Black Tot 5-Year

This feels a little washed down compared to how I'd imagine the original to be. It feels safer, with the distinctive characteristics of Jamaican, Guyanese and Barbadian rums cut in half.

Nice on the nose, smooth in the mouth, with a brandy like afterburn, and a long unsweetened, dry, peppery after taste.

Lacks the character I was hoping for. If you can't afford the genuine stuff, just buy Pussers.

Rum tasting with my good old buddy in Hamburg during global lockdown continued onwards with Black Tot 5y. Absolutely nothing links the spectacular black bottle Black Tot 40y with the awful yellow puke color Black Tot 5y than the name. This one has an awful glue smell and taste straight to your taste buds. Awful nasty burn at the end.

Aroma is light wooden. Taste is complex with combination of wood, earth and fruit. Aftertaste is average and a bit bitter.

I do a comparison with my lovely silver seal old navy rum.

The nose of black tot is very intensive and fruity. More intensive as Silver Seal. Silver seal has a sour apple in the nose (Hampden). Black Tot has more honey and papaya (Guyana). For me Black tot is the winner, what a surprise. Guyana and Jamaica are also clearly in the blend, the balance is good.

The taste starts light and watery, a disappointment after this rich Guyanese nose. Paper, sugar cane with sweet vanilla (reminds me of Haiti or Panama rum).
After that in the middle I get some tanins from the wood, fresh apple and vanilla, the apple is from Hampden rum (Smith&Cross like). The finish is earthy with wood and vanilla, the Hampden apple is also there.
Jamaica is in the taste but Guyana is not that dominant as I like it. The finish is quite spicy. Great nose, but it promised too much. The taste is good, especially for this price, but I don't get the heavy Guyana notes. Flavors are too bright for a navy rum, I want more molasses and honey. Would give it a good 8. Still a great rum, no doubt about it but I would prefer Pusser's Gunpowder proof.

Nose: backed apple, honey, molasses, young wood, papaya
Taste: watery, paper, sugar cane, sweet vanilla, young oak with bitter notes
Middle: apple, tanins with papaya, wood
Finish: Spice, barrel and earth, apple, white oak, paper
Aftertaste: apple (Hampden)

Sweetness: 2/5
Fruits: 3/5
Spice: 3/5
Mildness: 3/5
Complexity: 3/5
Value (34€): 4/5

Not like any other I have. Nose of mixed fruit with a little sharpness. The taste also have some kind of fruit but the best thing is the taste of licorice with a twist of pepper. I like that it is not too sweet and gives me another experience than other Rums. It is probably an 8 than a 9 but I will give it the benefits of doubts.

Navy style, close to an aged pussers. However, aged pussers is way better.

This is very good rum, I think is overpriced you might get better value from another like Pusser's Gunpowder proof.
Nose: Coffee, tobacco.
Taste: Dark Chocolate, coffee.
Prolonged flavor. Will I buy it again, probably but not in my top list.

Had high hopes for this one on just the nose alone. Actually, if rated on just the nose, I would give it a 9. Just short of phenomenal. That's where the fun ends, however. I would think, coming in at 46.2% ABV, it would have just a little more bite than the usual 40%. Uhhh, no. Not at all. This falls waaaay flat. WTF?!? I don't know what happened here but this thing has absolutely no body to it whatsoever. One of the shortest finishes I've had in a rum. Got it on sale for $48 but I'm almost regretting the purchase now. Oh well, we'll put it back it's nice little orange cylinder and move on. I should add, if not for the nose I would rate this one a 5. Live and learn.

Romhatten. 46,2%. Lys brun. Duft sødlig. Smag let sødlig, fad, vanilje. Stadig lidt upoleret, ikke lige min type.

"Navy style" blend of column and pot still rum from Barbados, Guyana and Jamaica
46,2%abv unsweetened and unchillfiltered
Nosing: Very strong distinct ripe banana note, vanilla, caramel, all quite traditional caribbean blend aromas.
Palate: Dry, caramel, vanilla, bit tannic or bitter on back palate, quite oaky, hint of banana

Ok "navy style", i appreciate the nonsugaring on this one and overall this is a decent rum but not one that i find interesting enough,
i feel like this rum could have been much more special and desirable for rum fans if only pot still rum would have been used (and from my knowledge that is what the historical navy rum was) it is bit too "light" and gentle for my palate and pricewise it cant compete with the likes of Pussers or Woods in the navy rum market.
Im just bit disappointed,
i dont know who this rum was meant for, it does have some merits that usually are of interest for rum aficionados,
no sweetening or chill filtering but in the end you have a product that is quite basic multi island blend,
it is good rum but very overpriced for 35€.
In the end i get a feeling that the Black Tot licence and branding was where the most focus was when making this product, sadly