Aroma visualization from community tastings
Clarendon Captain Morgan Black Label
Anyone who thinks they know Captain Morgan should meet this old Clarendon bottling — a world away from the current lineup. Expect dirty ester funk, lacquer and rubber over dark molasses, wood and creeping smoke, with a chemical, faintly bitter edge on the palate. At 73% it drinks warmer but stays surprisingly tame. Most tasters reach for it as a high-proof mixer, not a neat pour.
The community says- Dirty ester funk
- Smoke and molasses
- Chemical bitter edge
View price history
+10Shopping safely on RumX Returns & cancellation
- Secure payment. You pay via RumX with PayPal, Klarna or card. Your payment data is encrypted and we never store your full card details.
- Clear seller. Sold and shipped directly by the partner shop. And you're never on your own: RumX handles support and communication with the shop, so you always get excellent service, whichever shop you order from.
- Honest shop ratings. The stars show your service experience with the shop, not the rum score. They come from RumX users, and critical ones stay visible.
- Returns & cancellation. Your purchase contract is with the shop, so returns and cancellations run through them under their own policy and your statutory rights. If anything goes wrong, RumX helps you sort it out.
The look inside the bottle
How does Clarendon Captain Morgan Black Label taste?
Aggregated from 21 community reviews.
Dirty, smoky vintage Jamaican — a high-proof mixer A vintage Jamaican that shocks people who expect cheap Captain Morgan. Loved for its dirty ester-and-smoke character, though the palate turns hot and chemical — many keep it for mixing.
Fans of dirty, high-proof Jamaican funk and vintage bottlings
Anyone expecting a smooth neat sipper or a modern Captain Morgan
How the community classifies this rum. Each category takes you to similar rums.
10 of 21 left detailed tasting impressions · Click an aroma to explore similar rums
How is Clarendon Captain Morgan Black Label rated?
RumX’s 0–10 scale is strict: 7.8 sits in the “Good” band. 85% of tasters rate it Good or better; only 0% rate it below average. See the full rating guide →
Live auctions
Current bids for this rum at Europe's leading auction houses.
Community voices
What does the community say?
62% rate it between 6 and 8. 12 selected write-ups from 21 community ratings. You can view the complete list in our app.
Review by Oliver
Most helpful positive review
Wow, what a rum. Maggi seasoning dominates. Extremely intense, full-bodied, and quite powerful. Really enjoyable!
Review by Mirco
Most helpful mixed review
Sehr kräftiger, ungewöhnlicher Captain Morgan mit Clarendon Basis. In der Nase dunkle Melasse, etwas Rauch, Gewürze und eine leicht schmutzige Note. Am Gaumen intensiv und würzig mit Holz, Karamell und einer herben, leicht bitteren Kante. Trotz der hohen Stärke wirkt das Profil etwas roh und wenig ausbalanciert. Interessant, aber eher speziell und nicht wirklich rund.
Review by Thunderbird
A Clarendon of the strong, dark and spicy kind. The 73% are of course clearly noticeable, but can still be tamed! For me, the intense roastiness on the palate is clearly too high and therefore not recommended on its own. In a cocktail, however, it could certainly make a good part
Review by DomM
Intense with spices and burnt caramel on the nose. It is less alcoholic than expected with reasonable complexity on the nose eventhuogh this is clearly coloured. A bit hot on the the palate but also much better than your contemporary standard bottles you get nowadays. Actually not tooo bad.
Review by zabo
Franconian Tasting Gang on 02.03.2024. Once again, a big thank you to Tobi for making this rarity from Grandpa's cellar available for sharing. A Captain Morgan as it once was, but unfortunately no longer is. Not to be compared with the current bottlings. Not the best on its own, but definitely a good experience as a mixer.
Review by Serge
So not really my thing, but really much better than anything associated with Captain Morgan. Caramel from the coloring, cola, citrus and with a bit of wood. Not for drinking straight, but great as a high proof mixer or as a historical shelf item.
Review by DosenZorn
Tolle Nase, merkliche Ester. Bei 73% nimmt man natürlich auch den Alkohol wahr. Dazu nussig würzig. Nicht die miese Qualität, die ich unter diesem Markennamen erwartet hätte. Leider fällt die Qualität am Gaumen dann doch spürbar ab. Kaum noch Frucht, stattdessen irgendwie künstlich/chemische bitternoten gepaart mit gut dosiertem Fasseinfluss. Für die Qualität die man mit diesem Namen verbindet einfach wahnsinnig gut. Im Spektrum guter Jamaikanischer Rums Mittelmaß.
Review by Kevin Sorensen 🇩🇰
11.02.2019 Enjoying some samples at home. Colour Very dark in colour. Nose Wood, faint smoke, molasses, light vegetal, pineapple, spice, light caramel, light banana. Palate Warm, medium intense, wood, fruits, banana, molasses, lightly dry, light caramel, faint coffee, faint anise. Finish Long and warm, wood, faint smoke, fruits, light pineapple, faint coffee, light anise. Very good in a Rum'n'Coke.
Review by Mopar Rules
first of all, thanks to Zabo and the FTG for this sample. Assumably a vintage bottling. Quite interesting how good standard rums must have been before the hype around rum started and average rum were bottled at overpriced conditions. Typical Jamaica notes, rotten fruits, a very balanced sweetness and a subtle influence of the wood. A surprisingly good rum!
Review by Joël
Cool den endlich zu haben, habe schon länger immer mal wieder danach geschaut. Von Captain Morgan gibts ja Fusel der untersten Schublade. Dieser hier ist ganz anders, wurde früher wahrscheinlich zu 99% als Mixer oder zum Backen verwendet. Man würde auf 60-65% tippen, aber nicht auf die 73% die drauf stehen. Etwas Clarendon Pfirsich aber mit ganz viel Holz.
Review by Buddudharma
Found a closed bottle from the 70s or 80s in my grandfather's cabinet. The rum is surprisingly good, lots of esters, good barrel influence, alcohol very well integrated. Wonderful to drink straight, but also great in a cocktail. The only downside is the rather short finish, which in my opinion also has a slight off-note.
Review by Daniel
Nose: alcoholic and high esters, definitely Jamaican, although the "dirty" varnish and gum notes predominate. Palate: sour attack, slightly tingly before the pleasant warmth of the alcohol conquers the mouth. Incredibly mild at 73%. Seeks its equal. Varnish and rubber here too, as well as wood. Then the smoke gradually joins in until it finally dominates the action on the finish.Verdict: An incredibly harmonious and mild, in my opinion, "Continental Flavoured" rum that shows its dirty side. Great cinema.
No reviews match this filter.
Expert reviews
Reviews from RumX's blog partners, independent experts who have tasted, evaluated, and described this rum..
Expert review by The Fat Rum Pirate
Read full review →Quite pleasantly surprised by this its not at all bad. Shame really, that this kind of rum gets discontinued. Yet, the Captain prefers trotting out Jack O'Blast and Tiki Mango and Pineapple. Though I do suspect this bottling had more in common with the Jamaica only offering mentioned earlier.
Details about Clarendon Captain Morgan Black Label
A rum from Jamaica, distilled by Clarendon, at 73%.
Community purchases
35 bottles logged by 16 collectors.
A drinker & collector.
22% opened, 3 emptied and repurchased.
What did the community pay for Clarendon Captain Morgan Black Label?
Community paid 95–104 €.
What members actually paid for their bottles. A typical range, not the current shop price. Full price & collection history in RX+ →
35 purchased · 21 tasted · 8 wishlist · as of
About the Clarendon distillery
The Clarendon distillery is located in Jamaica. Rums from Clarendon have been reviewed 5,769 times with an average of 8.2/10.
To Clarendon →You may also enjoy
Rum enthusiasts who like this rum have also given the following rums high ratings:
Flensburg Rum Company HDGDL Very High Ester 2019
Flensburg Rum Company HDGDL Very High Ester 2019Wild young Jamaican funk, best in cocktails
Captain Morgan Black Label Jamaica Rum (Old Version)
Captain Morgan Black Label Jamaica Rum (Old Version)Simple, sweet cola companion
Clarendon RA Jamaica Rum JMM 2007
Clarendon RA Jamaica Rum JMM 2007Hot, peppery, ester-driven cask-strength Jamaican
The Bottle Shop RUM Barbados 2016
The Bottle Shop RUM Barbados 2016Coconut-forward Barbados, best in cocktails
Perola Seven Keys Falernum
Perola Seven Keys FalernumHampden Flensburg Rum Company Jamaica Single Cask Rum HLCF
Hampden Flensburg Rum Company Jamaica Single Cask Rum HLCFSweet PX-sherry Hampden, funk takes a back seat
Never miss a price drop.
Set a target price in the app, and we'll let you know as soon as the rum becomes available at that price from one of our partner stores. This works for any rum on your wish list.
Oliver · FounderBy rum lovers, for rum lovers
I'm Oliver, and RumX began in 2018 as a small passion project in Stuttgart, back then under the name Rum Tasting Notes.
What began as my digital tasting diary is now the world's most comprehensive platform for rum fans, today carried by a small team with Jakob, Lukas and Katharina, with Robert supporting us as a freelancer. We combine the collective intelligence of our community with an integrated marketplace, so you can choose with confidence, without paperwork, detours, or expert jargon.
Oliver, Stuttgart
About RumX →
