MY STORY

Dark Rum is the only rum I will consume. I only developed a taste for rum (of any kind) again during last year’s trip to the Edinburgh Military Tattoo. There was a great group there from Bermuda and they raved about Gosling's – The Black Seal. It wasn’t until one of their officers returned to Bermuda (to escort their Premier to Scotland) did I get to taste what the rave was all about.

The night of his return, this officer withdrew a dark bottle from underneath his starched white uniform blouse with devilish grin on his face. Another Bermudan presented some ginger beer he purchased at the local Tescos. Together, these products created a wonderful mixed drink called the Dark and Stormy. Much like a Jack and Coke, you mix anywhere from 1 part alcohol to 1-4 parts soda. I found that a 1:1 ratio worked well for me, and I even ventured to drink the rum neat (the very reason I stopped drinking rum years ago!).

NOTE: Ginger beer is non-alcoholic. It is simply root beer using ginger root or crushed ginger.

THEIR STORY

GOSLING'S is a famous name in Bermuda. The family business started in 1806 after a London spirit distributor landed in Bermuda with his wares instead of making it all the way to the Virginias. Poor sailing weather graced Bermuda that year because James Gosling set up shop. Gosling continues to be the largest spirit distributor in Bermuda almost 200 years later. It also appears the Gosling's is one of the favored ingredients to most cocktails and fish/meat dishes.

Gosling's Black Seal Rum is one of a few spirits to earn the Platinum Medal at the World’s Sprit s Championship. It ranked 96 there as well as earning a 96 from Wine Enthusiast.

THE POUR

When you see a full bottle of Gosling's, the bottle is almost black and will mislead you to believe that the glass is colored. At the end of the bottle, however, the glass is actually clear; the darkness is the rum. Poured into a glass, the rum is a deep, dark amber that looks like a heavy maple syrup.

THE NOSE
The rum is the complete opposite of the spiced rums I’ve avoided like the plaque. This rum is deep, sugary, and smells of caramel. If my eyes were closed and I smelled this, I would swear this was a piece of liquored candy.

THE TASTE

Much like the nose, the black rum is sweet and slightly fruity. The caramel sweetness blends well with the herby, fruity sugars to make this drink very inviting to anyone that favors sweeter spirits. There are some spicy notes associated that make the Black Rum more balanced and not like you are drinking candies.

THE AFTERTASTE

The rum is 40«V, so you will slowly warm after consumption. The sticky sweetness will linger with you, especially if you drinking this spirit neat or with a very sweet mixer. I suggest cutting the rum slightly with ice or with ginger beer and ice like the Bermudans first demonstrated to me. The ginger beer adds to the sweetness, but the bubbly carbonation makes this quite pleasant.


CONCLUSION

Black Seal Rum will remind me of my times in Scotland (as weird as that sounds). I am glad that I was introduced to a rum that I enjoy regardless of it being a little sweet for my taste. For those of you that do not enjoy Scotch and Whiskey, perhaps this dark rum will appeal to you. Any one can enjoy Gosling's be it mixed, neat, or even added to a tropical juice blend.

I enjoyed this Black Rum very much, so much that I wrote my friend in Bermuda and he directed me to a package store in Atlanta that sells Gosling's where I can now purchase it when I have a chance to make the trip.

Recommended: Yes