Review: Black Tot Master Blender’s Reserve 2025

At this point it has become a tradition that I will cover every yearly Black Tot Master Blender’s Reserve ever since they launched their first 50th Anniversary in 2020. I have spoken about Black Tot and what their brand encompasses so I’ll keep this one shorter in order to avoid repeating myself every year now. I managed to sample this bottling both at this year’s Rum Show and a session with the Cane Spirit Society, all thanks to the Black Tot Global Brand Ambassador, Mitch Wilson.

It was the 31st of July that has been dubbed the Black Tot Day since 1970 when the British Royal Navy have abolished the daily rum rations for its sailors for… well… safety reasons. You can read all about it and how the Black Tot brand started in my review of the original navy rum, the Black Tot Last Consignment.

This year’s Master Blender’s Reserve celebrates the 55th Anniversary of Black Tot Day and it’s centered around Guyanese rums. The full blend breakdown is on their website, but I’ll make a summary here for the lazier ones (I know I am one):

40% – Guyana Blend – Diamond Distillery – 12-21 Years Old;
24% – Barbados Blend – Foursquare Distillery – 7-8 Years Old;
13% – Jamaica Blend – Worthy Park Distillery – 11 Years Old;
5% – Trinidad Blend – Caroni Distillery – 27 Years Old;
19% – Perpetual Blend – including some Black Tot 50th Anniversary and Master Blender’s Select 2024, as well as a small amount of the original Last Consignment.

Now let’s see what the Master Blender Oliver Chilton has created this year – I’m excited about the fact that it is focused more around Guyanese components.

Black Tot Master Blender’s Reserve 2025 is molasses based, pot and column distilled and aged for an indefinite amount of time in American and European oak barrels. Bottled at 54.5% ABV without any additives or filtration. There might be some caramel residue from the Last Consignment component, but I would say it’s negligible.

On the nose the Guyanese component stands out. Liquorice, cacao nibs, ground coffee and a slight green vegetal note. Sour cherries. red apples, pineapples and overripe banana. The Barbadian and Jamaican components give it its fruity notes. Spicy with ginger, nutmeg, cloves and black pepper. Black tea, tobacco, sandalwood and damp oak.

On the palate once again it’s that Port Mourant that stands out. Liquorice, sandalwood, cacao and dark chocolate. Stone fruits, tropical fruits (pineapple and banana) and caramel. The little amount of Caroni in this blend really stands out. Rubber, petrol (not that I’d know the taste, but the aroma is there) and black pepper. Cloves, ginger and nutmeg once again with a drop of cinnamon. Rich tobacco, walnuts and some burnt orange peel. The finish is long with molasses, anise and spicy oak.

Absolutely amazing, Oliver really did an amazing job at making this a “Navy style” rum, but with very complex notes and layers. You can almost taste the components.

I’ve also got the chance to compare all the previous Black Tot Master Blender’s Reserve bottlings and I reached to the conclusion that this one 2025 and the 2023 are my favourites. Both amazing drops with complex layers and plenty of that Port Mourant profile that I love. If this would’ve really be given to sailors for free, I would definitely join up!