Parrot Bay Coconut

Nose: Synthetic coconut flavoring. Palate: Sweetened liquid, synthetic coconut flavoring. Finish: Extremely brief. Synthetic coconut flavoring. Parrot Bay flavored rums, with coconut being the most recognized, were a sub-brand of Captain Morgan rum. I believe the company was acquired by Sazarac some time ago (and Diageo is also involved in the ownership somehow). Since then, Parrot Bay is no longer the same product, in multiple ways. You can still find Captain Morgan Parrot Bay flavored rum at the original alcohol content (45% abv for coconut, 21% for various other fruit flavors), however the labels now say “Caribbean Rum” instead of “Puerto Rican Rum”. More irritating and deceptive, however, is the range of miniatures and small bottles sold by the company. THESE ARE NOT RUM! They are white spirit derived from malt distillate and are sold at a consistent strength of 16% abv. The labels clearly state that they contain a product of the USA that is a “Malt beverage with natural flavors” (see the linked photo). Note that "natural flavors" can legally mean artificial flavoring depending on how the flavoring chemicals are produced. The labels also do not have "Captain Morgan" stated anywhere. Parrot Bay was never more than a common supermarket brand of white rum, but the flavors now are worse than even the original range, and these “beverages” contain a LOT of added sugar. These are simply low-quality liqueurs and not flavored rum, so exercise caution when buying. A friend and I were tricked by the marketing and purchased 4 of these miniatures today (coconut, pineapple, mango, and passionfruit), hoping to use them in tiki drinks as the weather warms up here. Sadly, they are all very bad, and after a quick taste for reviews, we won't be trying them again. Unless you see the name “Captain Morgan” on the label above Parrot Bay – DO NOT BUY IT! and even if you do see it... reconsider. “Poor”: 63/100 (1.25 stars)

No additions: Sugary coconut, simple syrup, goes down smoothly. Acceptable This is 21% ABV (42 Proof)