On a recent trip to Annapolis, we had to make a stop at Mill’s Fine Wine and Spirits to check out the rum selection stocked for incoming cruisers. Lo and behold there was the Pusser’s Rum Aged 15 Years; a rum we can’t find in South Florida. The $60.00 purchase price made us hesitate just a brief second but boy after tasting what Forbes refers to “the single malt of rum” it was money well spent.
If you have been on charter in the British Virgin Islands, surely you’ve partaken in a Pusser’s Painkiller® or two. The fruity cocktail is made with Pusser’s Original Admiralty Blend (Blue Label), based on the same recipe use by the British Royal Navy as their daily rum ration to sailors. The pint size ration or “tot” was distributed by the ship’s purser. After consuming their daily ration, sailors’ slurring of Purser soon became “Pusser.” On July 31, 1970, known to many as “Black Tot Day,” this 300 year tradition was abolished by the Admiralty Board.
In 1979, a global sailor and entrepreneur, Charles Tobias, obtained the rights and all blending information from the Admiralty and formed Pusser’s Ltd. on Tortola. Pusser’s is a blend of five West Indies rums distilled in a double wooden pot still – one of the few producers still using this method. The 15 year old is crafted in small batches and from the beginning took the world by storm winning Gold medals at World Rum competitions.
“My second sip hits the jackpot – dark chocolate-covered bing cherries. Oh my!”
“The sweetness definitely comes from molasses and is well balanced with the alcohol content. My third, fourth and fifth sips bring something new and wonderful to my palette.”
He Said
Wow! What an inviting nose. I get vanilla bean, sherry and some charred notes. The woodiness doesn’t taste of oak, rather beech or ash. The first sip is smooth and subtle accentuating the sweet notes from the nose and defining the charred note as tobacco. The finish however, is floral and almost tropical. The second sip brings out cherry and melon explaining the floral finish. The sweetness definitely comes from molasses and is well balanced with the alcohol content. My third, fourth and fifth sips bring something new and wonderful to my palette.
She Said
The color is an inviting golden-red with nice lacing on the glass. I too get the sherry, or maybe brandy, on the nose but instead of vanilla, I get rich caramel and the tobacco Clint gets on the palate. My first sip engulfs my sinuses with pure pleasure. All the notes on the nose shine along with something I can’t quite pinpoint on the first sip. My second sip hits the jackpot – dark chocolate-covered bing cherries. Oh my! The finish is smooth with the lingering cherry and sweet honeydew melon.
Overall
As you can tell we loved this rum. Every sip brought out something different to explore. We can definitely tell a lot of care went into making this special rum.
4.75 of 5
Sipping Rum Scale
1 – An expensive mixer
2 – A quick celebratory shot
3 – Wouldn’t be embarrassed to share with friends
4 – Are my friends worthy of a sip
5 – Special moments rum
About Clint and Terry: We have sampled many a dram over our 33 years of marriage and quite often we don’t fully agree. Could be the difference is male/female taste buds. Or, somebody is just wrong.
