Gosling's Black Seal Rum is the flagship product of Gosling Brothers, Ltd.

Gosling Brothers, Ltd.

Gosling Brothers, Ltd. is a Bermuda company primarily concerned with manufacturing and distributing rum as well as importing and distributing spirits on the island as well as maintaining a retail presence.-History:...

 and is also the largest export of the island nation

Island nation

An island country is a state whose primary territory consists of one or more islands or parts of islands. As of 2011, 47 of the 193 UN member states are island countries.-Politics:...

 of Bermuda

Bermuda

Bermuda is a British overseas territory in the North Atlantic Ocean. Located off the east coast of the United States, its nearest landmass is Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, about to the west-northwest. It is about south of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, and northeast of Miami, Florida...

. This is the rum that is mixed with Bermuda ginger beer

Ginger beer

Ginger beer is a carbonated drink that is flavored primarily with ginger and sweetened with sugar or artificial sweeteners.-History:Brewed ginger beer originated in England in the mid-18th century and became popular in Britain, the United States, and Canada, reaching a peak of popularity in the...

 to create the signature Dark 'N' Stormy

Dark 'N' Stormy

A Dark and Stormy is an alcoholic highball style cocktail popular in many British Commonwealth countries, such as Bermuda and Australia. It consists of dark rum and ginger beer over ice. It is optionally accompanied by a slice of lime...

 drink. The company also bottles 140 proof and 151 proof renditions of this product, though these blends are rarer outside the island.

History

The Goslings started formulating rum

Rum

Rum is a distilled alcoholic beverage made from sugarcane by-products such as molasses, or directly from sugarcane juice, by a process of fermentation and distillation. The distillate, a clear liquid, is then usually aged in oak barrels...

 blends in 1860 and in three years, they had developed Old Rum, a dark, full bodied elixir. Originally distributed only in barrels and sold to those bringing their own bottles, the rum became more widely available with the introduction of bottling in Champagne bottles, the most widely available at the time, salvaged from the British Officer's Mess which were sealed with black sealing wax. Soon, people were asking for more of the 'black seal' rum, prompting the change to the current name.

Mixed Drinks

• Dark and Stormy — In a tall ("high ball") glass filled with ice, add 2 oz. Gosling's Black Seal Rum, and top with Gosling's Stormy Ginger Beer. Garnish with lemon or lime (optional). The definitive NYT article from July 2009
• Bermuda Rum Swizzle

See also

• Gosling's Gold Rum
• Gosling's Old Rum
• Gosling's Stormy Ginger Beer