Review: Gosling's Black Seal Rum

Gosling's might be a bit of a regional thing. I had never even heard of it until I moved out to Boston, but it's everywhere here. And that's not a bad thing - it's a very respectable rum. It's one of the two ingredients in a perfect Dark and Stormy cocktail (the other being Barrett's - not Gosling's - ginger beer). If you haven't tried one, get on it! And it's not bad on its own either.

Gosling's bills itself as a black rum, but it pours out closer to a dark maroon. The aroma is, well, rummy, with molasses, spices, and quite a bit of alcohol bite. The alcohol, however, is thankfully much more muted on the palate. It's a very sweet rum, but with a reasonable degree of complexity - molasses, caramel, ginger, cloves, nutmeg, and other spices. It's a bit thin on mouthfeel, but it's still not half bad to sip on neat.

It's nothing earth-shattering, but Gosling's is very solid. It works well on its own, and it's a must-have for making Dark and Stormies. And, for the price, it can't be beat.

Price: ~$15

Value: 19/20
Overall Quality: 16/20