E-Liquid Reviews

The Captain's Reserve

Founded in 2015 and based out of the UK, The Captain's Reserve is an E-Liquid brand produced by vapers with a background in gastronomy, flavour development and chemistry. They set sail to produce a range of E-Liquids that were both unique and mouth-watering in taste, and have grown year on year having now gained a presence in four different continents around the globe with 110 different stockists.

by Dan Willis
Oct 9, 2017

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“My crewmate, you’ve arrived! Whether it’s treasure or adventure you seek, you’ll find plenty of both with me.

The best place to start is with our selection of famous craft E-liquids.”

All of the E-Liquids produced by The Captain's Reserve are hand mixed in small batches consisting of 500-1000 bottles per lot, using fully traceable ingredients of the highest quality which are provided with individual certificates of analysis. The Captain's Reserve team work very closely with dedicated flavourists, toxicologists and risk assessors to ensure that their products are of the highest possible quality. They also have submitted their e-liquids for regular testing, and are fully compliant with TPD legislation.

The Captain's Reserve E-Liquid is now available in multipacks of 3x10ml TPD compliant bottles, mixed to an 80/20 VG/PG ratio. Nicotine strengths are available in zero, 3mg and 6mg.

Captain's Custard

This product is version two of the original Captain's Custard.

A strong creamy custard base with lashings of rich caramel and a fruity kiss of banana will leave you longing for more. It took a team of our most persuasive sea dogs and several kegs of rum to get our Captain drunk enough to share his treasured recipe. Make the Captain’s your all day vape now and discover what all the fuss was about!

I've always been a huge custard E-Liquid fan for years now, ever since my first taste of custard flavoured E-Liquid a good few years now, and to this day I still get excited about trying out new custards, so I was really keen to give this one a go! What I get from Captain's Custard is a very smooth and creamy custard, mixed with a thick caramel undertone, and a hint of banana on the exhale. I'm not normally a big fan of banana in my custard E-Liquids, but this works so incredibly well that I couldn't get enough of it!

Hornswoggle

Hornswoggle is a distinctive new addition to The Captain’s Reserve and is an earthy blend of pomegranates and cucumbers.

A truly authentic flavour that tastes true to its roots. If you are looking for something precise yet deliciously different then stop now and discover Hornswoggle today!

Now I'll admit to being a little apprehensive at the thought of giving Hornswoggle a try, as I'm not the biggest fan of pomegranate. However, this one is definitely a grower, and I found that it worked really well when I put over 60W through it! As it got warmer, the crisp cucumber really seemed to come to the fore, and it mixes with the pomegranate very well indeed. At lower wattages I found the cucumber flavour to be a little washed out, however if you fire some wattage through it you benefit from a very fruity and crisp vape!

Buccaneers Brew

Buccaneers Brew is a tropical blend of fruits designed to refresh your taste buds. The perfect ratio of Kiwi, Mango and Lime flavours are blended atop a crisp apple base to create a raw flavour that makes an ideal summer vape.

Buccaneers Brew is a very robust and fruity vape, bursting with plenty of sweetness which got my mouth watering. The crisp apple base I felt was the strongest flavour present in this blend, with the kiwi, mango and lime flavours adding even more sweetness and a slightly sour aftertaste as well. Definitely one for the fruit E-Liquid fans out there!

Jacob's Ladder

A dreamlike honey yoghurt is infused with various berries of the land before being left to mature for 45 days. Jacob’s Ladder is amongst the most acquired taste in our range and certainly not for all, however those that do make it to the top will never look back down.

One of the most complex blends in our repertoire designed for those with experienced palates.

As per the description, Jacob's Ladder is one of those E-Liquids that people are going to either love or hate. I myself struggled with it for a while, I couldn't seem to get anything out of it for almost the first 10ml that I vaped. However, when I stuck it in the Sherman RTA which had a dual fused clapton build at 0.17ohm and cranked the wattage up to 100W, I finally seemed to crack it and I very much enjoyed vaping the last 20ml that I had! What I get from Jacob's Ladder with that set up is a thick honey yoghurt flavour, with a sweet red berry background, and it's something that I would happily vape all day long. I'd recommend persisting with Jacob's Ladder, it's a complex vape that is highly enjoyable with the right atty, wattage and build!

Storm

A smooth menthol with freshly squeezed blueberries delight senses and open airways. Being a strong and clear palate cleanser makes this our choice liquid for first time vapers or for those who seek a remedy for the infamous “Vapers Tongue”.

Storm is a simple vape, but it is one that I found incredibly tasty, and it works extremely well at high wattage. There's a hint of blueberry on the inhale, which gives way to a strong mint flavour which I really enjoyed. The mint is very crisp and refreshing, and it comes with a pretty strong menthol kick as well. I can definitely attest to it's ability to clear vapers tongue, as it has done so for me on more than one occasion!

Mutiny

Smooth and creamy yoghurt topped with fresh summer berries and a sprinkling of oats. This refreshing blend claims its rightful place within any Captain’s bounty!

Mutiny is an E-Liquid that I really enjoyed, so much so that when I started on my first 10ml bottle I found that I had got through it before the day was out! I got a very thick, oaty biscuit flavour as the most dominant flavour note present with Mutiny, with a hint of yoghurt in the background and a mix of red berries. It almost reminded me of a cake style vape, and it's certainly a very good dessert styled vape!

Conclusion

I know that the whole Captain's Reserve range has pretty much undergone an entire overhaul since the TPD came into force, however the current range of The Captain's Reserve is arguably stronger than it ever has been, I had tried the pre-TPD range which I really enjoyed, however I personally feel that these new E-Liquids are of an even higher quality and more versatile.

Unlike the pre-TPD versions of The Captain's Reserve E-Liquids, which performed best when used with sub ohm resistance builds at high wattage, I found that pretty much all of the flavours found here performed exceptionally well from 30W and up even with an 80/20 VG/PG ratio. I found that the ratio used complements the flavour blends here perfectly well, providing plenty of smooth flavour and dense vapour!

Many thanks to The Captain's Reserve for sending this great range of E-Liquids in for review, these can be purchased from http://www.thecaptainsreserve.com/

Dan Willis

Reviewer at POTV

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Dan was an early adopter of vaping as a way to quit smoking and has seen and done pretty much all there is to see and do in the vaping world! From Ego batteries to mechs and from rebuildables to pods there isn't much that Dan hasn't tried.