Smith and Cross Navy Strength

The trend for rums has very much been for light, smooth, creamy, and vanilla-accented (think column-still) which also, subsequently, has little flavor. But when you're looking to mix, and you need something to punch through and integrate with tropical fruits, spices, and sweets, you reach for a rum like this. So much funk... its wonderful.
Truly excellent when used for classic punches and tiki drinks. Try it in a Jungle Bird, or blended with an aged Martinique for an original Maita'i.
The "Hogo" can be overwhelming for newbies, but to the experienced nose and palate, comes across as layers of over-ripe tropical fruits caramelized in dark sugar. I can pour it into a snifter and experience absolute euphoria for an hour just from smelling it. Highly recommended.

Meget sprit i duften med undertoner af frugt. Jeg fik tårer i øjnene, når jeg stak snuden i glasset. Har mere en smag af whisky, som jeg også kan lide, men efter en tør start kommer der en bølge af brændt banan, og der står jeg af. Jeg kan simpelthen ikke arbejde med den overmodne banan, som er karakterisk for rum-bar White overproof, som står for mig som den værste rom, jeg har smagt. Jeg kan forstå, at der er nogle som er ville med denne Smith amønd cross, for den har en fornuftig pris, og man får meget for pengene. Der er bare for meget banan til mig.

My in laws picked up a bottle for Xmas as they knew my brother and I enjoy sipping rum. I was excited to try this, but one sip and it was so bad it was practically undrinkable. So awful that we couldn't even mix it with anything without dumping it out. The high and should have been a warning g sign, or it could just be we had a bad bottle? But I will be avoiding this at all costs in the future.

As I said, remind me to šljivovica, spirit from plumbs produced and consumed in most of ex-Yugoslavia countries.
This drink is consumed fresh, without any aging, which makes it sometime too strong, like this rum is.
This rum has something else though. Some kind of plastic aftertaste in the back of the mouth. This is present in the smell too. For my taste, this shouldn’t be in any food or drink.
Something similar, but even stronger I have experienced with Laphroaig Quarter Cask whisky.
Not favorite of mine.

Not as harsh as you would expect. Good flavor with vanilla and caramel flavors.

Probably to strong for most for cautious sipping, but after a while, when the mouth gets
used to the profound numbing effect, there are some nice flavors to enjoys. I mostly get
overripe (rotten) bananas and some chocolate, so a foul banana split if you will. Still,
everything feels very organic and natural. I didn't enjoy it diluted with water or anything
else. Instead I take small sips, mix it with saliva (that instantly jumps out as protection) and stir in my mouth, before sending it down the throat. I get the feeling that it probaby removes some of my plaque in the process.

This rum is akin to adding fennel to Italian dishes, don't eat the spice, just add it! In most tiki drinks, this adds distinguishable character to the cocktail. 1/4 oz will do. Serve a drink without and with, and ask your fellow rum imbibers which way they prefer. This rum is a go-to for me, to be used in small quantities. I am rating this very special mixing rum as if it were a right arm essential ingredient to most all tiki drinks. Its higher proof also corrects low ABV if you are mixing with 80 proof rums, without jumping to the potent 151 rum float. This rum also has a England-Jamaica history most of us can relate to when drinking it in mixed form.

Smith and Cross Navy Strength rum from Jamaica at 57% alcohol is no joke. Bottle looks very nice, color is surprisingly golden for a Navy Strength rum. Smell has a huge kick to it, but the taste test is surprisingly short and straight to the point. Well done Smith and Cross.

Most for good cocktails. A little hard to drink clean .. but not impossible. Compared to price it is good.

My favourite mixing rum when bold is required. It’s bold.

There is no substitute for the funk you get in this rum, but it's a little too much for me.

Hearty & Boozy, but there's a lot of depth and character. Some smoky, earthy, and almost peaty elements - lots of bitter orange rind/peel. I personally prefer something a bit softer and more rounded for an evening sipper but this was a welcome change. I can definitely see why this is being compared to a single malt scotch.

Many of these reviews say it's indicative of a style, but that doesn't mean it tastes good. It's hard to find words for how bad this rum is, but the closest I can get is that someone left pineapple juice in the trunk of their car for a week or two until it fermented. I've tried to enjoy it in different ways: straight, on the rocks (with enough to water it down a lot), cocktails, but I haven't been able to finish any of the drinks. I have had better bottom shelf rum and wouldn't advise this for anyone. I'm giving 3 stars instead of 1 because it is a rum (not just sugary vodka) and the abv isn't apparent (although I think I'm just detracted by the foul taste)

Let me say from the start that this is my first taste of 57% proof, to me it’s the taste before the strength.
For a rum that’s so light in colour, it certainly punches above its weight. The nose is to me, very confusing. Nothing really stands out, but a lot seems to be going on.
The burn appears to be harsh, but disappears almost immediately, leaving a pleasant warmth in the throat, and a long aftertaste that seems to invite more sips.
Only tried it as yet with my normal 1 ice cube, and more than happy.
Not a every day sipper, more of a bottle to dip into now and again.
Cheers graham.

57% alcohol but it doesn't smell like it. The taste is however disappointing for me. It is not sweet. The bitterness is too much even with Sprite. I wonder if it would ruin mixes.

This is a truly amazing find. I bought it as a kind of personal dare. Find one of those high proof alcohols that only a masochist would pour down his throat. I got something completely different. I got to experience the fruity, estery aromas and flavors that come from dunder in the fermentation process. Dunder is where magical stuff happens in the rum world, but like sausage making, is something you just hear about but never look too closely into if you want to keep your lunch down. But that special blend of bacteria combines with alcohol and produces some utterly great fruit. Nothing else like it. Like a flavor bomb hitting your tongue. This is really potent stuff. If you guzzle moonshine like Jim Tom, you can certainly sip it neat, but no need to torture yourself. This will survive some ice or water, and will wonderfully add an enjoyable flavor kick to your favorite rum cocktail.

Very Jamaica in here. Good burn. Nice fruits. No Clouds man!

Mixed with Diet Coke and enjoyed the drink immensely as it came across and a touch of sweetness with a vanilla-ish twinge rack this up as another keeper. Its just hard to find very few bars carry it I found this at the bar in the Emma Hotel in San Antonio.

Strong flavors, overwhelming neat, sooo much flavor and depth. I love my Pussers but this is much more sophisticated. Just made the "Million" cocktail on the label. Outstanding!

Strong rum to drink neat however, as mentioned below, if you add a splash of water to it it tones it down a notch. Traditional Jamaican pot stilled rum with notes of pepper, molasses, vanilla, brown sugar, citrus, toabacco and oak. Good mixer though for the price, their are plenty of comparable rums out their that are less expensive.

Un Rhum très polyvalent : très sec mais assez gras, superbe pur (mais assez violent, il faut le laisser aerer ) mais surtout indispensable pour booster n'importe quel cocktails ! En grog par exemple pour les longues soirée d'hiver il est génial !

Sadly the real rum flavours are overshadowed by the overproof alcohol strength and burn from this one. No good straight, but okay as a mixer. The flavour seemed slightly whiskey-ish, if that makes sense.

Smooth with Burbon finish..great spice...loved the color...

Alkohol: 57 %
Původ: Spojené království/Jamajka
Aroma: Hodně zajímavá vůně. Klasická náplň českých rumových pralinek, ta mi tu přijde jako hlavní a nejvýraznější složka. Na svou sílu alkoholu mi přijde dost v pohodě. Je tu i trocha vůně ovocných pálenek, takový sladší Gold Cock style. Čokoláda, peckoviny, je to výrazné, krémové, pěkné. Asi 2/3 vůně jako by tvořily pralinky a třetinu Gold Cock whisky. Při delším zkoumání mi pak přišlo, jako by ta pralinková poloha místy přecházela až do lehké ředidlové vůně, ale nic negativního v tom nehledejte, opravdu zajímavá a v pohodě vůně. (86 b)
Chuť: Při prvním poválení po jazyku bych sílu 57% ani nehádal, ale to šlo jen o úplně první dojem. Po chvilce se už síla projeví. Po pralinkách ale v chuti není ani stopy, je to něco mezi grappou a slivovicí, k tomu se přidává seno, slámově bylinná dochuť, možná až do nějakého zeleného čínského čaje, ty mi vždy připomínaly spařené seno. (84 b)
Body: 85
Shrnutí: Ochutnal jsem v Pivnici U Čolka v Brně-Žabovřeskách, kde mají velmi pěknou rumovou nabídku, odhadem asi 150-170 druhů. Velmi zajímavý rum, pokud chcete zkusit něco nevšedního, dobrá volba.