Gosling's Family Reserve Old

i really like this, but again another rum i wish had been sweetened less and presented at 90 proof. lovely treacle, caramel, and brown butter notes in nose and taste. really want this to be better, so much potential. for the price you can do a lot better. if they could fix the price or the proof, i could see this as a 9....

Fresh brew black tea with scent of think dark cacao liquer. Steamed banana leafs wrapped with fresh coconut flesh. Woody and jammy.

Woody, toasty with black tea tannin on palate. Sweetness of unripe banana with tart bite and dried fruits such as apricots follow with mild tobacco leafs.

Woody and herbicious finishing with dried raisins and pear. Pleasant and flavourful yet not too sweet.

Unique quality presentation. Deep mahogany colour. Smells of leather, tobacco and barrel. Some alcohol burn making it not too smooth. A long finish with burnt sugar and spicey flavours. $100 @ LCBO

Gosling's Family Reserve Old - good and cheap but very sweet , good for rum&coke

Very strong alcoholic aroma and burn. Fruity tones and rough alcoholic burn. Reminds me of irish whiskey.

Fruity nose and wooden barrel on the tongue, dry but smooth.

Purchased a sample from Master of Malt for about £6. Glad I purchased it to be fair don't think I'd fancy a full bottle of this. It's much much better than the standard black seal. There's treacle and heavy molasses on the nose it's a dark rum aged in charred oak I'm guessing probably ex bourbon There's definitely some raisin and other dried fruit there. This rum needs time to breathe it's a little too harsh otherwise. In the mouth it's sweet a little harsh but not overpowering its caramel and treacle, toffee with a touch of raisin all enveloped in a rich smokiness

Excellent presentation; numbered bottle, wax seal in a wooden box.
I have been a fan of Black Seal, in particular in the Bermudian favourite Dark N Stormy, for many years.
When I heard about Family Reserve I had high expectations, however the rum didn't quite live up to them.
The initial nose is far more harsh alcohol than expected.
The flavour palette is quite intense, being felt in pretty much all areas of the tongue, however I found the finish to be a bit disappointing.
Overall, still qualifies as a sipper, not a mixer, but used for occasions where the fancy presentation is more important than than the actual rum quality.

The first things that struck me was the colour, which is dark mahogany. There is little on the nose compared to most rums. I got a hint of pepper and very faint molasses.
On the tongue, I found it a little disappointing. It's not a bad rum for sure - better than average, actually - but given some of what I have read and that this is their best regular rum, I was expecting more. On the tongue, I did not find much complexity. I got mainly wood and the a stronger alcoholic warmth than usual. There is a little tobacco in there too. It's quite dry, but also very warm. - which I found was the main aftertaste.

Pretty good rum. Not great, but very nice to chill with.