Head to Bermuda to discover the Gosling Family Reserve rum today. Gosling is first and foremost a family story that has lasted for 7 generations, based on a secret family recipe that is supposedly unchanged to this day. This Family Reserve rum (also known as Old Rum) is in fact an 'older' version of the Black Seal rum, the brand's emblem.

Price : between 60 and 70€ for a 75cl bottle (40°), or even less if you look carefully on the web.

Age : it is difficult to give an average age to this rum and Gosling will not say more... let's simply say that it is a blend of different rums from different years (the oldest would be 19 years old) aged in bourbon and whiskey barrels, and distilled in pot stills and column stills.

Beautiful presentation for this rum, delivered in its wooden case and in an opaque champagne bottle, closed by a large wax seal. Each bottle is carefully numbered, and according to Gosling there are only 9000 on the market each year. So let's skip the details about her clothes and focus more particularly on her dress!

In the glass we find a dark mahogany-colored liquid, very surprising at first, because it is really dark, even tending towards red . A heavy and oily rum, with relatively thick legs but fading quickly.

It's a sweet smell of spices that immediately dominates the nose, very pleasant, followed by a smoky woodiness tending towards notes of tobacco and roasted coffee beans . The whole gives a very warm side, the kind of smell that warms you up during a cold winter evening (or a cold evening in general). Small flights of vanilla appear here and there, and fruitiness: sometimes very ripe (grape, plum, banana) sometimes with nuts (roasted walnut). A rather complex and very pleasant nose therefore, a strong point for our friend.

The attack is very soft, slightly oily, very sweet at first (molasses and caramel), with this woody note that encompasses the flavors. The spices and fruits become more grilled, the tobacco smoked. The aromas dance and seem to come forward for a short moment (the time of a short performance) before giving way to the following ones. We imagine the scene taking place in a crowded and warm room, or more cozy at home in an armchair with a good book in hand (the dressing gown and the dog optional). We gently let ourselves go until a very refreshing menthol note appears and wakes us up from a pseudo coma. Do the test of 'chewing' the rum, the menthol effect is surprising.

The finish is moderately long and slightly intense , and therefore interesting because until now the rum has captivated us more than anything else. There are many rums that take us on a journey, please us and flatter our palates (provided you are a fan of the genre of course).

So here, to sum up, is an elegant rum where the sweetness of the spices blends lovingly with the woodiness, with just the right amount of pep in the finish. One of those sweet rums that can tire in the long run (around 10-15 gr/L of sugar…). Score: 75

To help you (and me) find your way around, regarding the notes:

90 and + : exceptional and unique rum, it is the best of the best
between 85 and 89 : highly recommended rum, with that little something that makes the difference
between 80 and 84 : recommendable rum
75-79 POINTS : above average
70-74 POINTS : in the low average
less than 70 : not very good

Review courtesy of DuRhum.com.

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