On the 31st of July 1970, a 300-year-old Royal Naval tradition ended at precisely 6 bells in the forenoon watch, when the last rum ration was issued aboard ships of the British Royal Navy; a day to be forever remembered as Black Tot Day.

Forty years on, in 2010, as a mark of respect to this wonderful tradition, Elixir Distillers launched Black Tot Last Consignment a blend of rum made up of the very last remaining stocks of Royal Navy rum that had been discovered in naval warehouses in Dartmouth and Deptford. This historic rum had sat dormant for over 30 years, only seeing the light of day on state occasions and Royal weddings.

In 2019 Elixir Distillers launched a new, accessible rum that pays homage to the history of naval rum whilst turning the style on its head. Black Tot rum is a blend of some of the finest spirits from Barbados, Guyana and Jamaica, creating a modern, versatile and multi-layered rum that appeals to rum and whisky lovers across all seas.

Black Tot combines elegant, rich flavours from Barbados and Guyana with the bold character of Jamaica. This multi-layered rum is unsweetened, un-chill filtered and bottled at 46.2% ABV for extra flavour.

Born from century-old naval traditions, this rum is created for the palate of today, for the here, for the now. A rum to be forever remembered.

Blenders Reserve 2023

For Master Blenders Reserve 2023 Master Blender, Oliver Chilton, has looked to create a blend that is closer to the original Navy rum with a heavier mouth feel and rich notes of wood smoke, espresso and cacao. As always, he has looked to put his own spin on the blend, this year including a rum from Grenada, distilled in 1993, to add depth and accentuate a rich orange oil notes from our perpetual reserve.

He began as always with rum drawn from our perpetual blend – our Master Blenders Reserve from last year. Casks were then selected from Trinidad, Barbados, Jamaica, Guyana and Grenada. A higher proportion of the Guyana component was included in this years Master Blenders Reserve, the thick liquorice and muscovado in this rum helps recreate the unique flavour profiles they exhibited over half a century ago.

These five unique country blends were then brought together and married with our perpetual reserve, layered and perfectly balanced, to bring you Master Blenders Reserve 2023.

For a full breakdown on the blend, Black Tot’s transparacy is incredible, you can find the details on their website here; https://blacktot.com/our-rums/black-tot-master-blenders-reserve-2023/

Tasting Notes

Nose: Cooked blood orange studded with cloves blends with notes of ruby port and cinnamon

Palate: Initially flavours of liquorice sticks, toffee and cherry drops create a rich and full palate with orange marmalade cutting through.

Finish: Rum and raisin toffee and chocolate notes linger in the finish with hints at cinnamon and nutmeg.