July 31, 1970 was a tough day for British sailors as the 300 year tradition of daily rum rations ended. With the market for British Royal Naval Rum drying up, remaining stocks were stored away in warehouses laying mostly undisturbed, only brought out for state functions and royal weddings.
Luckily for us, in the true entrepreneurial fashion of, “if you don’t drink it, we will,” the last consignment of this royal rum was bottled in 2010. Labeled as Black Tot Last Consignment Rum ($1,000), it’s literally a piece of liquid history, giving drinkers a glimpse into 300 years of Royal Navy Tradition. The dark mahogany spirit is remarkably complex, yielding aromas of dark fruits, chocolate and flavors of oak and tobacco. It’s less sweet than your typical rum, and with its warm, grippy mouthfeel, it plays more like a Scotch on the tongue. Clocking in at 54.3% alcohol by volume, it packs quite a punch but hides its alcoholic heat beneath deep layers of flavor.
Black Tot’s rarity makes it a pricey pour, but can you put a price on history? Of course. A bottle runs for about $1,000.
Buy Now: $1,000