First introduced to the US in 2005, Goslings Family Reserve Old Rum is the oldest release in the Goslings range. It begins with the same rum blend as the flagship Black Seal but this bottling gets further aged in oak barrels. Old Rum is intended to be a "sipping rum" served as you would a cognac or single malt scotch. Bottle presentation includes a handmade label, wax seal and a straw-filled wooden box.
How it tastes
Measured across 14 flavor axes. Tap a note to find other bottles that lead with it.
You have to be ready for this one or you’ll be disappointed. Full disclosure: almost a pure bourbon drinker when making this assessment.
Packaging is awesome and wax seal is always intriguing...cool bottle to have on your shelf! Super dark color, wide/slow legs. Smell of dates, cinnamon, spice, and oak. You can tell this will be sweet and thick.
Viscous feel. Some smoke, some spice...a bit of raisin or dark fruit, maybe some of that date, but WAYYY sweeter and way more fruitful than the whiskeys than I’m used too. Long finish that definitely has a cigar linger or a tobacco note. Good for a change of pace. Long sipper. I can appreciate it, but not my style right now.
cctbeck113.5
Nose - molasses, tobacco, leather, raisin, coconut, cardamom, overripe banana, light hogo, nutmeg, cinnamon, vanilla, boozy chocolate, whiff of smoke, low ethanol burn.
Taste - molasses, overripe banana, vanilla bean, coconut, sweet tobacco, leather, chocolate, sweet cream, cardamom, nutmeg, cinnamon, raisin, low alcohol bite, finishing long with creamy vanilla, molasses, banana, and baking spice flavors.
This is really nice. I like the Black Seal offering for mixing, but this is a solid sipper I could see myself drinking after dinner. It’s on the sweet side, but extremely balanced and understated, not at all cloying.
AAnttiRG4.0
A corking rum from the Gosling's rage. It is made using top quality black rums from Bermuda, the same as Black Seal then aged longer in ex-Bourbon Oak barrels. It is made in very small batches & is bottled as it used to be over a 100 year ago - in Champagne bottles & sealed with wax.
It has an aromatic birth with notes of caramel, vanilla, oak, dried fruit, black tea; hints of tobacco, plum & citrus; while a rich life adds notes of wood, cherries, aged fruit, spice & oily big molasses; that led to a long & mellow death with a hint of Cognac. June 2017 / August 2018
zzweird3.8
Nice long finish with a hit of vanilla's bitterness to keep the sweetness in check. Similar to Diplomatico Reserva in sweetness and smoothness, but this is punchier, though less complex. Unfortunately it's more expensive, so it's a worse value. This is more bourbon and vanilla forward -- drinks closer to a cask strength due to intensity, though still perfectly smooth.
Darker than Appleton, Plantation XO, or Zacapa 23.
DDrJ313.8
Color is dark amber with red hues. Nose is tobacco, with notes of mollases. First sip is a little thin texturally, but full of flavors: dried fruits, a rye like spice, oak, and cinnamon. Finishes with additional baking spices that linger. Overall, every enjoyable, but the dosing and price keep it from being an everyday sipper it could be.
ggreggtd3655.0
Lots of unique and unexpected flavors here, the longer it sits the better it truly gets. For sure a long sipper with a cigar or fruit forward beer pairing. I had it with Shiner Cheer at Christmas was the perfect pairing it needed, then topped off with a Drew Estate Dirty Rat.
17 more reviews were collected for
this bottle. The longest ones are shown first.
