Woods 100 Old Navy Rum (1000ml)

Authentic, high-proof Caribbean rum in a super value one litre bottle.

Guyana is justly famous for its rich, heavy Demerara rums, named for a local river and produced from both pot and column stills. These can be aged for long periods (25-year-old varieties are on the market), but are more frequently used for blending with lighter rums. First served to English sailors in Jamaica in 1655, Woods was created for use by His Majesty's armed forces, remaining a mainstay of British naval life for over 300 years. Now produced at Guyana's Daimond Distillery using black strap molasses and the last wooden stills in the world, the blend contains both pot and (mostly) column distilled rums aged between 1.5 and 3 years. Probably the darkest rum on the market today, this brown sherry to treacle coloured spirit needs time to build on the nose and palate, and despite the mega alcohol is deceptively light on entry, but fans out with fantastic depth, suggesting molasses cake, treacle and liquorice strap before finishing with notes of coffee cake, chico lollies and dark chocolate. Arguably more dry than sweet, without the pronounced 'bitter sweetness' you might expect at this potent strength, it winds up dripping with treacle, molasses cake and chewy oak. The nose is a little shy, and don't go looking for complexity, but it will add a prototypical Demerara quality to Tiki cocktails. Old school sailors will keep it neat or add sweet mixers to taste. 57% alc./vol.

Other reviews... 4.5 Stars - diffordsguide.com

Gold Medal - Dark Rum up to 7yo - 2015 The Rum Masters