Gosling's Black Seal

I'd seen this rum mentioned by various people online, however I have never seen it available locally so I decided to try it out via Amazon. I tried it as a dark and stormy, it poured nicely but the taste of rum was lost in the ginger beer and lime. I then tried it with Pepsi, but again all I could taste was the Pepsi. I plugged for it straight and it had sweetness, treacle and molasses, but in very faint quantities. Sadly I found the taste a bit too tame for my taste buds. I usually drink Watsons Trawler or Demerara Rum which have bags of strong flavours, but this was far more mellow. I'd put this a little above Lamb's Navy or OVD, both of which are available at a considerably cheaper price (at the time of purchase, I paid £23). It's not horrible, sadly I found it a rather bland rum.

folks over at gosling's were smart to trademark the dark and stormy to market their rum because this artificially flavoured rum is mediocre at best.

I’m not what you’d call a rum connoisseur as I’ve only tried a few of them, but this is one of the best so far. It goes down very smoothly and has a nice hint of caramel. I’ll definitely have this one again.

The one and only Dark 'n' Stormy rum... Pour it into a glass of ginger beer and ice, and you get a very good two-color drink

Has an appealingly rich, dark color but lacks the depth of flavors to rated above a 6/10.

There is some real value to this rum and it has formed the basis by which I judge other black rums. It has pleasant notes of cloves and caramel and it's deep flavor compliments drinks with powerful flavors like lime, ginger, Campari, and pineapple very well. It is an excellent rum for the price and would be my first choice if I was serving black rum drinks to a lot of people on a budget.

Had a great Dark N Stormy in Rum House Bar in Prague.

Very fresh taste thanks to ginger ale, and Goslings rum is the best choice for this drink.

Very lovely & sweet tasting rum. Definitely up there with high end rums.

Works well in a lot of Tiki drinks. Recommended if your going this route.

If you need something cheap for making a Dark n Stormy, this is probably the best you'll do. A couple more bucks will get you to Meyer's. I wouldn't use this for much else other than a mixer.

It might be cheap, but this is the molasses based spirit I hope for.

You know what this is good for. Yep adding it to ginger beer "Goslings Gingerbeer" But when I drank it neat, it had a good aroma, with some good flavors expanding as you drink it.

Tasting such a staple rum for the first time in a couple of decades did not trigger expectations. But this is an overall unique experience that is hard for me to compare to any other products. In general: It looks and tastes of dark treacle but is lifted by a couple of layers of fruit and barrel that makes it surprisingly refreshing and elegant for being in the middle tier of standard rums. Pleasant aftertaste too.

Nose: Medium dark treacle, simply — burnt sugar, hint of floral sugar cane and oak.

Palate: A distinct taste of treacle is refreshed by a funky bass line (baseline if you must) of fruit that suggest pot still distillation with some esters present in the mash. A mild hint of banana, citrus and pineapple that I find quite a successful balancing act up against the distinct taste of oaky treacle.

Aftertaste: Pleasant aftertaste with a slight presence of caramel and ginger that makes it easy to associate with ginger ale in a Dark and Stormy.

Good value for the money, and quite some personality you remember. This is something I will certainly sip every now and then. Not often, but all in all a rum you will come back to. Perhaps later than sooner, but you will come back.

Black as the ace of spades and very beautiful to drink, one for my cabinet

This rum serves a special place in the collection! It's the base for a Dark'N'Stormy cocktail and really can't be beaten for that. It's rotten for anything else.

I've been enjoying Black Seal for some years. As with most I first had in a Dark and Stormy, but it's so much more!

I find it's a great mixing rum to blend with other rums in exotic cocktails to create some complexity and a nice depth of rum flavor. Pleasing smooth aroma of sweet molasses and caramel, some alcohol and vanilla as well. Nice flavor of molasses with hints of vanilla and caramel. Not hot but pleasantly warm. Smooth medium finish lingers nicely. A really good rum at a price that's hard to argue with.

This is a highly recommended rum to those that enjoy experimenting with different rum blends and for trying a different rum in mixed cocktails that you've always enjoyed but that you may be looking for a little tweak to.

I also enjoy pouring a couple of ounces in a snifter and sipping neat once in a while. It's a pleasant rum with plenty of flavor to enjoy and smooth on the palate. It's not a world class sipper but it is an all around good rum that's agreeable to many uses. Not an 8 but better than a 7 in my mind, I give it a solid 7.5. Enjoy!

Consistently Good, Gosling's Black Seal Rum has been a favorite for Many years. versatile to a fault, it is used in cooking, baking, as a flavor enhancer, in cocktails or on it's own straight or 'on-the-rocks'... It' has a wonderfully aromatic and almost flowery/spice sweet smell, doesn't easily corrupt with heat and withstands the blends of additional juices and liquors to retain it's own unique signature. It's is a delight among Locals and a revelation to 'nubies'... Not quite the complexity of the Family reserve but Still a solid choice for a standard GOOD & tasty Rum.

Didn’t know what to expect, but was pleasantly surprised. Great nose full of subtle spice and vanilla. It is a bit of a thicker drink, has a somewhat syrupy texture, however the flavor makes up for it. It is sweet at the start, however the other spices quickly follow for a full, well bodied drink. Worth giving it a chance.

A must have dark rum to make the classic rum highball cocktail: the Dark & Stormy. Goslings Black Seal is in fact the only rum (by law) which can be used in a menu which offers a Dark & Stormy cocktail by name.

Hard to straight up, too spicy and too strong taste for me.
Maybe this is good for mixer, but I do not drink cocktail, sorry.

Standard dark rum used for some cocktails. Hints of strong molasses but not really any complexity or depth beyond that. Strong alcohol burn despite 80 proof. No real merits aside from mixing if necessary

A really solid rum. Not too sweet. I could drink this every day.

I bought this only to try a “ authentic dark & stormy”, and have to say I’m not disappointed.
It’s a full bodied rum that probably shines as a mixer, not only with ginger beer.
Tried it neat, lots of fruity tones, but really can’t say it’s a rum to savour by itself.
Does a job,
Cheers graham.

This rum is good but for the money I won’t buy it again.
Although there is a fair bit of depth and some complexity here It is just a bit too rough around the edges to really make me want to sip it neat and when it comes to mixing a dark and stormy i never feel like it is as good as Coruba who’s heavier licorice flavour and bitter finish really make that drink sing for me.