Navy Island XO Reserve

It deserve better rating than here. It is typical Jamaican rum with no added sugar so it is very dry. On the nose its suprisingly sweet with flavours of banana, caramel and wood. Taste is very dry with hints of vanilla, tropical fruit and oak. Really strong bourbon finish. It is better to leave it couple of minutes in glass.

This Navy Island has a very nice golden color. At first smell I was like 'omg what a crap'. But I gave it a chance to develop its flavours. It needs to breathe and then you get the apple and pear notes with a light sweetness. Same procedure for the taste. Give this rum its time to develop its flavours and you won't be disappointed. Not my favourite but definitely a very interesting rum. Tip: add a few drops of water to it

Can taste nothing but alchoal, i bought it purely because i liked the bottle ,its one up from a $5 bottle at a discount store.

On the nose: sweet, fermented tropical fruits (banana, mango, pineapple), some spices (cinnamon), a hint of oak, some rubber.

On the palate: overripe fruits, sugar cane, spices, some oak with tannins, slightly bitter, some plum.

In the finish: some oak with dark chocolate and sugar cane, some bitter, tannins.

In der Nase: süß, vergorene tropische Früchte (Banane, Mango, Ananas), etwas Gewürze (Zimt), ein Hauch Eiche, etwas Gummi. Am Gaumen: überreife Früchte, Zuckerrohr, Gewürze, etwas Eiche mit Tanninen, leicht bitter, etwas Pflaume. Im Abgang: etwas Eiche mit dunkler Schokolade sowie Zuckerrohr, etwas bitter, Tannine.

Aroma is not strong, but nice and gentle. Taste is mix of typical wild high ester jamaican rum with sweet fruity tones, whixh is surprise, because there is no added sugar. Aftertaste is average, but again with nice fruity sweet tones.

Gut Voldemar+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

If you love natural Jamaica rums, go for it. I think it's cheap and good for the money.
There are not that much esters and it could be more complex.
It's not watery but it should have more fruit aromas in my opinion.
Maybe the dilution to 40% was not a good decision.
If you have more budged, go for Hampden Estate 8y Jamaica rum.

Smell: citrus, some ester, fermented fruits, some vanilla, oak
Taste: little bit sweet, oily, some vanilla, spice, some bitternes (oak)
Finish: middle long, citrus and bitterness (I would enjoy more fruits)

Casks: ex Bourbon casks (white oak)
Style: English, blend, pot still

Sweetness: 1.5/5
Spice: 3/5
Fruit: 3.5/5
Mildness: 3/5
Value (30€): 2.5/5

Looking to try something different I thought I would buy a bottle of Navy Island XO Reserve rum from local liquor store. In spite of the unflattering reviews on this rum I realized that I ought to find out for myself as I have come across bad reviews in the past for rums that I find delicious. The deciding factor in purchasing this rum was that everybody agreed that it was a dry rum and being from Jamaica it contains no added sugar.

I let the rum sit in my glass for 15 minutes before evaluating it. The nose reminded me of a blend of Appleton 12 yr rum and Pusser British Navy rum. First sip confirmed that it is similar to a lighter version of Appleton 12 yr rum and I liked it right away.

Nice find.

Passt super in Pina Colada mit seinen feinen Jamaica noten.
Macht aber auch pur im Glas einen guten Eindruck.

Rum tasting with my buddy in Tampere continued with Navy Island XO Rum. Very nice old school bottle and label design. Light golden color. Plenty of glue, rubber and funk to your nose and palate when neat sipped. Harsh burn at the end.