Known as Black Tot Day, the 31st July marks an historic and, for many, sad day for the British Royal Navy. It was on this day in 1970 that the long standing tradition of the daily Navy Rum ration was brought to an end, a tradition that had been in place for over 200 years.
As one of the pioneers of rum blending, the Navy created a ‘world blend’, combining different styles of rum to create the final tot that the sailors cherished.
The Black Tot Rum range, created by independent bottlers Elixir Distillers, tells this rum creation story, honoring authentic blending techniques of the past while providing an evolution of Navy Rum for the palates of today. In fact, the Black Tot family includes real liquid history – a bottling of the actual rum that was left over after the final rations were handed out, Black Tot Last Consignment.
The Black Tot range is imported into the US by ImpEx Beverages. Sam Filmus, President and Managing Director at ImpEx Beverages says: “Whereas the core of our portfolio is world whisky, we’re thrilled to embark on the Black Tot Rum journey. Carrying some wonderful brands from Elixir Distillers such as Port Askaig and Single Malts of Scotland, we’re confident that Black Tot will remain a huge success in the States, as it’s shown time and time again that ImpEx and Elixir’s philosophies align perfectly.”
Inspired by the tradition of Navy Rum, Black Tot Finest Caribbean is a modern expression influenced by historic blending techniques. It is the core expression in the Black Tot range and launched in the US in 2020 where it is now widely available. It blends rums from the Caribbean countries that would have been the cornerstones of the rum for the British Navy – Guyana, Barbados, and Jamaica – to create a blend full of tropical, coffee, and chocolate notes.
See here for tasting notes.
The core expression, Black Tot Finest Caribbean Rum, is the most readily available in the US.
These amazing Limited Special Releases can be found in select markets.
A piece of liquid history, Black Tot Last Consignment was bottled from antique stone flagons containing the last stocks of Royal Navy Rum, which had been untouched for over four decades.
Remarkably, after all these years, Black Tot Last Consignment is still 54.3%, almost exactly the original Navy issuing strength. This is a historical blend that can never be recreated. Extremely limited quantities are available in the US.
See here for tasting notes.
Available from January 2021, Black Tot continues to celebrate the wonderful world of rum with the launch of a new blend, commemorating 50 years since Black Tot Day – the day the British Navy were given their final ration of rum.
Black Tot 50th Anniversary Edition has a deep richness of flavor with licorice sticks, vanilla bean paste, lime and dark chocolate, deepening to brandy-poached pears . A long and lingering finish results in a pleasant dryness which entices another sip.
Only 5000 bottles of this limited edition bottling have been produced for the world, with 600 bottles available in the US. It is the first in a series of annual Navy Strength Black Tot Day releases.
Like the original Navy Rum blend that was continuously developed for almost 200 years, the Black Tot Anniversary blend promises to add layer upon layer of flavor and complexity with each yearly release.
See here for tasting notes.
For more information or details of your nearest retailers please contact ImpEx Beverages by phone at (650) 872-1113 or by email at office@ImpExBev.com.
Images and product information can be found at the link on ImpEx’s Media Resources page under Black Tot Rum
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