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

Product Information

The container should also indicate a recommended serving size and how many alcohol units that would contain. It should also indicate the total alcoholic units in the container. For example, a 125ml glass for wine along with the 75cl bottle of that wine. 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. This rum still stands up alongside the other Foursquare releases. If you haven’t tried a more “classic” style Foursquare such as Doorly’s 5 or 8, Rum Sixty Six or this you may wish to put one on your shopping list. I did once query the expense of producing such different bottles amongst his expressions but Richard assured me they didn’t add much to the overall costs.

Allergy declarations (See EU FIC regulations) NB Licorice is an allergen for alcoholic labelling purposes) 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.

Further Reference

Around the time Gosling made its entry in the U.S. market, the first female member of the family, seventh generation Nancy Lloyd Gosling, joined the business. Before going to college, she expressed her interest in the family business to her father, Malcolm Gosling, the company's chairman. He urged her to study accounting because the business was in need of a financial person. She then traveled to Canada where she studied accounting at Dalhousie University in Halifax. To gain seasoning she spent three years at Price Waterhouse and then went to work for the American International Insurance Co. Ltd. Offered a promotion 18 months later, she decided to make the transition to Gosling Brothers, rather than make a further commitment to American International. She started out as assistant treasurer in 1981 and over the next decade worked her way up through the ranks. In 1991 she became the firm's president and chief executive officer. She was especially aggressive in expanding the company's local offerings of beer, wine, and other spirits. Alcohol abuse can lead to a number of health issues and public policy requires advice on alcoholic drink labelling to help people understand the perils of alcohol abuse. 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 In the glass R.L Seale’s 10 Year Old is a vibrant golden to dark brown colour with an orange tinge.

Nosing reveals typical Bajan and Foursquare aroma’s. Vanilla, touches of caramel and some really well integrated notes of oak and bourbon like spice. It isn’t as “in your face” as some of the recent higher ABV releases but it is very pleasant and approachable. What does a bat have to do with a decades-old Puerto Rican rum, you might be wondering? The story begins in 1862, when Don Facundo Bacardí Massó set up Bacardi’s first distillery in Cuba. It didn’t take long for his wife, Doña Amalia Bacardi, to discover that hundreds of fruit bats, following the sweet smell of molasses, were hiding out in the distillery’s rafters.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. The key to R L Seale’s appeal is its simplicity. Much like the iconic MGXO R L Seale’s doesn’t do anything fancy. It’s a pot/column blend of rum aged in quality ex-bourbon casks for 10 years in a tropical climate. It’s beauty is in its balance and complexity rather than a huge ABV and an unusual second maturation or fancy finish. 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. In 2019, Goslings introduced its ultra-premium Papa Seal Single Barrel Rum. “It’s dramatically different from anything we’ve ever done,” said Gosling. “It allowed us the opportunity to experiment with conditioning the barrel prior to aging the rum,” which is the most he will reveal about this special process. This extremely limited expression is aged for more than 15 years in the balmy Bermuda climate, with production limited to just 12 barrels annually. Goslings is now working on some other limited-release bottlings, like a special barrel-finished rum. “It’s sleeping as we’re talking now,” says Gosling.

The labelling of your product can include many details including information about the ingredients and their sources or the brewing methods for example. As a minimum, the following information should be grouped together on the bottle label for ease of location by the consumer: Such meticulous attention to detail is reminiscent of many of the more recent Central American producers (think Dictador or La Hechicera). However, such presentation is nothing new to Foursquare. They have been presenting rum in such a way that it practically jumps of the shelf at you for years. Traditional Terms of production such as Reserva, Grand Reserva or Chateau may be used to indicate the production method. I’ve not even looked at my original review of this rum. My past bottles of R.L Seale’s are long gone. I’m actually quite keen to see how this stands up alongside some of the bottlings put out by Foursquare and Foursquare/Velier over the past couple of years. One of my peevs is that many of those that attempted to hoard and bottle flip the Velier Foursquare releases probably haven’t even tried this rum. Still I must stop grumbling about that…….

Additional Details

What’s that? Is usually the refrain I hear from my less rum orientated visitors (most people to be honest, unfortunately). My reply is that it is a bottle of fine Bajan Rum is often met with a rather dismissive shake of the head. Barrel 1 will be distributed in Bermuda. Barrel 2 will go to Total Wine in Florida. Barrel 3 goes to ABC Wine & Spirits in Florida. Barrel 4 is for Crown Wine and Spirits in Florida. Barrel 5 is reserved for NH Liquor & Wine Outlets in New Hampshire. Barrel 6 goes to Blanchards Wines & Spirits in Massachusetts. Barrel 7 is for Total Wine and Spec’s in Texas. Barrel 9 goes to Bourbon Street Wine and Spirits, Phillipsburg, NJ. Barrel 10 will be sent to various retailers in New York State. Barrel 11 goes to PLCB Fine Wine and Good Spirits in Pennsylvania. Barrel 12 is reserved for Wally’s in Los Angeles, CA. The final destination of Barrel 8 is yet to be determined. The Goslings Legacy Goslings Rums, imported and distributed by Castle Brands, are available in all 50 states as well as North American and European Duty Free, the Caribbean, Canada, Australia, and most European markets. Moving on to the sip the rum is slightly drier than the nose might suggest. I don’t know if my palate has changed since I last tried this rum or it has become slightly fruitier but it isn’t quite as “oaked” and dry as I recall though. R.L. Seale’s Finest Barbados Rum. Perhaps the most iconic and historically the most recognised product from the Foursquare Distillery. Especially amongst its longer aged rums.