If you are having a hard time deciding between Captain Morgan Original Spiced and Bacardi Select you are not alone. Both of these rums are great and would easily win you over on taste, texture, and alcohol content. But the truth is that there can really be no single best between the two.
Taste is in the tongue of the drinker, and while it may be true that there is a more popular choice, you really need to try both to better decide which is really best. This article will try to dig deeper into the details of each and what others have to say about them, just to give you an idea of how these two are generally judged. Maybe the information here can already point you to a personal favorite.
General Impressions
To better understand these two products, a short, in-depth description of each is provided here. These points will be used for general impressions of the featured rums. This is an attempt to help you understand how each is made as described by its makers.
Bacardi Select is a medium-bodied black rum. Blended by the Maestros de Ron Bacardi, it is expertly flavored in heavily charred oak barrels. This gives it its unique taste. This is then shaped through charcoal. The blend is considered to be very secret. This “secret” makes this rum one of the best in the world. Aged for 4 years, this has a slightly darker color than gold rum, but with a stronger flavor. This is one of the best rums for cooking. But its popularity is mainly for mixed drinks.
Experts have graded Bacardi Select at around 4.4–4.5 stars on a 5-star scale. The Beverage Testing Institute described it as having a distinct aroma of salty and buttered roasted nuts that are also complemented with chocolate raisins and have a fruity but dry body. It has a mineral and pepper finish with a tinge of creamy flan. On the other hand, Wine Enthusiast Magazine describes Bacardi Select as having a sweet toffee and hazelnut aroma. The alcohol presence can be perceived well by the palate, but this is overpowered by its coconut and cinnamon taste. The rum is best matched with Coca Cola, the tipple of choice of many.
Captain Morgan Original Spiced, on the other hand, is a smooth, medium-bodied rum that derives its taste from a blend of secret Caribbean spices and natural flavors that make it loved by many. It is charred in white oak barrels, resulting in a rich, distinct taste. The rum is best enjoyed with cola as it enhances the flavor of the spices in the liquor. This Captain Morgan rum is based on gold rum with spices such as cinnamon, absinthe, pepper, rosemary, and caramel to achieve its celebrated blend. This also gives it a zesty flavor thanks to its authentic processing.
Experts grade Captain Morgan’s Original Spiced Rum at 4.5 out of 5 stars. Wine Enthusiast Magazine describes the rum as having an undeniable vanilla scent that is further enhanced by flavors of clove and allspice accents. This makes this rum also perfect for cooking. Its distinct flavor adds more body to any dish you cook with it.
The Key Comparisons
Bacardi Select is rated 90 by an online spirit site, compared to the 70 rating of Captain Morgan Original Spiced. Captain Morgan is priced higher at $25, with an average cost per shot of $1.58. Bacardi Select, on the other hand, typically retails for $10.99–$19.99 with a cost per shot determined at $0.83.
Bacardi won gold in the 2010 Rum XP tasting competition and also bagged silver in the 2005 San Francisco World Spirits Competition. This is a testament to its successful run in the world of spirits. But the Captain Morgan Original Spiced also had a share of similar success. It got a silver in the 2003 San Francisco World Spirits Competition and bronzes in the 2004 and 2005 San Francisco World Spirits Competition.
Bacardi Select has a 40% alcohol by volume rating, while Captain Morgan Original Spiced has a 35% ABV.
Rum drinkers have common descriptions of these two. Bacardi Select is described as a generally good dark rum with a smooth taste that could be enjoyed with or without cola. It has a more complex taste and goes down burning, just what most people would want a liquor to do.
Captain Morgan Original Spiced, on the other hand, is described as having that winning flavor, a distinct touch of vanilla that can be enjoyed thru the palate and nose. The vanilla flavor is naturally part of this rum experience that with a can of coke can easily pass as a simple vanilla drink except for the fact that it gets you tipsy fast, which, of course, is not a bad thing at all.
