Gosling's Bermuda Rum

[Gillman]

This is a fine rum house that has made until recently one brand, Gosling's Black Seal. This is a rich dark rum in the old British Caribbean tradition. It comes in a 40% and a stunning (ahem) 75% abv version.

Black Seal is blended from a base of old Demerara rums but includes other types I believe and also rums made in both column and pot stills. (Demerara rum is made in Guyana along the river of the same name and is a style of dark rich flavourful rum). Black Seal has an intriguing spicy molasses-like taste. To me it has a scent too of Indian spices, like the smell in an Indian restaurant. I believe the rum is not spiced and the taste derives from sophisticated blending and maturation.

Recently the company released an amber blend, Gosling's Gold, which is its first new rum since the 1800's (also it released an extra-aged version of Black Seal which I have yet to try). The Gold Seal is extremely good. It has a superb balance and at 40% abv a rainwater-like softness and elegant finish. There is a subtle hint too of the "Indian spice" found in Black Seal. I would guess Barbados golden rum is an element but I don't know.

A fine value it is in Canada at some $24 or so.

I find rum really varies in quality even at the same price point. The Gosling rums are really good and happen to be sold for a very reasonable price.

I drink them on their own but also incorporate them in my own rum blends.

Recently I hit on the idea (for my own rum blends) of adding a touch of Charbay blood orange vodka. The orange flavour, which is natural (real juice is used in the Charbay product), marries the blending to which it is added. True, the Charbay is grape-based but that hardly matters. First, I use only a little (the Charbay is quite concentrated). Second, some of the rums in my blend are white rums which are quite neutral-tasting so a little vodka, which is neutral too, is of a piece with that.

The orange flavour is a way of marrying a blend without adding sugar or a liqueur of some kind. Cointreau or Curacao would likeky do as well but adding their own particular taste notes. I think I may bring one of my orange rum blendings to Gazebo upcoming.

Gary

[boone]

This is a fine rum house that has made until recently one brand, Gosling's Black Seal. This is a rich dark rum in the old British Caribbean tradition. It comes in a 40% and a stunning (ahem) 75% abv version.

Black Seal is blended from a base of old Demerara rums but includes other types I believe and also rums made in both column and pot stills. (Demerara rum is made in Guyana along the river of the same name and is a style of dark rich flavourful rum). Black Seal has an intriguing spicy molasses-like taste. To me it has a scent too of Indian spices, like the smell in an Indian restaurant. I believe the rum is not spiced and the taste derives from sophisticated blending and maturation.

Recently the company released an amber blend, Gosling's Gold, which is its first new rum since the 1800's (also it released an extra-aged version of Black Seal which I have yet to try). The Gold Seal is extremely good. It has a superb balance and at 40% abv a rainwater-like softness and elegant finish. There is a subtle hint too of the "Indian spice" found in Black Seal. I would guess Barbados golden rum is an element but I don't know.

A fine value it is in Canada at some $24 or so.

I find rum really varies in quality even at the same price point. The Gosling rums are really good and happen to be sold for a very reasonable price.

I drink them on their own but also incorporate them in my own rum blends.

Recently I hit on the idea (for my own rum blends) of adding a touch of Charbay blood orange vodka. The orange flavour, which is natural (real juice is used in the Charbay product), marries the blending to which it is added. True, the Charbay is grape-based but that hardly matters. First, I use only a little (the Charbay is quite concentrated). Second, some of the rums in my blend are white rums which are quite neutral-tasting so a little vodka, which is neutral too, is of a piece with that.

The orange flavour is a way of marrying a blend without adding sugar or a liqueur of some kind. Cointreau or Curacao would likeky do as well but adding their own particular taste notes. I think I may bring one of my orange rum blendings to Gazebo upcoming.

Gary

This rum is owned by "Mohawk"...We bottle all of their products :grin: :grin:

Bettye Jo

[Gillman]

Thanks for that Bettye Jo, and I wonder now too if some of the components of Gosling's rums weren't aged or married in once used HH bourbon barrels. Good to hear anyway that HH has some involvement with this product, it is very high quality.

Gary

[Gillman]

Actually, when I read the taste notes on the Gosling's web site about the Gold, they mention smoky oak notes in the rum. This suggests to me the rums which comprise the blend, or some of them, were aged in ex-bourbon barrels. It is known that bourbon distillers send barrels to many countries to age various spirits, e.g., malt whisky, rum, tequila. No doubt many such barrels go to various Caribbean destinations. In retasting the rum, I think I can detect the notes mentioned.

We often speak of rum on the board and I think, second always to bourbon and rye, it is replacing my interest in malt whisky. It may be the season since rum seems to suit warm and sometimes coolish but not very cold conditions, with exception perhaps for rich Demeraras sampled neat. In Scotland, which can be a frigid place, there was a tradition of drinking such rums. They were "landed early" to use the old terms and long aged in damp cellars in various parts of Britain. Today I think this no longer occurs (or not very much) and the rums acquire the necessary character in Guyana or the other countries which produce rum in this style.

A possibility for the Gold is that the component rums are gathered into Bermuda (I believe Gosling's does not distill itself), blended, and aged or at least married in ex-bourbon barrels in the company's warehouses. Bermuda has a coolish climate whose particular features may influence the character of the rums aged there.

Gary

[Joeluka]

I just picked up a bottle of Goslings OLD RUM and I cant wait to open it.

Gary i see your going full force into the world of rum. Good for you, I love rum and I have been picking many different bottles for a while now. I was wondering what your favorite rum at this point is. I have many different recomondations and I can send samples of anything you might want to try but not buy.

[Gillman]

Thank you Joe. Which Gosling's did you buy, the Black Seal, which is the classic in the line-up?

Gary

[Joeluka]

Thank you Joe. Which Gosling's did you buy, the Black Seal, which is the classic in the line-up?

Gary

I have all three bottles- Black Seal, Gold Seal, and the new one, simply called, Goslings OLD RUM. Its the Black Seal aged for Ten years in oak. It just hit the market a couple of months ago.

[Vange]

I can say the OLD RUM is awesome!

[Sweetmeats]

Picked up a bottle of Black Seal the other day for 13.99 at Bevmo. Went home, tried it, loved it, and ran back to get another before the sale ended. Fantastic stuff. I think I like dark rum more than stuff like Pyrate even though I really liked Pyrate.

[fredthecat]

since i can't afford many expensive drinks, i got bottles of gosling regularly. i think its one of the best value for money liquors i can get hold of

[Gillman]

I agree, a superb rum worth two or three times its cost.

Gary

[StraightBoston]

I also find rum to be an interesting (distant) second place to straight whiskey in my tasting adventures.

My wife is a big fan of dark rum and we made it a point to buy Gosling's at Gosling's during our visit to Bermuda last year. At the hotel, I discovered the Gold Seal which didn't impress, and the Old Rum, which did. Both Black Seal and a duty-free purchase of the Old Rum are now on the same shelf as my BTAC examples. In the summer we go through several bottles making dark-n-stormy's with Barritt's Bermuda Stone Ginger Beer.

(And to my taste, Pyrat already has the blood-orange taste of your blend! However, I would never call it a value-for-the-money liquor as I would the Black Seal.)

[TNbourbon]

...In the summer we go through several bottles making dark-n-stormy's with Barritt's Bermuda Stone Ginger Beer...

A new one on me, but one that intrigues. I don't have any Gosling's Black Seal -- I will remedy that post-haste, as we still have three bottles of the 151-proof at the store, with no more available from the distributor in this area -- but I'll substitute some Pusser's British Navy 95.5-proof I DO have. Alas, no Barritt's ginger beer either, but I do happen to have a bottle of Juju Ginger Beer from Left-Hand Brewing in 'Danesville' (aka, Longmont, CO), and know of a local beer-seller who keeps it stocked.

Coincidentally, I was looking for a 'bacon wine' earlier -- going to treat myself to a bacon sandwich (or two) for supper -- and don't have a sparkling sweetie on hand with which to pair. This may substitute.

[spun_cookie]

Tis not a bad rum... I keep a bottle in the caqbinet, but I find you can get "Old Monk" that is the way to go. Best rum I have ever had...

[CorvallisCracker]

I'm a fan of Gosling's Black Seal. It's much better than Myers dark, and costs about the same.

[wintermute]

I'm a huge fan of the Black Seal - especially when mixed with some nice and spicey ginger beer in a Dark 'n' Stormy - especially when it's hot out, I've got some reggae playing and I'm grilling up some jerk pork on the BBQ.

[fredthecat]

Tis not a bad rum... I keep a bottle in the caqbinet, but I find you can get "Old Monk" that is the way to go. Best rum I have ever had...

the liquor stores in ontario (where i live) have discontinued old monk before i ever got a chance to try it! i'm heartbroken as i did hear it was very good and i'm a fan of dark rum