Smith and Cross Traditional Jamaica Navy Strength

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!)

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.

I finally found a bottle of this at a liquor store the next town over and all I can say is holy shit was it worth the hunt! This has got to be one of the most intense-tasting rums I've ever had and I love it! Bold and bursting with flavor, it's proofy and packed with overripe fruit funkiness like a good Jamaican pot still rum should be but with the addition of caramel and baking spice notes that really bring it to the next level. It's loud character makes it a little more challenging to incorporate in most cocktails than more softly-spoken spirits, but man is it worth it. This is the rum I thought Kraken was when I was still young and dumb enough to be drinking that shit, and while the decade between then and now hasn't exactly been all fun and games, I am forever grateful that it has granted me the maturity to appreciate real flavor. 9 stars.

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...

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.

Beautiful bottle. Nice color. Tastes nice but quickly gets lost in a hot alcohol bloom you can find the flavor in.

I’m not a huge fan of Jamaican rum or Navy rum. This one is definitely in that category but still nice to sip. Seems like an excellent example.

Not real sure what to say about this one. “Funky” doesn’t begin to describe it.
I’m sure it’s good for something, I just haven’t figure out what. I can’t drink it neat, and it will absolutely ruin a glass of coke. We’ll try it in the Christmas rum balls and see how it goes.

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

Tasted April 21, 2021 at Laka Lono.
Sampled in a Daiquiri form after a quick sip, others around me must have been concerned about its strength of character?
The notes are simple: Tasty!!!!! and a smiley face.
*I promise, my notes have improved since then