Gosling's Black Seal

I like this, it is flavoured so not like OVD, Lambs, etc. . I drink my Rum neat and and this one just squeezed in to that category. I prefer this one to Myers and Blackwell.

This is the best rum to add mixers to giving you a wonderful dark rum flavor.

Thanks to the Gosling's Black Seal I found out that I do not like black rum. I would suggest drinking it with a mixer (i.e. ginger beer) to make it smoother.

This is kinda two-note with lots of molasses and vanilla notes. Definitely more of a mixer than a sipper, but it works well in cocktails. Not sure I would put it above Blackwell's Black Gold though.

There is no better choice for a dark and stormy. Perfect pairing many fond memories solid 7 for this cocktail stand alone, have not found great place.

Good one to have on hand for certain tiki-adjacent concoctions. I grab it when I’m temporarily unable to locate a bottle of Coruba dark. As John Prine said...
Pretty good.
Not bad.
I can’t complain.

Aroma is strong, with molasses and some esthers, the taste is semi-sweet, spicy, fruity, but not especially complex, there is a distinctive aftertaste of licorice turning towards bitter with some alcohol burn in it. This rum is just enough smooth to drink it neat, but with a rather uncomplicated taste it is not its main discipline as it is mainly a mixer. My first rating from 2020 was 7, but re-taste 04/2022 ended up with rating six, overall the aftertaste somewhat more bitter than I remember as if there was also wormwood added to the licorice component. If you like liqueurs such as Fernet, you may add a point or two.

The nose is bright with molasses and a prominent cola note; the nose could pass for a mixed rum and coke. It also has a faint note reminding me of shellac - a positive quality. The palate begins quite sweet; the mid-palate is essentially non-descript, before developing a slight cough drop note on the way out to a medium length finish. It may be great in a dark and stormy (I prefer drinking rum neat) but as a stand alone sipper, this is nothing special. It is accurate to a 5 rating - “easily consumable in a bind” - yes, but not much more.

Sweet rum packed with caramel, quite disappointing considering all he fuss over it. Only good for a dark n' stormy.

Good value rum. Smooth with initial smell of overripe bananas. Looking forward to trying it to mix a dark and stormy.