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Smith and Cross Traditional Jamaica Navy Strength rum

Smith and Cross Traditional Jamaica Navy Strength

Jamaica | Aged | 57% ABV | Pot Still Distilled

7.6/10
365 ratings
Recommendable to most
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365 Smith and Cross Traditional Jamaica Navy Strength Ratings

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Mrbubble680 🇺🇸 | 4 ratings
Posted 1 year ago

Found this by accident in a bar and asked to try neat. Loved it and got another! Wonderful flavors once you get past the sting. Would highly recommend!

Thoomas 🇸🇰 | 41 ratings
Posted 1 year ago

I tried a jamaican rum for a first time. I couldn't imagine what people talk about, when talking about hogo, high ester funky jamaican so I was curious.
The smell after opening a bottle was like a punch in the face: overripe exotic fruits and maybe glue??
The real kick came after first tasting: I would compare it to an explosion. The heat goes through your throat to stomach immediately. So many flavors that I am left confused, not knowing which I should focus on. Stays in your mouth for a looong period.
Really cool experience, this is something totally different from all other rums I already tried.
It reminds me a lot the 52% plum brandy aged 6 years we have here in Slovakia.

Robertlebruce 🇫🇷 | 25 ratings
Posted 1 year ago

Très bon rapport qualité prix pour ce rhum jamaïcain "funky".

irishsausage6 🇺🇸 | 14 ratings
Posted 11 months ago

Finally tried Smith & Cross and it did not disappoint! I was sipping this neat alongside some Lime La Croix, and well, I think I found an incredible combination. The rum is strong in all the good ways and bursts with flavors of super ripe tropical fruits along with that beautiful hogo quality. Chase it with some lime flavored la croix and the result is delicious. This is going to be great in tropical drinks, but I'll happily sip on this one too.

Tommy 🇺🇸 | 12 ratings
Posted 8 years ago

I can imagine Ahab's crew bolstering their courage with this at the approach of the great, white beast they pursue. Naval strength means if your knees are knocking while readying your harpoon, spilling your rum on the power charge, no worries - hit the cannon with the punk...she'll fire right up.

Not 'smooth'. A chain-mailed fist to the snout. Spice, orange, dark tea, molasses sugar but not burnt, the maximum security lifer whom you just got bunked with (goodbye virginity!), Pusser's on steriods....damn, this is good stuff! Add all the water you need, you can't dilute the stuff. Banana, cedar, tannins, and dried dark fruit bum-rush the palate. Toffee, pepper and a bit of salt - yeah...toffee - on the finish.

The people behind this deserve a standing ovation for daring to resurrect and bottle it, and are magicians for doing it at this price. Rum's riposte to cask strength Islay Scotch. Almost like no other rum you'll encounter.

vomi1011 🇩🇪 | 403 ratings
Posted over 3 years ago

Very good rum, better than Plantation OFTD, Eight Islands and Kill Devil Navy Strength.
The nose is great, very rich, intensive and fruity. No need to dilute it, it's perfect at 57% and still mild (this comment is not for beginners and sweet rum lovers).

The taste is not as balanced as the nose, backed apples are very intensive. I would mix some high ester Hampden inside. But it's also fruity without the high ester pineapple note and still delicious.
Very cheap btw, I paid just 25€ for the bottle of 0.7l and with 57% it has exceptionally good value. If you love strong and fruity rum, this is the best you can get for under 50€.
Would give this one 80 points.

Nose: backed apple, sweet and fruity with papaya, green banana, herbs/gras, pumpkin, caramel, honey
Taste initial: backed apple, honey, grasy notes
Taste middle: honey, some bitterness, dunder (ripe vegetables), citrus, spice
Finish: long, with spice, bitter notes and honey, backed apple again, some barrel
Aftertaste: very fruity, peppermint

Sweetness: 2.5/5
Fruity: 4/5
Spice: 2.5/5
Mildness: 3/5
Intensity: 4/5
Complexity: 4/5
Value (23€): +5/5
Experience level: professional

Experiment 1: just mixed a hint of my 9y Hampden DOK inside. I ruined the nose, got a lot of citrus but almost no pineapple, killed the grasy notes and the honey. But the taste became a beauty, much more balanced. Less dunder, more fruits.
I'm not satisfied with it. I'm going to try a <>H Hampden next time.

Experiment 2: just mixed a 17y Bristol Caroni 1998 inside. The nose bacame less fruity and dirty (earth and barrel). Still some papaya left.
The taste is again very good, the honey and dunder is still present but overall less fruity.
Not satisfied.

Experiment 3: I mixed a hint of Kill Devil Hampden C<>H 10y 64% inside. The dunder in the nose is gone, there is pineapple and citrus in the nose. Also some grasy notes and other fruits are left.
The taste is overhelmed by pineapple. The grasy notes are gone.
It's not bad, there is some malt in the aftertaste and the honey is also still in the taste. Good blend, strong and spicy. Very complex.
Better than pure Smith and Cross? Maybe, would rate it 83.

Experiment 4: Mixed with Hampden Estate 8 is the best combination. The dunder is almost gone the whole composition is the best one. It's balanced, fruity with malt in the aftertaste. Just a beautiful blend and a great Hampden. This is a 85 for me.

Johann 🇩🇪 | 3 ratings
Posted 10 months ago

Right after opening the bottle I can tell: Great smell. It is comparable to my current favorite Jamaican, the 12 years old Appleton, but more intense. You don't even need to dunk your nose into the glass, the ester smells just waft through the room when serving.

Drinking it neat, taste-wise there isn't much to it, the alcohol is very overpowering. It just leaves an oily, warm feeling on the tongue and some burn in the throat.

After diluting to 43% (using me trusty density table and assuming 20°C, no sugar added: Add 36% of water by weight), the picture looks different: On the tongue, there is a nice alcoholic sweetness and reminds of Ritter Sport Rum (esters, raisins, nuts, cocoa), very comparable to the Appleton. Unfortunately, the finish is not so nice, the harsh sharpness and slight herbal bitterness stays, which shows its young age. That is more of a nitpick, it is by no means as bad as in young Whiskies, three years in the tropics go a much longer way than three years in Scotland.

At ca. 25€ per bottle, it is a good value.

Side note: I added a dash to a glass of Coke. Harmonizes well and tastes like Coke with rum-raisins. So, I suppose it's also good in cocktails or as flavoring in liqueurs. From experience with other Coke+X combinations: The sugar is important for sweetness and as a flavor enhancer, don't try Zero/Light and then complain about the weak taste...

Josifiend 🇦🇺 | 44 ratings
Posted 10 months ago

This rum really teaches you a lesson cell by cell. Some of your taste buds are dying but you dont really mind. Funk, funk, funk, crystallised pineapple candy. How long do you think this rum ferments for... and how close can you get to it without gasping?

Slightly related: Once upon a time in the USA a bartender gave my partner and I a free shot, a 50/50. It was half Smith & Cross Rum and half Amaro Montenegro. It is the best combo of 50/50 I have ever had and highly recommend for getting the party started.

ShadowDragon 🇺🇸 | 31 ratings
Posted 10 months ago

Fantastic Jamaican overproof rum. If you like Jamaican rums, you'll love this. I think I prefer Wray and Nephew OP, but just by the tiniest margin. Both are fantastic, and I love putting this in cocktails. A little goes a long way. (Not for sipping, duh!)

rumrunner 🇺🇸 | 46 ratings
Posted 10 months ago

Everything you really want in a Jamaican rum, right? It’s extremely funky and high ester. Rotten bananas and over-ripened fruit take over after the initial sip and all of that lingers along with the ester and funk. It’s a high proof but I will say that I enjoyed sipping it once it breathed for a few minutes. Hard to rate this rum because on one hand it’s everything we all want in a true Jamaican pot still rum but it’s also the strong that makes me not rate it as high. It will overpower any cocktail if you aren’t careful and it can destroy a palate quickly if not sipped with caution. All in all I love this rum and always have it stocked in my bar but it really isn’t meant to be used for any cocktail that calls for a Jamaican rum. It gets extra points for uniqueness and giving us all what we “think” we want. Cheers!




Brand Details

Name: Traditional Jamaica Navy Strength
ABV: 57%
Type: Smith and Cross
Raw Material: Molasses
Process: Pure blend (1 distillery)
Distillation: Pot Still
Women leading Rum: No

Professional Reviews