Smith and Cross Navy Strength

As only my second Jamaican rum, S&C blew me away with its unstoppable ester funk and high proof burn. I foolishly sipped some straight out of the just-opened bottle and blew out my taste buds. Then I made a Mai Tai without splitting it with another rum—mistake number two. So why such a high rating? Because when properly yielded, it is masterful in cocktails. Whether blended with a lighter rum, stirred with ginger beer, or balanced with citrus, it’s a superb mixer that manages to both showcase its own unique character and also elevate its fellow ingredients. I will always keep a bottle to represent some of the best in the Jamaican style.

It's great at what it is meant for and that's in Tiki drinks. Straight? That'll take you a while.

edit- 2 years later? Well, damn if I didn't come all the way around on this one. Enjoyable with a bit of water, but I enjoy it most as an addition to fruit-based drinks.

Excellent. Just the right amount of funk. I get fresh cut wood, light fruit/sweet, some alcohol, "BBQ", and something else I can't quite identify on the nose (that is also present on the palate - pleasant, I just can't place it...). Quite smooth for the proof. Hints of cherry and definite molasses on the finish. Just a great rum for sipping and mixing, a decent value too. Recommend it.

Full of flavor (overriped fruits, rotting grass, molasses and who knows what else), fantastic nose, high voltage yet manages to be smooth and generally easily sippable.
Ain't probably a rookie anymore as I easily sipped 1/5 of the bottle "na posezení" on the first occasion. Perfect material, I have no complaints whatsoever and I consider it to be too good / waste for being just a mixer. The sweet and pleasant nose is above and beyond and the taste is just addictive as fuck. I generally prefer S-African Mhobas over Jamaican funkies but this rum is well positioned to be their serious challenger in my shelf.

Dostal jsem vzoreček od kamaráda.
Už ve vůni pro mne typická Jamajka, vůně zatuchlé trávy tam prostě je. Není naštěstí taková ta čpavková, ale taková jakási uhlazenější. Docela dobře se i přes tu chuť zatuchlé trávy pije.
Kdo má rád Jamajku mohu doporučit, za tu cenu je prostě skvělá.

Overproof with great flavor. This is my preferred Jamaican for building cocktails.

Strohgelb im Glas.
In der Nase, jo man, irie ! Alle sind gut drauf und ein wenig stoned, coole tropische Früchte, happy Karamell, lucky Wood, freundliche Blumenwiesen, chillige Haine und eine sanfte Briese vom Meer, frisch und frei.
Am Gaumen kraftvoll und aromatisch. Karamell und Holz rauchen harzige, klebrige Blumen, alles wird leichter, luftiger, farbiger und intensiver. Früchte aller Arten sind zu erleben, voran die Banane, die das Ganze dominiert. Ein einsetzender 360° Blick zeigt dir die Vielfalt der funky Aromen.
Im Abgang bleiben Karamell und Früchte lange erhalten und doch ist am Ende alles Banane.
Für einen kräftigen Planter's Punch oder andere Tiki Drinks, wer will darf auch pur. 7++
- 4cl Muster -

Straw yellow in the glass.
On the nose, yo man, irie ! Everyone's in a good mood and a little stoned, cool tropical fruits, happy caramel, lucky wood, friendly flower meadows, chill groves and a gentle breeze from the sea, fresh and free.
Powerful and aromatic on the palate. Caramel and wood smoke resinous, sticky flowers, everything becomes lighter, airier, more colorful and intense. Fruits of all kinds are experienced, led by the banana that dominates the whole. An onset 360° view shows you the variety of funky flavors.
Caramel and fruit linger long on the finish, yet it's all banana in the end.
For a strong Planter's Punch or other tiki drinks, who wants may also pure. 7++
- 4cl sample -

On it's own this tastes too strong for me. I like the funky (almost rotten) banana flavors, but only in cocktails with fruit juices. Nice color, nice smell.

It's fairly dry and it smells and tastes pretty decent. It does have a fairly medicinal flavor to it, which I'm not a fan of and it's nothing too spectacular but it's definitely a decent rum (not too harsh,) and considering it's Navy Proof (114 proof to be exact,) it's an impressive product to say the least. Technically, at that proof, it should probably taste like lighter fluid but it definitely doesn't! I'd probably say it's worth the money if you want a rum with some umph to it. While it may not be worth buying a whole bottle for the average rum drinker, I can safely say that it's worth trying if you have the opportunity to do so.

SC is one of those rums I have to be in the right mindset for. The first sip resets my palate every time.

The nose is straight heat for me. Even after sitting for a bit. But once I take a sip the heat clears. It gives way to pineapple banana spice plus a hint of caramel and butterscotch. Then a long hot finish.

An ice cube or two opens this thing up and makes it even more sipable. Once opened up this thing is straight beautiful Jamaican funk. Absolutely delicious. I’m almost exclusively a sipper but imagine this would mix nice in a cocktail. Will always have one of these on my shelf especially at the sub $30 price.