Black Tot | Black Tot Master Blender's Reserve 2023

54.5% ABV

For Master Blender’s Reserve 2023 our 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 Blender’s 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 year’s Master Blender’s 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 Blender’s Reserve 2023.

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Tasting Notes

From The Producer

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.

Recipe

Black Tot Master Blender's Reserve is inspired by the philosophy or Royal Navy rum blending. The 2023 release, like its predecessors, displays a wonderful range of origins - from Guyana, Trinidad, Jamaica, Barbados, Grenada and our 'perpetual blend' element of last year's 2022 release and some original British Royal Navy rum.

Guyana Blend - 31.5%

Guyana historically has been one of the world’s leading producers of molasses and rum, and it was undoubtedly the heart of the Navy Rum blend. Despite the consolidation of its many distilleries, Guyana’s historic stills have survived and continue to make a variety of rich and flavourful rum marques at Demerara Distillers. The below breakdown of our Guyana component comprises 31.5% of the final Master Blender’s Reserve 2023 rum blend.
- 4.2% 19 YEAR OLD
  
  TROPICAL AGEING: N/A, CONTINENTAL AGEING: 19. DEMERARA DISTILLERS - POT STILL.
- 1.7% 21 YEAR OLD
  
  TROPICAL AGEING: 1, CONTINENTAL AGEING: 20. DEMERARA DISTILLERS - WOODEN POT STILL
- 4.9% 19 YEAR OLD
  
  TROPICAL AGEING: 2 CONTINENTAL AGEING: 17. DEMERARA DISTILLERS - COLUMN STILL.
- 3.3% 20 YEAR OLD
  
  TROPICAL AGEING: 1 CONTINENTAL AGEING: 19. DEMERARA DISTILLERS - WOODEN POT STILL
- 9.7% 31 YEAR OLD
  
  TROPICAL AGEING: N/A, CONTINENTAL AGEING: 31. DEMERARA DISTILLERS - COLUMN STILL
- 7.7% 8 YEAR OLD
  
  TROPICAL AGEING: 5, CONTINENTAL AGEING: 3. DEMERARA DISTILLERS - POT/COLUMN STILL
Barbados Blend - 18.3%

The birthplace of molasses rum in the Caribbean. Barbados is famous for elegant and balanced blends of pot & column still rum, with notes of tropical fruits, vanilla, and coconut. The below breakdown of our Barbados component comprises 18.3% of the final Master Blender’s Reserve 2023 rum blend.
- 2.0% 27 YEAR OLD
  
  TROPICAL AGEING: 3, CONTINENTAL AGEING: 24. WEST INDIES RUM DISTILLERY - POT/COLUMNN STILL.
- 2.5% N/A
  
  BARBADOS MASTER BLENDER’S RESERVE BLEND 2022. POT/COLUMNN STILL.
- 4.6% 16 YEAR OLD
  
  TROPICAL AGEING: 14, CONTINENTAL AGEING: 2. FOURSQUARE, POT/COLUMNN STILL.
- 9.2% 8 YEAR OLD
  
  TROPICAL AGEING: 5, CONTINENTAL AGEING: 3. FOURSQUARE, POT/COLUMNN STILL.
Jamaica Blend - 9%

Classically a heavier style pot-still rum, Jamaican distilleries like Hampden utilise longer fermentation times, as well as wild yeast strains, and the addition of dunder and muck pits in their molasses ferment to create distinctively big, funky flavours. The below breakdown of our Jamaica component comprises 9% of the final Master Blender’s Reserve 2023 rum blend.
- 3.5% N/A
  
  JAMAICAN MASTER BLENDER’S RESERVE 2022 BLEND. POT STILL.
- 5.5% 6 YEAR OLD
  
  TROPICAL AGEING: 3, CONTINENTAL AGEING: 3. WORTHY PARK, POT STILL.
Trinidad Blend - 19%

Trinidad’s most famous rums have all developed out of distilleries founded in the 1900s, most notably Caroni and Trinidad Distillers. The former made a heavier style column still rum (no longer in operation), and was a core component of the original Navy Rum blend - while the latter is a lighter, cleaner style, and is responsible for continuing the heritage of Trinidad rum today. The below breakdown of our Trinidad component comprises 19% of the final Master Blender’s Reserve 2023 rum blend.
- 2.7% N/A
  
  TRINIDAD MASTER BLENDER’S RESERVE 2022 BLEND - COLUMN STILL
- 4.4% 16 YEAR OLD
  
  TROPICAL AGEING: 7, CONTINENTAL AGEING: 9. TRINIDAD DISTILLERS, COLUMN STILL.
- 4.3% 15 YEAR OLD
  
  TROPICAL AGEING: 8, CONTINENTAL AGEING: 7. TEN CANE, COLUMN STILL.
- 7.6% 14 YEAR OLD
  
  TROPICAL AGEING: 10, CONTINENTAL AGEING: 4. TRINIDAD DISTILLERS, COLUMN STILL.
Grenada Blend - 2.7%

This year for the first time we have included a rum from Grenada, distilled in 1993, to add depth and accentuate a rich orange oil notes from our perpetual reserve. The below breakdown of our Grenada component comprises 2.7% of the final Master Blender’s Reserve 2023 rum blend.
- 2.7% 28 YEAR OLD
  
  TROPICAL AGEING: 15, CONTINENTAL AGEING: 13. UNKNOWN COLUMN STILL
Perpetual Blend -19.5%

Each year, we keep aside a proportion of our previous year’s limited edition Master Blender’s Reserve blend to use as a base for our next year’s Master Blender’s Reserve. As such, the 2023 release has a proportion of a ‘perpetual reserve’ comprising our 2022 release and some original British Royal Navy rum. The below breakdown of our Perpetual Reserve component comprises 19.5% of the final Master Blender’s Reserve 2023 rum blend.
- 19.0% PERPETUAL BLEND
  
  MASTER BLENDER’S RESERVE 2022, POT/COLUMN STILL
- 0.5% PERPETUAL BLEND
  
  ORIGINAL ROYAL NAVY RUM BLEND, POT/COLUMN STILL

Technical Specifications

Raw Material

Molasses
Distillery

Multiple
Distillation

Guyana column, pot/column and wooden pot, Barbados pot/column, Jamaica pot, Trinidad column and pot, Grenada column, World pot/column
Cask Type

American & European Oak
Maturation

Tropical & Continental
Chill Filtered

No
Blend Composition

A blend of rums from Guyana, Barbados, Jamaica, Trinidad, Grenada and a Perpetual Reserve blend
NO SUGAR ADDED

0g/L added
Bottled

Scotland