(Review) Goslings Family Reserve Old Rum 80 proof

Mystique: 1-10 points
Score: 10 Wow! wood box with straw, wax dipped, numbered bottle

Color: 1-10 points
Score: 10 Jewel Like, amber, shimmering

Scent: 1-10 points
Score: 9 vanilla, oak, molasses, hint of citrus

Initial impression: 1-10 points
Score: 10 impressive, smells intoxicating

Mouthfeel: 1-10 points
Score: 9 tingly on the tongue, slightly oily

Taste: 1-10 x 4 points
Score: 40 smooth, tart, oily, big molasses, no burn

Raw Score: 89 points

Bonus: Value 1-10 points
Score: 6 $65 a bottle, spendy, received as a gift

Total Score: 95 points

Here's some booty for you. It comes packed in a box that looks like Indiana Jones himself absconded with it from that fabled secret warehouse. Rum that's kept under glass, well Plexiglas. A flat black bottle, sealed with wax, that's apparently hand numbered. Marketing gimmick aside, this Rum deserves it's special treatment. Goslings has been making high quality Bermuda Rum since 1860. According to their website they have had their base store in Bermuda for 157 years and this Rum is proof that they know what they're doing (Not that Black Seal wasn't enough). It's sipping rum, like fine bourbon or scotch. Please don't mix it in a cocktail. Unwinding with a little on the rocks is all you need. The flavor is smooth and complex, it's got those nuances that you can tell it's carefully crafted. A tingle on the tongue, smokey molasses, with a hint of spice, oak and citrus. Balance is the word that comes to mind and the quality of flavor doesn't make me think of pirates like rum usually does, but perhaps a formal dinner at the governor's mansion. There's nothing rough and tumble about this. It's refined and almost proper. It makes me want to do this I must admit Gosling's Black Seal is my favorite rum and this seems to be the ultimate it could become if cared for and aged to completion.

I received it as a gift and as a gift it fits the bill perfectly. It has great presentation factor and most people have not tasted rum this good. It will be a new experience for most, and I must thank my friend Dave again for a present I probably wouldn't buy for myself.