral when mixed. I tasted the sweet and sour of the daiquiri, and the boozyness and distinct "rummy" flavor, but otherwise the flavors of the rum didn't stand out. Verdict {rating}/10 (Edited from 6.5/10 on 12/14/25) Overall, it didn't blow me away. I am not a bourbon drinker, so the bourbon smell and flavor of the rum didn't particularly appeal to me, but I feel like it would be an ideal candidate for a rum old fashioned. The fact that it disappeared in a daiquiri sort of speaks to its neutrality, but also its versatility as an aged rum that has some character, but doesn't steal the spotlight. That said, for my personal tastes, I don't see it taking the spot away from Appleton Estate Signature as my generic aged mixing rum, unless a recipe specifically calls for a longer aged column still rum. December 14, 2025 Update: I would disagree with my past self that it's too bourbony. I think that was just because it was very dry and barrel-driven. The actual nose is very much just vanilla and the barrel, and it tastes dry, kinda harsh, and just not very complex or interesting. It's very much in the Spanish style of rums, where there's not much flavor other than the aging. It's boring, it's harsh, but it's not bad. It's a step up from bacardi, but that's about it. I'd rather have Ron Abuelo 7 over this. 5.5/10

The first time that I ever had Jamaican rum was at a room party. One of my friends, who is really into mixing cocktails, made me something with Myers's, and I was instantly in love. About 2 weeks later, I was stuck in Trudeau airport in Canada for over 24 hours due to constant delays and cancelations, and so my uncle and I went to a bar and just drank for a while. I asked if they had any Jamaican rum, and the bartender said yes— Appleton 8. I loved it, and bought myself a bottle at Duty Free. But that's just 8, and Appleton has so many options! How do I know which is the best? For one, I'm not spending $200+ per bottle, so 17, 21, and 2002 are out. I am just left with Signature, 8, and 12. I checked online, and I could find people vouching for all 3, and no one has mentioned their thoughts about all 3 side by side, so... I guess it's up to the noob! Before anything else, I notice how much darker 8 is compared to Signature, and how much darker 12 is compared to 8. Even mixed in a daiquiri, it's like a gradient. Review Smell Very bold oak smell, to the point where it dominates even over the vanilla. Taste I really did not expect it to be so different from Signature and 8 year. The dominant flavor is now oak, with no real funk to speak of, just notes of vanilla behind a mouthful of wood. It is much smoother and less hot than the 8 Year, but I'd say it's about on par with the Signature. In a daiquiri, it kind of doesn't really work for me. I just don't like my daiquiris this oaky. This one kind of makes me feel like something akin to an old fashioned might be a better drink to try a very aged rum, while a daiquiri is better for younger rums. Verdict {rating}/10 (Maintained at 6.5/10 on 2/23/26) (Edited from 7/10 on 12/12/25) It reminds me way more of an aged Spanish-style rum like a Brugal Extra Viejo than a Jamaican rum, but if that's what you're into, you might very well like this one. It's a smooth sipper, and I'd like to find another cocktail that is better suited for this rum. 7/10 December 12, 2025 Update: 12 is like 8 but just a straight upgrade. Richer, more complex, and still has just a faint bit of Jamaican funk, and has a very nice body to it. Way less harsh than 8 while maintaining its richness and complexity. I'd say it edges out Signature for sipping, but Signature is just more enjoyable in certain mixed drinks, so instead of putting it between 8 and Signature, I upgrade it to tied with Signature. 6.5/10 December 12, 2025 Update: I am very silly. Appleton 8, 12, and signature are great. All 3 are. I don't know why I underrate all of them. Bring them all up to 6.5 honestly. It's so hard because I just tried so many dominican rums, and they're all so decent, then I go to Jamaican and it's a whole different world.

The first time that I ever had Jamaican rum was at a room party. One of my friends, who is really into mixing cocktails, made me something with Myers's, and I was instantly in love. About 2 weeks later, I was stuck in Trudeau airport in Canada for over 24 hours due to constant delays and cancelations, and so my uncle and I went to a bar and just drank for a while. I asked if they had any Jamaican rum, and the bartender said yes— Appleton 8. I loved it, and bought myself a bottle at Duty Free. But that's just 8, and Appleton has so many options! How do I know which is the best? For one, I'm not spending $200+ per bottle, so 17, 21, and 2002 are out. I am just left with Signature, 8, and 12. I checked online, and I could find people vouching for all 3, and no one has mentioned their thoughts about all 3 side by side, so... I guess it's up to the noob! Before anything else, I notice how much darker 8 is compared to Signature, and how much darker 12 is compared to 8. Even mixed in a daiquiri, it's like a gradient. Review Smell 8 Year has a more muted funk compared to Signature, and a bolder vanilla scent, along with some oak. Taste 8 Year comes in hot. It's only 3% higher in alcohol, but it feels significantly hotter to drink. Signature is almost a smooth sipper compared to 8. The vanilla takes over as the main flavor profile with only a bit of the funk of Signature still present, but also having some oaky flavor as well. In a daiquiri, I would say that the flavor is basically like the Signature, except the drink is noticably hotter. It feels like a very boozy daiquiri despite having only very slightly more alcohol. Otherwise, I also don't sense any real strong flavor or funk except on the exhale. Verdict {rating}/10 (Edited from 5.5/10 on 2/23/26) (Edited from 6.5/10 on 12/12/25) Though it was my least favorite, I definitely still enjoyed it. I gladly drank it when I had it at the airport. However, it occupies a space where it doesn't beat either the Signature or the 12 at their game and instead sits between them, and so I don't find it very compelling when the other two exist. 6.5/10 December 12, 2025 Update: 8 is still slightly disappointing. It's more oaky and also richer and less bitter, but also has way less funk and is significantly harsher. There's still some, and I still do enjoy this rum, but I would just never pick it when the other Appleton options exist. 5.5/10 December 12, 2025 Update: I am very silly. Appleton 8, 12, and signature are great. All 3 are. I don't know why I underrate all of them. Bring them all up to 6.5 honestly. It's so hard because I just tried so many dominican rums, and they're all so decent, then I go to Jamaican and it's a whole different world.

The first time that I ever had Jamaican rum was at a room party. One of my friends, who is really into mixing cocktails, made me something with Myers's, and I was instantly in love. About 2 weeks later, I was stuck in Trudeau airport in Canada for over 24 hours due to constant delays and cancelations, and so my uncle and I went to a bar and just drank for a while. I asked if they had any Jamaican rum, and the bartender said yes— Appleton 8. I loved it, and bought myself a bottle at Duty Free. But that's just 8, and Appleton has so many options! How do I know which is the best? For one, I'm not spending $200+ per bottle, so 17, 21, and 2002 are out. I am just left with Signature, 8, and 12. I checked online, and I could find people vouching for all 3, and no one has mentioned their thoughts about all 3 side by side, so... I guess it's up to the noob! Before anything else, I notice how much darker 8 is compared to Signature, and how much darker 12 is compared to 8. Even mixed in a daiquiri, it's like a gradient. Review Smell Signature has that classic funky Jamaican smell to it, with maybe a bit of vanilla and overripe banana. Taste Signature has a mildly funky taste to it. It's not very strong, but definitely present and pleasant. It also has notes of vanilla, overripe banana, and just a general fruity vibe that I can't quite put my finger on. Also, I wouldn't describe it as grassy on first taste, but when I try it side by side with the 8 year, I can definitely sense a grassyness about it. In a daiquiri, it kind of disappears. It's a good daiquiri, and the lime and sweetness shine, but I really only get the funk when I exhale, and not so much when I actually drink it. Verdict {rating}/10 (Maintained at 6.5/10 on 2/23/26) (Edited from 7.5/10 on 12/12/25) It was my favorite of the bunch. It's a younger, funkier rum, it's pleasant to drink on its own or in a cocktail, and it's one of the better rums that I've had so far, though it didn't blow me away. And for the price, I think that it's a good bottle to always keep on hand. 7.5/10 December 12, 2025 Update: Signature just tastes good. It does not have really strong aged notes, but it's smooth, has a jamaican funk to it, and a bit of bitterness. Sort of low-to-mid ester. It's noticable, and it's great mixed, and while I prefer to sip 12 and 15, I wouldn't turn this down neat either. It's solid. 6.5/10 December 12, 2025 Update: I am very silly. Appleton 8, 12, and signature are great. All 3 are. I don't know why I underrate all of them. Bring them all up to 6.5 honestly. It's so hard because I just tried so many dominican rums, and they're all so decent, then I go to Jamaican and it's a whole different world.

Recently, I was at the liquor store, because my uncle asked me to pick up some bourbon, and I also knew that I was running low on kraken, so I decided to maybe pick up another rum. I didn't really know what to look for (and to some extent, I still don't), but I knew better by this point than to get bacardi, malibu, or captain morgan. And look! There's a rum with a cute bird on it! This was the first time I thought to actually look up reviews online, and to my surprise, I couldn't find anyone reviewing Parrot Bay white rum. Of course, there were reviews of their pineapple and coconut rum, but my liquor store didn't have that, nor would I buy it anyway, given my prior poor experience with lemon-flavored vodka. So, I decided to buy Parrot Bay white rum, just to give it a try. The cutie parrot compelled me. Review Smell It really doesn't have much of a smell. Very neutral, with maybe a hint of almond-vanilla. Taste It's got a bit of a harsh taste. It feels unaged, and other than alcohol, there's maybe a faint taste of almond vanilla like the aroma, but other than that, I might as well be tasting vodka. With coke zero: It doesn't add anything to the flavor. It just tastes like booze and coke. Also, I have always just tried liquors on their own and mixed with coke zero, but I had a thought that this might be an extremely noob way of trying it. So now I have a third tasting category- making a daiquiri with it. It's the perfect cocktail to let a rum shine. In a daiquiri: I mean, yeah, it just kind of disappears. I taste the lime, I taste the sweet, but the rum is so neutral, the daiquiri may as well have been made with vodka. Verdict {rating}/10 (Edited from 5/10 on 11/30/25) So, I have always been drawn to rum for one reason or another. My family would buy nice bourbon, cognac, vodka, tequila... and I would be the black sheep picking up a bottle of bacardi silver for myself at the liquor store. No one else in my family likes rum, but there was always something about it that I preferred, even a very cheap and neutral rum. I would say that this rum is everything that I have liked about bacardi and the captain, but also, everything that I want to move on from. November 30, 2025 Update: Upon re-review at a future date, I realized that I was incredibly naive with this review. It tastes like neutral spirit with a splash of malibu. The flavor is very noticeably of fake coconut added to the rum. It's actually actively bad tasting now that I notice it, and I downgrade it significantly to a 3.5

Malibu, my beloved. When I go to a room party, if they have any rum-based products at all, it's likely not Bacardi or Captain Morgan. It's likely Malibu. And, like with all room parties, there's always too much alcohol and too few mixers, and the great thing about Malibu is that it's easy to just drink it straight. I was actually surprised, when searching online, that there was only one other review for Malibu, because it's so ubiquitous, it's the only rum product in my grandma's liquor cabinet. For many, it's their gateway into the rum world. I also appreciate that, unlike Bumbu, Malibu doesn't pretend like it's a full-fledged fancy rum. Review Smell The smell is like a pleasant coconut candy. I can't even really smell the alcohol, it's more like I am smelling an almond joy. Taste It's very one-note, zero intrigue or complexity. It's just sweet and coconutty, like drinking a boozy almond joy. There's really not much to say. Verdict {rating}/10 (Edited from 5/10 on 11/30/25) Drinking it chilled, I give it a 5. It's alright. It's sweet, it's coconutty, and yeah, it's not a real rum, but it's tasty and gets me drunk. If you're reading this, wondering if you should buy it for yourself.... I wouldn't. But, I've never bought Malibu, it's just always served to me. November 30, 2025 Update: This really doesn't deserve a 5/10. It's an ok cheap mixer, and there's even some cocktails that are specifically made around it, but it really should be placed with all the other spiced rums and liqueurs, so it's a 3/10.

I bought this a month ago, and at this point, I've already decided that I am a rum fan, and I was going to a memorial day house party BBQ, so I decided to swing by a liquor store to get some rum for the party. However, I still don't really have a sense for what rums are good, except I try to avoid Bacardi, Captain Morgan, Malibu... you know, the cheap generic stuff. Unfortunately, a lot of liquor stores devote a lot of space to every liquor, except for rum; all they have for rum is... yep— Bacardi, Captain Morgan, Malibu. Except, there was one I had never seen before: Bumbu, (edit: advertised as) a rum from Barbados. I was curious. Review Smell Smells very strongly like vanilla extract Taste So, here's the thing... I have had a taste of Myers's Jamaican rum at a party last December (my first time having a Jamaican pot-still rum), and I remember thinking how curious this is. It has notes of like... a molasses, almost banana flavor. If I could describe it like an amuse bouche to funky rum, I would describe Bumbu as an abuse bouche. It tastes like a banana laffy taffy. I like a sweeter rum, and this was offensively sweet. I tried squeezing in some lime juice to make a sort of daiquiri, and the vanilla and banana flavors just didn't go well with lime. I tried mixing it with diet pepsi, and it was drinkable, but barely. I know that Malibu has a banana flavored rum, and I have never tried it, but I would imagine that it would be similar to this. Verdict {rating}/10 (Edited from 4/10 on 12/12/25) I can't say that it's undrinkable, because I really did try to make it work. But, I would literally rather have some cheap Bacardi to work with, because at least it tastes like nothing, while Bumbu has too much going on. Drinking it chilled, I give it a 4. Not pleasant. Very sweet. I could drink it, but I just really would prefer something else. Mixed with pepsi zero, it's still a 4. The flavors of Bumbu just don't go with anything. They barely go with each other, and it's just so damn sweet. December 12, 2025 Update: Not much more to add, I am just amending the score down to a 3 to reflect my new scoring system.

There's a lot of people with very sophisticated palates. Just like there's wine and coffee reviewers who will tell you that a wine or coffee has "notes of cherry with a hint of Argentinian oak ", and then you try it for yourself, and it just tastes like wine or coffee. I really only discovered my love for rum last year, and to be honest, I've only had a handful, so I would like to share my uneducated opinions on the several rums that I have tried. As soon as I turned 21, I went to the grocery store and bought myself the absolute cheapest vodka they had. It was undrinkable and I poured it out. True, I was a college student, and a year earlier I'd probably power through it because alcohol is alcohol, but now I was legal, so I went back to the store and bought something a bit more expensive, but still quite cheap: Kraken. The fact that it was overproof also added value, because it's more debauchery per drink. I bought a 1.75L bottle because it was the best value, and that bottle has followed me after every move, until today, I finally finished off the last bit on the bottom. I don't know if I was waiting for a special occasion or something, but writing a review seems as good an occasion as any. Plus, at this point, I have better drinks for "special occasions". Review Smell smells pretty strongly like vanilla extract Taste Hits you with the strong alcohol taste. The spices are bold. I can discern cinnamon, allspice, and vanilla, as well as a bitter aftertaste. There's probably a bunch of other spices in there, but I feel like I can really only strongly make out vanilla and cinnamon, and that's good enough for me. I never drank this straight anyway. Who does that? Verdict {rating}/10 Unfortunately, I don't think that I will ever purchase this again, because I won't be 21 again. This rum is cheap, it's in every store, and it gets you drunk easily, and that's what I cared about. I am using the sodafry soda rating scale for these values. Drinking it chilled, I give it a 3. It's not an easy thing to drink and it's not enjoyable. But that's also not how anyone drinks it. Mixed with pepsi zero, I give it a 5. Actually not half bad. It's like a vanilla coke. I'd never buy it; I'd never order it. But, if I go to a room party and they have the typical spread of random spirits, I would be actually excited if they had kraken and a diet cola.