Angel's Share Intro and Credit
Goslings Rum was founded in 1806 by James Gosling when he opened their rum shop on the King’s Parade, St. George, on the island of Bermuda. Little did he realize that his rum-blending operation would launch a brand that is now seven generations old, not to mention the oldest business on the island. The company sources rum from around the Caribbean and brings it to Bermuda, where they age, blend, and bottle their rum line. Which includes their core line of Gosling’s Black Seal and Black Seal 151 and four limited-edition bottlings. Gosling’s Spirited Seas Ocean Aged rum is created by taking aged bourbon barrels that have been aging their rums for an unspecified amount of time. Then they loaded the barrels onto a container ship and aged the rum for an additional year while the ship sailed the Atlantic back and forth from Bermuda to the United States. After the year had concluded, they blended the rum to 44% ABV and bottled it as part of their limited-edition line.
Appearance
The short-necked 750 ml bottle has dark blue, gold, and silver labels that provide basic information about the rum on the front. The back label shares some romantic marketing information about the inspiration behind the rum in a tiny gold script that is difficult to read. The plastic cap holds a synthetic cork and is secured to the bottle with a clear wrap.
The rum holds the traditional “dark” mahogany brown color of the Goslings line, which borders on opaque. In the glass, it lightens slightly but maintains the mahogany color. Swirling the liquid in the tasting glass creates a razor-thin line around the glass that slowly thickens and releases a single wave of legs down the side of the glass before evaporating, leaving behind a large band of residue.
Nose
The aroma of the rum leads with notes of caramel, sugary figs, and black cherries. As it opens, there is an interesting chocolate-hazelnut note that comes into play, followed by a dark roast Colombian coffee aroma that is punctuated by a light mineral note.
Palate
The first sip delivers an interesting swirl of caramel, peppercorn, salt, roasted walnuts and hazelnuts, and allspice. Additional sips reveal a chewy charred oak flavor that mingles and weaves with the other flavors, introducing notes of dried tobacco and molasses, forming a sweet, tannin-rich finish.
Review
There has been a great deal of hype related to rums being aged on the ocean and how the liquid in the barrels is forced to interact with the wood and draw the flavors out. There are some in the rum industry that champion the experimentation and others that think it is little more than marketing shenanigans and meaningless. Ultimately, the consumers will have their say and will decide via product sales if this method of aging was worth it.
Personally, I found the flavor profile interesting in a positive way. It was easy to see that it is a Gosling rum with all that goes with that name, but it was an interesting sipping experience. The staccato way the initial flavors hit the palate and then swirled and merged was unique. The flavors discovered throughout the tasting experience added to the depth and complexity of the rum and created an interesting puzzle of flavors to experience. I can see this rum functioning well as a dessert sipper, a cigar pairing experience, and as a cocktail ingredient in some classic cocktails. Overall, an interesting rum worthy of exploration.
