Goslings Black Seal Rum 70cl. ABV 40% Alcohol-Premium Dark Rum from Bermuda.

Product Information

In the glass R.L Seale’s 10 Year Old is a vibrant golden to dark brown colour with an orange tinge. It’s synonymous with Bermuda,” says Goslings Rum CEO Malcolm Gosling. Goslings is the island’s oldest business and has been a staple of Bermudian culture since it was founded by James Gosling in 1806. In actuality it ended up mostly as sipping rum and was one of the highlight flavours over Christmas as we did not have much alcohol this season.

At this stage it is worth noting that the rum in Foursquare’s considerable arsenal is not merely a more aged expression of the younger sibling (Doorly’s and Doorly’s XO aside). For those expecting a more aged version of Doorly’s you may find yourself a tiny little bit disappointed (I doubt that will last long). This rum is very different to the fruity Oloroso Sherry Cask influenced blend found in Doorly’s XO. So on with the rum. Despite my mishap with the cork, the rum still exhibits that classic fruity, floral and light bajan note when opened. When poured into the glass the rum initially strikes you as being very light almost straw like. It does exhibit a kind of whisky like appearance.

More Alternatives…

Despite being sat in the middle of a sugar cane plantation , Four Square are forced to import most of their molasses from Guyana. (The sugar cane plantation was separated from the old sugar factory, now the distillery in 1950s with production at the factory ceasing in 1987-89.) We have reviewed R.L. Seale’s Finest Barbados Rum in the past. As if Foursquare haven’t been releasing enough rum over the past couple of years Richard Seale also felt it was high time their “flagship” (you could argue the case for Doorly’s as well) rum received a bit of an update. So what we got was a red label on the bottle indicating this is now “Export Proof 46% ALC/VOL”. The previous incarnation was a not to shabby 43% ABV. Much the same as the equally iconic Mount Gay Extra Old. Mount Gay haven’t upgraded their offering to date.

Luscious aromas of treacle and butter cookie over wet oak precede a slightly musty earthiness and old leather. On the palate, dark banana, burnt sugar and butter notes turn slightly dry at mid palate leading to creamy vanilla and baking spices over big charred wood. Hints of balsamic, dark prune and leather fade slowly in the very long finish. Geographic Distribution Alcohol can be very damaging to unborn babies and detrimental to women trying to conceive. A statement emphasising this should be included and may also be complemented with a logo of a pregnant woman drinking with a red line drawn through the symbol. Our obsession has always been with crafting the finest rums possible, not the most rums,” explains E. Malcolm Gosling, seventh-generation patriarch and CEO of Goslings International Limited. “With that mantra in mind, we proudly offer Papa Seal Single Barrel Bermuda Rum — the father of all rums — to our celebrated product line. We hope that dedicated Goslings drinkers and newcomers to super premium rum will have the opportunity to enjoy this special spirit.” Goslings Papa Seal Tasting Notes These days, it’s rare to find a spirits brand that remains independent and family-owned, but Goslings is now run by the seventh generation, with five members of the eighth generation also working for the company. For Malcolm Gosling, this remains a source of pride. “Our name is on that bottle, and we’re going to do our utmost to ensure that we’re producing a quality product every time,” he says.

Disclaimer

The rums produced at Four Square are all a blend of pot and column stills. The copper pot still is topped by a small column which in turn feeds two retort chambers and two sets of coolers with the spirit emerging at just 10°C. Additional coolers in the retorts ensure reflux in all three steps of this unconventional setup. Richard had still parts fabricated in Scotland, Italy and Barbados. It’s likely that this rum has been overlooked a little recently. Obviously as a blogger I want to try and review rums that have been newly released or are getting talked about etc. Things that might interest. Even without a re-imagining of this one with a higher ABV I did feel a re-review was on the cards.